Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Luke 4:1-13
The title of today's sermon
is ‘Of Arameans and Anamnesis’ and by way of introduction I want to
explain anamnesis. The word anamnesis sounds a little bit like
the word amnesia, but it means the opposite. It means to remember but this
remembering occurs within a community.
The symbolism within the
story Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge gives to us a helpful way to think
about the idea of communal memory. The items bought by Wilfrid to Miss Nancy
enabled her to remember things that she had long forgotten. In the process of
remembering Miss Nancy experiences a sense of renewal.
Within Christian worship,
the word anamnesis is often used in explaining what happens when we
share in the Lord's Supper. We remember something as a community that as
individuals we might have no personal memory of, yet through this communal
remembering and the power of the Holy Spirit, we find a sense of assurance and
renewal in our relationship with God as we are drawn into experiencing the
event.
I have written the sermon
in a slightly different way which involves a statement and invitation for you
to respond at the beginning of each section. There are four sections.
These
are:
Anamnesis in the Ancient Liturgy.
I will conclude the sermon
with the same refrain.
Refrain
Leader: A wandering Aramean
was my ancestor
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
Response: We remember things
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our past
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
Anamnesis in the Ancient Liturgy
We remember the past
As we remember that Moses
Led the people out of Egypt, then
Wandering for forty years
Before coming to a land
Flowing with milk and honey
We remember that
Before entering this land
Moses described a ritual
Which was the work of the people
A liturgy through which they
Remembered their roots
We remember
that the wandering Aramean
Was Jacob, who married Rebekah
A woman descended from the line of Aram
We remember that
The nomadic roots of God’s people
Stretched long even before
The wilderness wanderings
After escaping from Egypt
The people were to remember
The history of God’s faithfulness
By offering the first fruits
Of their harvest
An act that reflected that they were
A settled and sedentary people
Living in the promised land
Where they had the time
To plant and to grow and to harvest
We remember that
The fruits that were given
Were to be offered in celebration
And to be shared with all who resided
In the promised land
To be shared with Levite, alien and stranger
We remember that they were
Invited to celebrate God’s providence
And generosity, not simply to one nation
But to all people on earth
The chosen people were chosen
To include and embrace
Not to exclude, as some might think.
So that all might know of God’s love
God’s mercy and God’s faithfulness.
Refrain
Leader: A wandering Aramean
was my ancestor
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
Response: We remember things
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our past
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
Anamnesis on Country
We remember the past
We remember these ancient lands
And its ancient peoples, this place
Country for the Turrbal and Jagera peoples
We remember that God
Is the God of all peoples
And the God of all places.
And so, we remember that
When Europeans came to this Country
They entered a land
That had been created and sustained
By the Triune God
They knew in Jesus Christ
And they encountered people
Whom God already loved.
We remember that many
Of the first Europeans who came
Were coerced and cajoled
And did not come by choice
But we also know
That some came seeking
A new and better life
Many hoped for a promised land
A land flowing with milk and honey
We remember the encounters
Between the First Peoples
And those who came
And how these encounters
Were interpreted differently
Words like colonisation and settlement
For the First nations people felt more like
Violence, invasion and dispossession
A time of sadness and tragedy
That carried forward through the generations.
We remember as the colony
expanded
Moses, no, not the one from the Bible
But Moses Adsett who lies just yonder
Who established this land
As a place of Christian worship
And whose headstone reminds us
Of a Christian heritage
Begun here over 150 years ago
And we remember those
Who lie close by with Moses
Who are encouraging us still
We remember the names who
have
Given time, talents, and treasures
To build this worshipping community
More than mere names etched in a window
They are the communion of saints
Who gather around us
And who made who we are now
Possible through their generosity
Aitkens and Blakes
Bennetts, Bonds and Cowans
Eastons and Earles
Fannings and Finches
Goldburg’s, Harrisons, and Hilders
The list and their legacy goes on and yet on
Too many to name
In this short refrain
For the early years of building this community
For the days of hardship, and depression
We remember the grief and loss of wars
That impacted this community
For those who went away
And came home changed
And for those who left and never came home
We shall remember them
Lest we forget
We remember the days of
celebrations
For establishing the first church
For building and rebuilding
For the beginnings of the Uniting Church
We remember Methodist,
Presbyterian and Congregationalist
For joining and openings and new possibilities
Serving the community and the world
For which Christ died
We remember the past
And we remember the people
People whom we didn’t know
And those whom we did and still do
People to whose lives we are joined
In the power of the Holy Spirit
The community of Christ
The Communion of Saints
At the Gap Uniting Church
Refrain
Leader: A wandering Aramean
was my ancestor
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
Response: We remember things
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our past
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
Anamnesis in God’s Faithfulness in
Christ.
