The Blessing Of Remembering - Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

Subject: The Blessing of Remembering

Text: Psalm 137:1-6 “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.”

Introduction: The words of our text are the words of a nation of people who have been vanquished by the armies of the Babylonian empire. Their beloved and holy city Jerusalem has been sacked and set aflame. The beautiful temple that was built by King Solomon has been desecrated and left in ruins. And the once proud nation of Israel has been placed in chains and marched away as slaves into a strange and foreign land. The very people who were known throughout the world for their beautiful temple, sacred rituals, songs of worship to the God, Jehovah, have been reduced to listening to the taunts and ridicules of their captors. The Babylonians had listened carefully to Israel’s songs of praise as they studied their enemy. They heard them as they sang one of the psalms of David. They listened as the Israelites sang: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”

The Babylonians remembered Israel’s rich history and in celebration of their great victory over Israel, they mocked the people of God with a cruel request. “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” And the people of God replied with a question; a question that I believe was directed more to themselves than to their captors: “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” Babylon was indeed a strange land! To experience harsh treatment in captivity should have been expected. Yet right here in America, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, it has become a strange land.

We know that trouble comes to all in this world, but when we find ourselves stuck and confused, it’s strange! It is a strange land when hard fought for civil rights legislation is being reversed. It is a strange land when we discover the unjust laws and law enforcement officers where we expect fairness. It is a strange land when we discover attending school may be hazardous to your health. It is a strange land when we discover a Sunday drive can turn into a nightmare of road rage. On top of all that, loved ones may die unexpectedly. It is a strange land when sorrow comes in the middle of the joys of life. It is a strange land when in the land of the free and the home of the brave, we are faced with bondage and fear. We expect honesty and fairness, but are met with injustice, It’s a strange land. It is a strange land where sorrow comes in the prime of life. When young people choose suicide over life in the richest nation on earth. It is a strange land when you try to whole on to joy and one another while your hearts are filled with grief. Yet be assured that God will not abandon us because we are in a strange land.

Psalms 137 gives a sad account of the people of God who had lost many loved ones killed in battle, their homes, their temple, and their homeland were in ruins. This is one of the lowest points in Israel’s rich history. I would like to suggest to you that there is a message of hope hidden in the text and a challenge for us to keep moving forward through our present sorrows believing that this too will pass. There are better days coming! The psalmist said: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song.” The psalmist asked the question: “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? Babylon was indeed a strange land. The word Babel, which the root of Babylon means confusion. These Jews find themselves confused, in unfamiliar territory. They were depressed, dismay and dysfunctional. Life has a way of carrying us all to Babylon at one time or another. Disappointments has a way of landing all of us in the middle of a strange land. Even in Babylon, in a strange land, there are some things that we must do, if we are going to get up. First, we are encouraged to Remember Zion! Remember the day of blessing and opportunities we had.