Remembrance Day
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
November 11, 2012 - Pastor Dale Lloyd
All across this great country of ours today
in small hamlets and villages to larger towns and great cities something
wonderful will happen. This happening will cut across age differences, and
today the very young, the very old and all ages in between will come together.
They will congregate in front of cenotaphs, place reefs, read poems and offer
up prayers. In all of these activities there is a three word phrase that will
be read over and over: ‘Lest we
Forget.’
When you drive west of here on highway 401
you come to a portion of the highway that is designated: Highway
of Heroes. This is also the designation given highway 416 that runs from the
401 to Ottawa. On those signs you will discover this same three word phrase: ‘Lest we
Forget.’
Not so much in our youth but certainly with
age and maturity, we soon enough discover that there are some things in life we
dare not forget and if we do we do so at our own peril.
To underscore the validity and importance of
this I remind you of the heart and core of God’s final instruction to Israel
through Moses. Moses was 120 years
of age. He was speaking to a generation all under the age of forty with just a
couple of exceptions. The heart of that final instruction was this: ‘Then
beware lest you forget the Lord which brought you forth out of the land of
Egypt.’ (Deut.6:12)
The word ‘then’
marks a period of time and a state or
condition relevant to that period of time. The time referred to was a season
of incredible prosperity they were about to enter into in keeping with the long
promise of God to the generations preceding them. In this God reveals the
particular danger or vulnerability that develops during seasons of prosperity
and increase. That vulnerability is expressed in this three word phrase: ‘Lest you forget.’
In Deuteronomy 6:12 the specific
instruction was that they were not to forget the Lord. But when we come to Deuteronomy 8:2we read this: “You
shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness
these forty years.....”
This scripture addresses the journey
itself and instructs us to never forget that journey by which the Lord has
brought us to where we are at this present moment. It is telling us that God was
in the journey, and when we become forgetful of that journey we simultaneously
begin to forget the God who was present in that journey. In remembering the
journey we also remember the God who made that journey with us. This brief
scriptural reference provides a bit of background to what I want to share with
you on this Sunday of remembrance.
Let’s go back to the year 1897.
Does anyone here know the significance of that year? This was the year of Queen
Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Understand that Great Britain celebrated an empire
that literally spanned the globe. It really was true that ‘the
sun never set upon the British Empire.’ As part of this great celebration
Britain’s leading poet of the day, Rudyard Kipling, was commissioned by
the London Times to write a poem. He
executed his commission and was immediately criticised, scorned and denounced.
Just before we read his poem from the
overhead I would ask that we keep two things in mind. First,
Kipling actually wrote this poem as a prayer. Secondly,
whether it was intended or not the poem turned out to be a powerful prophetic
warning and remains so to this day concerning any nation during its season of
strength, prosperity and increase. Here is the poem. I have underlined some
phrases for your notice.
“Recessional” by Rudyard Kipling
God of our fathers, known of old--
Lord of
our far-flung battle line--
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over
palm and pine--
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest
we forget!
The tumult and the shouting dies--
The Captains and the Kings
depart--
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite
heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we
forget!
Far-called our navies melt away--
On dune and headland sinks the
fire--
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that
have not Thee in awe--
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser
breeds without the Law--
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we
forget—lest we forget!
For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron
shard--
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding calls not
Thee to guard.
For frantic boast and foolish word,
Thy Mercy on Thy
People, Lord!
Amen.
By Kipling’s own
account (and I think obviously) the phrase that was enlivened in his
consciousness and that birthed this prayer/poem was, ‘Lest
we forget.’
To understand the poem you need look no farther than its title – ‘Recessional.’This was the first detail
that drew criticism and got him into trouble. The word ‘recessional’
suggests recession, shrinkage, drawing
back, the ending or passing away of things. And there was no evidence in the
physical realm of any such recession. But Kipling
saw beyond the external and was deeply troubled.
And so a Biblical phrase became – for Kipling
– the heart of a national prayer to God about a mighty empire that should be
looking to the Lord with profound gratitude for such a glorious reign as
Victoria rather than any self-congratulation. He increasingly sensed the
encroachment of a national hubris (exaggerated sense of pride and arrogance
that becomes cruel in it outworking). This was repulsive to his sense of
God, his sense of Queen, and his sense of country. But far beyond this he saw it
as dangerous and deadly to the future of the empire. He knew that any nation
that boasts in its greatness because
of its own strength is in danger of being humbled through judgement
– thus his reference to Nineveh and
Tyre.