We remember our future
Through anamnesis
As we remember the past
And the incarnation of God
As God’s faithfulness
To all that God has created
We remember his birth
And the love of his mother
We remember his growth
And the teaching of his father
We remember his stories
And miracles shared
On the journey with disciples
Whom he later called friends.
We remember the table
Where Jesus shared in a meal
And dipped his bread in a cup
Shared with a friend
Who became his betrayer
But still promised
To be with his followers
Whenever we gather
And share in the meal
We remember his death
And we remember his resurrection
And we remember his coming again
We remember that
He comes to us now from the future
And from outside time itself
Where he, the eternal Word, now resides
In the eternal presence
Of the Divine Creator of all
He comes to us now
He comes to us in water
He comes to us through the Word
He comes to us in bread and wine
By the power of Holy Spirit, and
He comes to us in the love that is shared
From one to another
He comes to us with
assurance
Giving renewal and hope
For in him we are a new creation
Because in him we resisted temptation
And a new future was born
This is the good news
Of God’s faithfulness
A mysterious hope for all
Refrain
Leader: A wandering Aramean
was my ancestor
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
Response: We remember things
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our past
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
Anamnesis in the Gap Uniting Church.
We remember God’s presence
Is with us here now
And that we are his church
And this church is not ours
It’s not mine
It’s not yours
It’s God’s new creation
By the power of the Spirit
It is our destination
It exists beyond time
It exists beyond space
But here in this place
And now in this time
We are joined into one as
We remember things
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
We remember all this
as we watch the light play
Through panes of stained glass
Which were placed to help us see
To see new hope
In the movement and life
Of the work of the Spirit
The strands of DNA
The pulse of the universe
The festivity of life
Celebrating our community
And its diversity
And God’s love for all
We remember the call
To be his disciples
And we remember the call
To grow his disciples
To go into the world
And to share the good news
Rather than stay cloistered here
In some holy club.
We remember as look out the
windows
Of this church to see
The community around
To find that God is there
And waiting to be found
In the people we meet day by day
Whose lives can astound
God's presence is with us
It goes before us and behind us
Is within us and beyond us
It can be found in all places
And can be met in all people
To whom in love we are called
We remember with assurance
that renewal means change
to constantly become
that new creation in him
And that through remembering our past
and encountering our future
to live in the present
And the presence of God
Who is the source of our assurance
And the cause of our hope for renewal.
Refrain
Leader: A wandering Aramean
was my ancestor
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
Response: We remember things
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our past
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
As we remember that Moses
Led the people out of Egypt, then
Wandering for forty years
Before coming to a land
Flowing with milk and honey
Before entering this land
Moses described a ritual
Which was the work of the people
A liturgy through which they
Remembered their roots
Was Jacob, who married Rebekah
A woman descended from the line of Aram
We remember that
The nomadic roots of God’s people
Stretched long even before
The wilderness wanderings
After escaping from Egypt
The history of God’s faithfulness
By offering the first fruits
Of their harvest
An act that reflected that they were
A settled and sedentary people
Living in the promised land
Where they had the time
To plant and to grow and to harvest
The fruits that were given
Were to be offered in celebration
And to be shared with all who resided
In the promised land
To be shared with Levite, alien and stranger
Invited to celebrate God’s providence
And generosity, not simply to one nation
But to all people on earth
The chosen people were chosen
To include and embrace
Not to exclude, as some might think.
So that all might know of God’s love
God’s mercy and God’s faithfulness.
