To Be Remembered with Favour

To Be Remembered with Favour… 2 Samuel 1:17–27 (NIV84) 17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar): 19 “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen! 20 “Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice. 21 “O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil. 22 From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied. 23 “Saul and Jonathan— in life they were loved and gracious, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24 “O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold. 25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. 26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. 27 “How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!” Malachi 3:13–18 (NIV84) 13 “You have said harsh things against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’ 14 “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’ ” 16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honoured his name. 17 “They will be mine,” says the Lord Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. Luke 22:14–20 (NIV84) 14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Friends, today all who form part of the Allied Nations observe the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War. Initially this day of observance was instituted to honour the 8.5 million soldiers, ordinary men and women, who died across Europe during 1914-1918 in the Great War that were supposed to end all wars. But pretty soon it became clear that this idea of peaceful co-existence was fools’ gold, because conflicts and wars didn’t cease at all. A mere 21 years later another even more severe World War followed where more than 80 million people died of which 50 million were civilian casualties – the proverbial collateral damage. So, as time passed by 11th November became known as Remembrance Day, a day where we remember, observe and honour all the fallen heroes of WW1 and 2 and all conflicts and wars thereafter. We remember the millions of servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives in both World Wars, the war in Vietnam, the Korean War, and the two gulf Wars, the war in Afghanistan, the War against Terror, all wars in which soldiers have fought so that we might experience peace. Yearly on this day, at exactly 11am, all over the Allied World, people spend 2 min in silence – a small gesture of acknowledgment that we will remember and cherish the sacrifice of those who laid down their lives so that we may enjoy life in the relative freedom and prosperity that the democracy they fought for has bestowed upon us. This ability to remember those who suffered to make life better for us is a wonderful gift that God has given to mankind. Some of our memories are happy and we can recall wonderful experiences. But some of our memories are sad and we may weep as we remember them. Nevertheless, it is important that we remember that many still bear the scars of war today. It is good for us to remember those who have fought for the freedom of the people of their countries; it is good to show our support by remembering them and thanking God in prayer for them. Having said this, friends, it is my belief that all people would like to be remembered – soldiers and civilians alike – you and me included. We find this quest for remembrance right from the beginning of Scripture. For instance, according to Genesis 40:14 (NIV84) Joseph told Pharaoh’s disgraced cupbearer that he would regain his old position and then he pleaded with him: “But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.” And according to Judges 16:28 (NIV84) the great Israelite warrior Samson prayed to God, “O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” I’m sure you all know the story of Hannah’s plight: Her husband Elkanah had a second wife Peninnah. Penninah had children, but to her great distress Hannah had none. So according to 1 Samuel 1:11 (NIV84) she petitioned God saying, “O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” Job pleaded with God to remember him. Job 14:13 (NIV84) “If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me!” King David too. As he grew older and reflected on his life David realised that the most important thing is not what people remember but what God remembers about us. Listen to these verses from the Psalms: Psalm 25:7 (NIV84) 7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; but according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. And in Psalm 106:4 (NIV84) he pleaded: 4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favour to your people, come to my aid when you save them… The same is true for many of the prophets. For instance, when his own people rejected him Jeremiah found solace in God. According to Jeremiah 15:15 (NIV84) he pleaded with God:15 You understand, O Lord; remember me and care for me. Avenge me on my persecutors. You are long-suffering—do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake. Friends, death is a very complex matter. It not only terrifies us; it also confuses us. It causes us to feel at a loss. Even when death comes by so-called natural causes after a long and full life, we mourn. There are times when death comes at the end of a period of pain and suffering, and we speak of it as a relief. But still we weep. Death silences us. It is hard to know what to say in the face of death. At the same time death has a way of putting things in perspective. Death for the sake of