On this Remembrance Day
Sunday I think the lessons are clear enough. I do not consider it
inappropriate to speak, not only of this great nation of Canada,
but also of our neighbours to the South –these two great nations that
make up North America. We both need
to remember and celebrate the particular journey in which our
national formation took place. There is such an effort today to dumb down
the testimony of history. We deny it and constantly endeavour to rewrite it in
an effort to make it say something other than its own truth. The more I
understand the education my daughter is getting at Queens
University the more I understand how intense and deliberate this effort is.
They would argue that it’s not about changing history but about
interpreting history. I don’t struggle with that. What I do struggle with is the
deliberate intention to remove and eliminate God from that history; to cut God
out of the journey of our national
formation. So why is it that our educators and political leaders are so
conflicted with the presence of God in our national history? In a four word
phrase it is – the fear of
accountability.
If I acknowledge God ordained the journey of our national
formation; if I acknowledge God was present in this journey of our national formation then in all
responsibilities of citizenship I am ultimately accountable to this God. That
is what we fear. That is what we resist. That is what we fight against. And if
you want a Biblical description of this just read the second
Psalm.
On this day of remembrance let us do exactly that – remember. Let
us remember 1897 and the prophetic
warning in the words of an English
poet. And then let us turn and face the true history of our national
formation. Let us boldly and openly acknowledge the guiding hand of Devine Providence in that history. And
let us confess that apart from the presence of God in the
journey of our making there would be no Canada
and no United States. And
finally, let us acknowledge that, if we continue down this road of pushing God
further and further out to the fringe of national consciousness, both of these
great nations will be nothing more than mere memories even as it is with Nineveh and Tyre.
Let me conclude with a comment concerning what should be obvious
regarding the present health of
these two great nations. One of the first evidences that an “Empire”
has become forgetful of God is found in its definition of “the
responsibility of Empire.” Moving away from selfless,
sacrificial service to others,toward a self-centred,
narcissistic, self-absorbed and consumerist society built upon the core idea of
personal rights pretty much establishes the measure of our “forgetfulness
of God.” I leave it to you to assess the present health of North
America.
Lest we forget – indeed!
November 11, 2012 - Pastor Dale Lloyd
All across this great country of ours today
in small hamlets and villages to larger towns and great cities something
wonderful will happen. This happening will cut across age differences, and
today the very young, the very old and all ages in between will come together.
They will congregate in front of cenotaphs, place reefs, read poems and offer
up prayers. In all of these activities there is a three word phrase that will
be read over and over: ‘Lest we
Forget.’
When you drive west of here on highway 401
you come to a portion of the highway that is designated: Highway
of Heroes. This is also the designation given highway 416 that runs from the
401 to Ottawa. On those signs you will discover this same three word phrase: ‘Lest we
Forget.’
Not so much in our youth but certainly with
age and maturity, we soon enough discover that there are some things in life we
dare not forget and if we do we do so at our own peril.
To underscore the validity and importance of
this I remind you of the heart and core of God’s final instruction to Israel
through Moses. Moses was 120 years
of age. He was speaking to a generation all under the age of forty with just a
couple of exceptions. The heart of that final instruction was this: ‘Then
beware lest you forget the Lord which brought you forth out of the land of
Egypt.’ (Deut.6:12)
The word ‘then’
marks a period of time and a state or
condition relevant to that period of time. The time referred to was a season
of incredible prosperity they were about to enter into in keeping with the long
promise of God to the generations preceding them. In this God reveals the
particular danger or vulnerability that develops during seasons of prosperity
and increase. That vulnerability is expressed in this three word phrase: ‘Lest you forget.’
In Deuteronomy 6:12 the specific
instruction was that they were not to forget the Lord. But when we come to Deuteronomy 8:2we read this: “You
shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness
these forty years.....”
This scripture addresses the journey
itself and instructs us to never forget that journey by which the Lord has
brought us to where we are at this present moment. It is telling us that God was
in the journey, and when we become forgetful of that journey we simultaneously
begin to forget the God who was present in that journey. In remembering the
journey we also remember the God who made that journey with us. This brief
scriptural reference provides a bit of background to what I want to share with
you on this Sunday of remembrance.
Let’s go back to the year 1897.
