BETWEEN MEMORY AND HOPE
Psalm 46: 1-11

           Virtually every generation has at least one “remember when” moment; a moment where those who experienced an event can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Over the last 50 years, there have been quite a few “remember when” moments--the assassination of President Kennedy, the moon landing, and the disaster with the Space Shuttle Challenger—to name a few. September 11, 2001 also qualifies as a “remember when” moment; in fact, it could be the defining moment of this generation in history. Over the past few days and in the next few days, we are going to be reminded of that day. We’ve seen and are going to see the images all over again and we’ve relived the emotions again—the anguish, the sorrow, the anger, the fear, the helplessness. On this day, the tenth anniversary of that horrific Tuesday morning, we are called to remember.

           The remembrance of September 11, 2001, however, is not just about New York City, or Washington, D.C., or Shanksville, PA. It is not just about airplanes or heroes in the sky and on the ground. It is also a remembrance of the end of an era; an era that has been called “the era of security” and “the way things were”. At the same time, it is the remembrance of the beginning of an era of chaos, of fear, of instability. As we look back in remembrance, as we consider where we are now, and as we think of what would like things to be and look like in the future, we find ourselves in a trap. We are caught between memory and hope.

           Certainly, we are not the first generation in human history to experience this feeling. To be sure, we are also not the last generation to experience it either. It has happened before and it will happen again. Often times, this feeling is characterized by a feeling of insecurity. The human inclination is to turn inward and try to insulate ourselves from anything that might threaten us even more. This happens to both individuals and to entire societies. Consider all the ways in which we have tried to insulate ourselves since 9/11: to travel by airplane, we have to arrive to the airport at least three hours early; we are more aware (fearful?) of who is coming into our country and why; and we have grown suspicious of those who do not “look like us”.

           In the face of this, though, our Scripture invites us to do something completely radical (as Scripture usually does!). In Psalm 46, we are invited to completely (radically?) trust in God, even, and especially, when we are caught in the chaos between memory and hope.

           If we think about this invitation, we see just how radical it is; we are invited to trust in spite of the memories we carry. There are times when our memories make it difficult for human beings to trust one another. Have you ever felt betrayed by someone else? How easy is it to trust that person again? Let me give you a personal example. As we were on our way back from Liberia this past February, our final stopover was in Germany. As we were about to take off, I noticed several Middle Eastern-looking gentlemen sitting a few rows ahead of me. Now, I knew nothing about them. For all I knew, they could have been part of the Church in their home country, or doctors, or any other “respectable” profession. Yet, I am ashamed to say, my initial reaction was one of fear and mistrust.

           Just as our memories make it difficult to trust one another, they also make it difficult for us to trust God. There is this belief that a God who is truly loving, truly good, truly “in control”, would never allow anything that can be called negative to happen. The natural question is, “where was God when______? God gets blamed for so much, and humans use what has happened in the past as reasons not to trust God or to doubt God’s existence. There is something we need to remember, though. When sin entered the world, it was not just human beings that fell from Glory and God’s intended purpose; Creation, too, became separated from God and everything got turned upside-down and thrown into chaos.

           In spite of this, though, Israel proclaims, in Psalm 46, that even though the mountains tremble and the earth shakes, even though the waters roar and foam, even though the kingdoms of the world totter and fall, still they will trust in God. In the face of cosmic, political, social, and/or personal chaos, there will be no fear, because God is a refuge and strength in the time of chaos. Even with all the crazy things going on their world and in the face of what they had experienced, they still held to a resolute faith and trust in God! It is Scripture’s invitation to us today. Even though chaos might be all around us—God knows it is, with all the stuff going on in the world—God is OUR refuge, our strength, and our hope. In the time of chaos, God is able to be trusted to see us through the chaos.

           Our invitation to trust is to do so not just in spite of our memories; it is also an invitation to trust because of the hope we have. What is your hope this morning: for yourself, our church, our community, our world? What do you desire the most for each of these? My guess is that our deepest desires mirror the things of God: a world of peace, equality and justice for all people, a world where God’s “shalom” is the rule rather than the exception. These are universal hopes, shared by most people. The psalm, though, speaks of a hope in something else; something in which all of our hopes are met and realized. The psalm speaks of a hope and a trust that God will once again rule over all of creation. It speaks of a hope that, one day, God will turn things right-side-up and things will be just as God intended them to be. God is spoken of as the one who shatters the weapons of war, the one who will be exalted in all the nations, the one who makes glad the city of God. There is this hope in the psalm of God reigning over all creation and all the wrongs and evils of this world will be overthrown. What a glorious vision and hope!

           It is exactly this hope that turns our hearts toward the future. Without this hope, there is no reason for the church to exist! Without this hope, there is no reason for us to seek ways to communicate the gospel, to engage in mission, or to do anything but sit around and wait to (literally and figuratively) die. Our trust in God and the ways of God lead us into realizing the hope we have, even it means not knowing what God’s going to do or ask us to God. The bottom line is this: it is only through trusting in God that we come to a place where our hopes are realized.

           As we stand today between memory and hope, let us look back, realizing we cannot change what has already been; but let us also look forward, toward a future where peace and all the ways of God are the rule of creation and hope is realized. May God lead us forward as our strength and our refuge. AMEN.

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