the well-being and safety of others even more so. This is what we observe today. After seeing a young Canadian soldier killed by a German artillery shell, Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, wrote ‘In Flanders Fields’. The opening verse of this poem became the reason why we use the symbol of red poppies as a “mark” for the fallen: In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place; and in the sky the larks, still bravely singing, fly scarce heard amid the guns below. At the same time Rupert Brooke wrote his famous poem ‘The Soldier’ two weeks before his death in 1915. In it he reminisces his own death and what it should mean to his countrymen at home. It begins like this: If I should die, think only this of me: That there is some corner of a foreign field that is forever England. There shall be in that rich earth a richer dust concealed; a dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware; gave once her flowers to love, her ways to roam… Welshman Hedd Wyn too wrote his famous poem ‘War’ that reveals his struggle with man taking over God’s role: Why was I born into this age in which mankind has exiled God? With God departed, Man with rage, now sits upon the throne of God. And when man knew that God had gone, to spill his brother’s blood he bore his eager sword, and cast upon our homes the shadow of the war. The harps to which we sang are hung on willow boughs, their refrain drowned by the anguish of the young whose blood is mingled with the rain. Friends, it is not only the Poms, the Welsh and the Canadians who reminisced the agony of war and remembered the fallen. This week I was listening to William Crighton’s haunting version of Eric Bogle’s ‘And the band played Waltzing Matilda’ – a sorrowful song that tells the story of an able bodied young Australian soldier’s journey to WW1 and his return as a feeble bodied double amputee. It goes like this: When I was a young man I carried my pack, and I lived the free life of a rover. From the Murray’s green basin to the dusty outback, I waltzed my Matilda all over. Then in nineteen fifteen my country said: “Son It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done.” So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun and they sent me away to the war… And the band played Waltzing Matilda as we sailed away from the quay. And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers, we sailed off to Gallipoli… How well I remember that terrible day when the blood stained the sand and the water. And how in that hell that they called, Suvla Bay, we were butchered like lambs at the slaughter. Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well. He showered us with bullets, he rained us with shells, and in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell – Nearly blew us right back to Australia… But the band played waltzing Matilda as we stopped to bury our slain. And we buried ours and the Turks buried theirs; then it started all over again. Now, those who were living did their best to survive in that mad world of blood, death and fire. And for seven long weeks I kept myself alive while the corpses around me piled higher. Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tit. And when I woke up in my hospital bed, and saw what it had done, … Christ I wished I was dead. Never knew there were worse things than dying, and no more I'll go waltzing Matilda to the green bushes so far and near. For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs; no more waltzing Matilda for me… So they collected the cripples, the wounded and maimed, and they shipped us back home to Australia – the legless, the armless, the blind and insane - those proud wounded heroes of Suvla… And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay I looked at the place where me legs used to be, and thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me – to grieve and to mourn and to pity... And the band played Waltzing Matilda… As they carried us down the gangway, but nobody cheered, they just stood and stared and they turned all their faces away. And now every April I sit on my porch and I watch the parade pass before me. I see my old comrades, how proudly they march, reliving their dreams of past glory… I see the old men, all twisted and torn, the forgotten heroes of a forgotten war, and the young people ask me, "what are they marching for?" And I ask myself the same question…and the band plays Waltzing Matilda…And the old men still answer to the call, but year after year their numbers get fewer, some day no one will march there at all…Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, who'll go a-Waltzing Matilda with me? All of this reminds me of the truth that there are no winners among the participants of war… the winners are those back home who live in the relative peace the dead and the dying, the crippled and maimed have procured. So, what should we do on this Remembrance Day? Friends, I suggest that we honour our fallen and maimed with our two minutes of silence – acknowledging and grieving their sacrifice and expressing our debt of genuine gratitude for their sacrifice. We do this when we recite the well-known words: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. This is what King David did in our first Bible reading. He remembered the fallen…the heroes of Israel whose sacrifice bought relative peace for their people. David was very young when he was anointed King. Saul was still king but he did not serve