Does anyone here know the significance of that year? This was the year of Queen
Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Understand that Great Britain celebrated an empire
that literally spanned the globe. It really was true that ‘the
sun never set upon the British Empire.’ As part of this great celebration
Britain’s leading poet of the day, Rudyard Kipling, was commissioned by
the London Times to write a poem. He
executed his commission and was immediately criticised, scorned and denounced.
Just before we read his poem from the
overhead I would ask that we keep two things in mind. First,
Kipling actually wrote this poem as a prayer. Secondly,
whether it was intended or not the poem turned out to be a powerful prophetic
warning and remains so to this day concerning any nation during its season of
strength, prosperity and increase. Here is the poem. I have underlined some
phrases for your notice.
“Recessional” by Rudyard Kipling
God of our fathers, known of old--
Lord of
our far-flung battle line--
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over
palm and pine--
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest
we forget!
The tumult and the shouting dies--
The Captains and the Kings
depart--
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite
heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we
forget!
Far-called our navies melt away--
On dune and headland sinks the
fire--
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that
have not Thee in awe--
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser
breeds without the Law--
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we
forget—lest we forget!
For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron
shard--
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding calls not
Thee to guard.
For frantic boast and foolish word,
Thy Mercy on Thy
People, Lord!
Amen.
By Kipling’s own
account (and I think obviously) the phrase that was enlivened in his
consciousness and that birthed this prayer/poem was, ‘Lest
we forget.’
To understand the poem you need look no farther than its title – ‘Recessional.’This was the first detail
that drew criticism and got him into trouble. The word ‘recessional’
suggests recession, shrinkage, drawing
back, the ending or passing away of things. And there was no evidence in the
physical realm of any such recession. But Kipling
saw beyond the external and was deeply troubled.
And so a Biblical phrase became – for Kipling
– the heart of a national prayer to God about a mighty empire that should be
looking to the Lord with profound gratitude for such a glorious reign as
Victoria rather than any self-congratulation. He increasingly sensed the
encroachment of a national hubris (exaggerated sense of pride and arrogance
that becomes cruel in it outworking). This was repulsive to his sense of
God, his sense of Queen, and his sense of country. But far beyond this he saw it
as dangerous and deadly to the future of the empire. He knew that any nation
that boasts in its greatness because
of its own strength is in danger of being humbled through judgement
– thus his reference to Nineveh and
Tyre.
On this Remembrance Day
Sunday I think the lessons are clear enough. I do not consider it
inappropriate to speak, not only of this great nation of Canada,
but also of our neighbours to the South –these two great nations that
make up North America. We both need
to remember and celebrate the particular journey in which our
national formation took place. There is such an effort today to dumb down
the testimony of history. We deny it and constantly endeavour to rewrite it in
an effort to make it say something other than its own truth. The more I
understand the education my daughter is getting at Queens
University the more I understand how intense and deliberate this effort is.
They would argue that it’s not about changing history but about
interpreting history. I don’t struggle with that. What I do struggle with is the
deliberate intention to remove and eliminate God from that history; to cut God
out of the journey of our national
formation. So why is it that our educators and political leaders are so
conflicted with the presence of God in our national history? In a four word
phrase it is – the fear of
accountability.
If I acknowledge God ordained the journey of our national
formation; if I acknowledge God was present in this journey of our national formation then in all
responsibilities of citizenship I am ultimately accountable to this God. That
is what we fear. That is what we resist. That is what we fight against. And if
you want a Biblical description of this just read the second
Psalm.
On this day of remembrance let us do exactly that – remember. Let
us remember 1897 and the prophetic
warning in the words of an English
poet. And then let us turn and face the true history of our national
formation. Let us boldly and openly acknowledge the guiding hand of Devine Providence in that history. And
let us confess that apart from the presence of God in the
journey of our making there would be no Canada
and no United States. And
finally, let us acknowledge that, if we continue down this road of pushing God
further and further out to the fringe of national consciousness, both of these
great nations will be nothing more than mere memories even as it is with Nineveh and Tyre.
Let me conclude with a comment concerning what should be obvious
regarding the present health of
these two great nations. One of the first evidences that an “Empire”
has become forgetful of God is found in its definition of “the
responsibility of Empire.” Moving away from selfless,
sacrificial service to others,toward a self-centred,
narcissistic, self-absorbed and consumerist society built upon the core idea of
personal rights pretty much establishes the measure of our “forgetfulness
of God.” I leave it to you to assess the present health of North
America.
Lest we forget – indeed!