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
We remember these ancient lands
And its ancient peoples, this place
Country for the Turrbal and Jagera peoples
Is the God of all peoples
And the God of all places.
And so, we remember that
When Europeans came to this Country
They entered a land
That had been created and sustained
By the Triune God
They knew in Jesus Christ
And they encountered people
Whom God already loved.
Of the first Europeans who came
Were coerced and cajoled
And did not come by choice
But we also know
That some came seeking
A new and better life
Many hoped for a promised land
A land flowing with milk and honey
Between the First Peoples
And those who came
And how these encounters
Were interpreted differently
Words like colonisation and settlement
For the First nations people felt more like
Violence, invasion and dispossession
A time of sadness and tragedy
That carried forward through the generations.
Moses, no, not the one from the Bible
But Moses Adsett who lies just yonder
Who established this land
As a place of Christian worship
And whose headstone reminds us
Of a Christian heritage
Begun here over 150 years ago
Who lie close by with Moses
Who are encouraging us still
Given time, talents, and treasures
To build this worshipping community
More than mere names etched in a window
They are the communion of saints
Who gather around us
And who made who we are now
Possible through their generosity
Bennetts, Bonds and Cowans
Eastons and Earles
Fannings and Finches
Goldburg’s, Harrisons, and Hilders
The list and their legacy goes on and yet on
Too many to name
In this short refrain
For the early years of building this community
For the days of hardship, and depression
We remember the grief and loss of wars
That impacted this community
For those who went away
And came home changed
And for those who left and never came home
We shall remember them
Lest we forget
For establishing the first church
For building and rebuilding
For the beginnings of the Uniting Church
We remember Methodist,
Presbyterian and Congregationalist
For joining and openings and new possibilities
Serving the community and the world
For which Christ died
And we remember the people
People whom we didn’t know
And those whom we did and still do
People to whose lives we are joined
In the power of the Holy Spirit
The community of Christ
The Communion of Saints
At the Gap Uniting Church
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
Through anamnesis
As we remember the past
And the incarnation of God
As God’s faithfulness
To all that God has created
And the love of his mother
We remember his growth
And the teaching of his father
And miracles shared
On the journey with disciples
Whom he later called friends.
Where Jesus shared in a meal
And dipped his bread in a cup
Shared with a friend
Who became his betrayer
But still promised
To be with his followers
Whenever we gather
And share in the meal
We remember his death
And we remember his resurrection
And we remember his coming again
He comes to us now from the future
And from outside time itself
Where he, the eternal Word, now resides
In the eternal presence
Of the Divine Creator of all
He comes to us in water
He comes to us through the Word
He comes to us in bread and wine
By the power of Holy Spirit, and
He comes to us in the love that is shared
From one to another
Giving renewal and hope
For in him we are a new creation
Because in him we resisted temptation
And a new future was born
This is the good news
Of God’s faithfulness
A mysterious hope for all
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
Is with us here now
And that we are his church
And this church is not ours
It’s not yours
It’s God’s new creation
By the power of the Spirit
It is our destination
It exists beyond space
But here in this place
And now in this time
We are joined into one as
We remember things
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
as we watch the light play
Through panes of stained glass
Which were placed to help us see
To see new hope
In the movement and life
Of the work of the Spirit
The strands of DNA
The pulse of the universe
The festivity of life
Celebrating our community
And its diversity
And God’s love for all
To be his disciples
And we remember the call
To grow his disciples
To go into the world
And to share the good news
Rather than stay cloistered here
In some holy club.
Of this church to see
The community around
To find that God is there
And waiting to be found
In the people we meet day by day
Whose lives can astound
It goes before us and behind us
Is within us and beyond us
It can be found in all places
And can be met in all people
To whom in love we are called
that renewal means change
to constantly become
that new creation in him
And that through remembering our past
and encountering our future
to live in the present
And the presence of God
Who is the source of our assurance
And the cause of our hope for renewal.
But I did not know because I did not remember
But here we remember together:
which we did not know
that we had forgotten
We remember our future
We remember our present
in God’s presence!
What is the one thing which God is laying on your heart?
