This morning is a set time in the year when we remember all those who have fought in wars, all those affected by war, and all those in the services and their families. A time when we think once again of hope and the need for peace.
Remembrance Sunday is one of those days when you should just know what to say, one of those days when the sermon should be obvious—but this bothers me a little. Why? Well, today is an important day, and sometimes when we know what is likely to be said, we can lose focus on why we are doing what we are doing.
I used to be chaplain to the Air Cadets in a previous church. I remember helping them think about today ahead of the big town remembrance parade they were going to be part of. To do this, I asked them why remembrance is so important.
The usual answers were given, as they talked about poppies, the World Wars, families of service people, wars today, and the need to remember. I kept pushing for more just out of interest, and they said to offer respect and to think about where we fit in.
I remember being very impressed with this answer. It felt as if they were thinking towards the future as well as the past and the present day.
This morning I want to think past the obvious and think about where we fit in today and what this means for the future. In our readings today, we heard of a better world; we have heard of hope. The reading from Job (19:23–27a), which is full of hope in the midst of gloom, has within it these wonderful words: “I know that my Redeemer lives.” In the Psalm (17:1–8), we praised God because He is greatly to be praised. In the reading from the second letter to the Thessalonians (2:1–5, 13–17), we were reminded not to be shaken or alarmed but to give thanks because Jesus loves us, and through grace He will give us eternal comfort. Then in the Gospel reading (Luke 20:27–38), we heard that life is everlasting, it continues, and God is the God of the living.
The readings are full of hope, and it is this hope which frames our remembering on this day as we think to a better future as we work to make the world a better place. When I was looking at the readings, I thought of how hard it must be for people living in war-torn areas to think of peace and to want to praise and exalt God, announcing that He lives when all they see is devastation. When I looked at the epistle reading (2 Thess. 2:1–5, 13–17) with its warning not to be alarmed, I thought that actually I would find it very difficult in certain situations not to be alarmed—such as my home being attacked, seeing people dying, and a world where nothing makes sense anymore. Yet, the readings remind us that all these thoughts are overtaken by the knowledge that God is greater, He loves us, and He is in control.
We could almost feel quite useless, except we have a role to play to make the world better, and it is this which can move us past the natural and correct role of remembering to another role of hoping and praying for a better world.
We remember so we can make things better; we try to bring peace by the way we live. In our readings, we have been reminded of the hope we have in God, and it is this hope which will help us to remember better. We need to make our memories bigger as we remember not what has been but what can be. As we think of the future, this is how we will see where we fit in.
We know that our Redeemer lives, we know that we need not be alarmed, we know that life is everlasting—but it is not always easy to live this way. Today could be an incredibly despondent day. Because today we think of the past and the hope people had for a better world, but we know that the world is still in torment today.
We need to remember bigger because we know that God both can and does give light. I remember a service I used to attend fairly regularly. At this service, there were pictures up on a projector to help focus prayers. One picture was of a place full of rubble and darkness, within which there was one candle. In the middle of all this devastation, the light of Christ shone through in the candle. This picture always moved me to think of hope and to remember the words of Mother Teresa, who said that it was better to light a candle than to curse the dark. As we see despair, we need to remember that there is hope because our Redeemer lives.
We need to think differently; we need to see beyond the annual memory of this day to a better day. A day when everyone will know that their Redeemer lives, a day when everyone will know the love and grace of God, a day when everyone will know that they are truly loved.
This day, as we think and remember all that has been done for us by our troops, as we think of all those affected by war, so we need to think wider—to the greatest act of love ever seen by the sacrifice of the Prince of Peace.
If all we ever learn in life is that Jesus loves us, then we will know everything. Remembrance is about the past, the present, and the future. The future for us is to continue the traditions that we have been taught, as it said in the epistle reading. Those traditions being to worship God, to pray for a better world, and by seeking to be more like Jesus, to do our bit.
May we be as ready to remember and respect as we are to love everyone and pray for peace. May this day truly be a day of hope in our remembrance.
AMEN
