Spiritual and Religious Memory. Psalm 119:1-16. August 12, 2018

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1 Spiritual and Religious Memory Psalm 119:1-16 August 12, 2018 Memory is a powerful thing. That is obvious. It is our memories that keep us on track knowing who we are and where we are and what we are doing and who is important to us and what has happened to us and what we have learned and where we are going. It is necessary for the functioning of our life in a very practical way. As we age and our memories begin to slip that is when dangers arise like leaving the stove on, or the water running or the door open. All of this is part of what it means to be human, our memories are important but have you ever thought of memory as a spiritual resource. Maybe, this is also not unheard of. Many people when asked, can talk about an experience of God from the past, as far back as childhood that was so significant it put them on the trajectory of faith that they remain on into old age. But more than just a memory of something, I want us to think about memory, like memorization as a spiritual tool. Which I think is actually quite ironic. Remember we are in this season of discussing the fastest growing faith identity in America those who are spiritual but not religious. Now when we think of what it means to be religious one of the first things to come to mind is Bible quoters. You know who I am talking about. They carry around a worn leather Bible with them that fits perfectly in one hand, they swing it more than open it which is telling

2 but always have a scripture to overpower any conversation because the words they speak are Truth. So this opens up a whole can of worms that could lead to a sermon on the authority of scripture, what is truth, the value of listening, how to read the Bible among others but what we are talking about today is the spiritual work of repetition and memorization. And I know how old timey religious that sounds. We still have family members that make their children participate in bible quizzing competitions because the goal is that they will have scriptures on the tip of their tongue if ever their faith is brought into question. Now we all know we are not that kind of church and that is not where this is leading. But I want us to be mindful of the ways in which we close our minds to things just as we criticize others for doing. We think of biblical memorization as authoritarian or brain washing or indoctrination which of course it can be but it can also be grounding, life-giving and deeply spiritual. First a little experiment: What do you know from the Bible The Lord is my (shepherd) For God so loved (the world) What does the lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk (humbly with your God) And Jesus said, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, love (your neighbor as yourself) Good

3 God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather (a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.) In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a (formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.) I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts (and fix my eyes on your ways.) Ok, now a few others Can you finish this one sentence: Like a good neighbor (State Farm is there) Nationwide is (on your side) Give me a break, give me a break (break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat bar) For those in my generation now this is a story all about how my life got It is important to know what is taking up space in our minds because things are whether we welcome them in or not. We must be intentional about the words that take up residence in our minds because whether we realize it or not it impacts on how we live. The words we know accompany us everywhere we go and although the advertisers are doing their best to plant their seeds without our consent we can take control and put sacred words in our minds that can move to our heart and even our spirit.

4 I can almost see all the former Catholics bristling. In research I have found that the Catholic Church takes memorization much more seriously than the UCC churches tend to and their argument is for a common language and understanding of the faith. There are lists of items that must be committed to memory for catechism such as the 10 commandments, the beatitudes, the Nicene creed, the fruits of the spirit, the parts of worship, the Our father which we call the creator s prayer and more. This is religion that asks us to memorize not only sacred words but to memorize agreed upon understandings or interpretations. Which I understand but is not what I am advocating this morning. Because repetition, while it can be a religious experience, is also spiritual particularly when it is left open ended. When the answer is not in play. We are not memorizing the answer to any question, instead we repeat and memorize to open us up to new understandings as we live our lives and contexts present themselves. As much as we think of memorization as limiting I was surprised to find the major advocate for memorization was not Christians but the Bahai faith. I found many articles speaking of memory as one of five spiritual powers that humans have and that this tradition seeks to strengthen. Their argument is that when we commit holy words to memory it is there when we need it. One Bahai author said paraphrasing is not enough, (it is) God s words (that) touches souls. There is something powerful about hearing ancient words that speak directly to our emotions and context. It allows us to hold our faith and our experiences not in isolation but alongside those who have gone before us and those who will come after. It shifts our perspectives beyond ourselves, to the holy that is not trendy or hip but is lasting, enduring. I have seen many people at the end of their lives seemingly unresponsive to conversation or stimulation shift when these

5 words that live deep in their memory are sung or spoken. They will mouth the words or even speak them when they haven t spoken in days, sometimes weeks. These are shared words and they draw us out. They are not holy in and of themselves but the ways in which the community holds them together makes them holy. The Buddhists, who have a much more spiritual reputation than Christians also advocate for memorization. Speaking of forming memory muscles so that words exist within us and then lead us to react to our circumstances in ways that are automatic. Like muscle memory but the other way around. The 119 th Psalm that Donna read for us is all about memorizing the words of God. 11 I treasure your word in my heart, 14 I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. In some ways this text sounds like a plea for remembering God s law to avoid ignorance, but there are these words like treasure, and delight (which shows up twice) and in verse 15 I will meditate on your precepts. I mean what if it were these holy words of love and compassion that guided our days instead of jingles about car insurance? What if in times of crisis or chaos we could easily tap into the reservoir of psalms that call us to peace be still and know that I am God. Or My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do

6 not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. What if every time the subject of immigration came up on the news or in conversation you recalled Exodus 22: do not mistreat or oppress the foreigner for you were foreigners in Egypt. When we felt alone we remembered the words of Psalm 139 O Lord you have searched me and known me and a few verses later you hem me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me Or when struggling and you are not sure what to do and you hear whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done unto me and we are reminded to focus our attention on the one with the least power, not the most. The danger of course is to memorize a piece of text taken out of context but that is why we meditate on God s precepts read context hold whatever text you are committing to memory up against Jesus life of love, compassion and justice. And pray through it wrestle with the words, question them, engage with them. Eastern Religions focus on mantras a sacred utterance of a word or sound that both grounds us and can enable us to have an experience of the divine. Christianity is more wordy than those who recite om and yet our words can do much of the same for us. Inspire us, ground us, focus us, compel us, heal us. And the way we allow them to take up residence within us is to repeat. Much like we do when we sing in the style of Taize, we sing again and again and again so the words move from our minds and thoughts, to settle in deeper into our memory, and also into our hearts, our spirits, our very bodies. To be a little pragmatic about it a few words on how to go about memorizing scripture (almost all of these I found from the bahai tradition)

7 Writing the words Writing then erasing the words and speaking them aloud after you erase one word at a time. Putting them to music Snowball when you add another word slowly Be be still be still and know be still and know that I am god The practice of this will also help you meditate on the text as it becomes a part of you. Or challenge yourself to repeat them 10 times a day every day until it is there in your mind Deuteronomy says Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds Fix these words of God in your hearts and minds Fix these words of God in your hearts and minds Amen.