in a worthy manner. He neglected God. He got interested in spiritual things at the wrong time and in the wrong way and even ended up visiting a witch for spiritual direction and tried to take the place of a prophet at an important event. So God decided to replace him. He became jealous of young David and wanted to kill him! David was on the run for many years. But Saul’s son Jonathan saw the good in David. He admired his character and his ability. He befriended David. He helped David to survive Saul’s wrath. Then, the dreaded message came when Saul’s poor choices and lack of surrender to God caught up with him. It cost the country in so many ways. He was wounded mortally in battle and chose to fall on his own sword after his armour bearer refused to do it for him. In 2 Samuel 1:17-27 Nevertheless, he was a hero and David laments this sad end to an even sadder life. David knew that the people of Israel needed to express their grief before they could move on. So he wrote this song of the bow. David’s Day of Remembrance song display profound grief for Saul, but not for him alone… Jonathan and many thousands of Israelites also died in battle, while fighting with Saul for the safety of their country. Although this event opened the door for David to rightfully be King David, he wasn’t ready to celebrate this news. It was in many ways one of the worst days of his life. He cared about the people of his nation and their soldiers. He tried to respect Jonathan and Saul, so he was sad at their passing. Jonathan was closer than any of his brothers. His violent death was even more devastating. And all the dead of the nation’s soldiers … David was genuinely grieving. He wrote a poem 2 Samuel 1:17-27 so the remnant of Israel could remember their fallen, while they lived in the peace their deaths procured. Friends, I think this is part and parcel of our observing of Remembrance Day too: Genuine grief for the senselessness of war…and thankfulness for the relative peace their deaths procured. But I think that we should consider more that just grieving for the fallen and maimed, more than mere acknowledgement of their sacrifice. I’d like to suggest to you that Remembrance Day should also have another distinct characteristic: and this is that we also remember those who have paid this ultimate price in sacrificing their lives by bringing them before God in our prayers and our praise. This is where our second Bible reading becomes relevant: In Malachi 3:16-17 we are told that those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. And then we are told that a scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honoured his name. 17 “They will be mine,” says the Lord Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. Friends, it is fitting to remember that the righteous, who in their living expressed reverence for God, have their names recorded in God’s book of remembrance too. On this Remembrance Day this is a truth worth remembering too: regardless how people die, whether it peaceful and natural or in anguish at war – If they were faithful to God in life, He will continue to be faithful to them even after death – by having their names written on His Scroll of Remembrance. I would like you to ponder this for a moment: What does it mean to have your name written on the Scroll of Remembrance? I would suggest that we consider what the Bible has to say about this: In Daniel 12:1-2 (NIV84) we read: “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Luke 10:18–20 (NIV84) 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Revelation 3:5 (NIV84) 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. Friends, God might appear to be absent from a society’s life, especially in times of conflict and war, but Malachi, Daniel, Luke and Revelation reminds us that God is in reality always present, ever- present observing how people lived and noting those who did good and those who practised evil. And this ever-present God promises us that everyone whose name is written in the book will be delivered to eternity. No enemy, human or spiritual can change this. It doesn’t matter which battlefield the dust of our fallen are enriching, when our Saviour returns the faithful will spend eternity with Him, enriching heaven with their presence, because their names are written on God’s Scroll of Remembrance. Lastly, Luke 22 tells us about the Last Meal Jesus ate with His disciples before His crucifixion. According to verse 19 He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” To me this act means that even Jesus wants us to remember that His life and His death have got meaning. He wants us to remember that He sacrificed His life for our sake. He wants us to remember that He went to the cross so that you and I can go to heaven. He wants us to remember that He died so that we can live. He wants us to remember the He was raised from the dead so that you and I can rise above our sinfulness and pettiness to enter the presence of God’s Holiness. On THIS Day of Remembrance, we should remember this too! As Christians we are called to remember all our fallen heroes – the faith heroes too – those who were slaughtered and maimed so that we can experiences the relative peace of God while journey on earth but even more so when we enter His Kingdom of Glory, His Kingdom of eternal peace. May God indeed remember you and me… may He write our names of that Scroll too because we live our lives in remembrance of what He has done for us too…Amen.