The View from the Pew

Remembering…

One of the key phrases from Anzac Day is ‘Lest we forget’.

Who remembers where that line comes from?

It might be a little strange to be writing about Anzac Day after the event – except to observe how wonderful it was to see, and hear, so many partaking of the day so early on that morning, at dawn. But, the issue of remembering is crucial, especially in our current climate.

‘Lest we forget’ is a line repeated throughout Rudyard Kipling’s poem, ‘Recessional’.

It was written by Kipling in 1898, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the rule of Queen Victoria.

At its heart, the poem is about the fleeting nature of the British Empire. It is a line that is repeated to help the reader remember what truly lasts – and we will come to that in a moment.

But, as a whole, we are not always great at remembering.

Even the great national ‘remembering day’ of Anzac Day had a sputtering start.

It commemorates the moment when, in defeat, Australia proved its identity as a newly-born nation. And, yet, even at that time, many questioned the wisdom of remembering a defeat!

It has now become entrenched in our national psyche. It is part of our identity, not as a glorification or celebration of war but as solemn moment to remember the sacrifice of so many for the freedoms we enjoy.

That freedom was so obvious last Anzac Day when, under strange constraints and times, we could freely gather in our yards and driveways to remember.

The times we are in at the moment are a time to remember. A mate of mine asked recently, as he observed the way in which his church had mobilised in the pandemic, ‘But will we remember the lessons we have learnt after it is all over?’

It is a good question, isn’t it?

Will we remember to slow down and enjoy the important things?

Will we remember to take time to walk with the family each day?

Will we take time to take an interest in our children’s education?

Will we take time to make that phone call, or write that letter or text, to someone who is alone?

Will we remember?

It is at this point that I want to return to Kipling’s poem.

At the heart of his poem, and the thing he warned us ‘lest we forget’, is the only thing that will outlast us.

As a man accustomed to dealing with the transient nature of human life, and at a time when we are all confronted by the transient nature of so much we seek to accumulate, I have been forced to consider this issue of remembering.

For Kipling, and for me, the one thing (or person) that lasts is God. God himself transcends culture. God himself transcends global events. God himself takes an interest in both – after all, his Son, Jesus, lived and died and rose in a culture, in this world.

Moreover, God’s interest in us is not just in the fact that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus structures our time-keeping and annual calendar – God’s interest in us is that he wants us to remember. God wants us to remember who he is, who we are, and why Jesus came to bring the two together.

Remembering is central to who we are as a nation, as a community, as families.

It is central to whether we will remember the lessons of this current pandemic.

But it is also the one of the key issues this pandemic raises for me, and of which Anzac Day reminded me: will I remember the one person who outlasts all days and all pandemics, and who loved us so much that he remembered us through his son, Jesus Christ?

By Rev. Bernard Gabbott