Rev's Reasonings - Remembrance Tide towards Advent

Greetings!

So our clocks have sprung back with the darker longer nights. We have gone through Halloween and All Saints and All Souls in what is called Remembrance Tide which we shall commemorate on the 9th November this year - Remembrance Sunday.

Having previously come from a military town this is a poignant occasion but to those who are further away from 2 world wars and other more recent conflicts it can be hard to place yourself in these moments perhaps.

Our memory of these things are not just remembering the incalculable losses of life and property but what might we learn from these hard experiences and build just and lasting peace in our communities and national life and prevent this from happening again?

Church might, I hope, be a place where we can show the possibilities of living differently and even well with one another. The ultimate sacrifice we believe is found in Jesus Christ whom we celebrate weekly and brings this home in the Eucharist/Holy Communion with the symbols of bread and wine symbolising the body and blood of Jesus Christ. 

This staging post in our calendars might provoke us to pause and reflect about our lives and conflicts we encounter whether in person or online that can escalate if not checked into something greater.

Advent is the next staging post that helps us wait and watch for salvation that comes to us in the most vulnerable package of a young gift of human life as a baby and begins the countdown to Christmas - please check out details of events on our website.

However, until then, I ask what is your proximity to conflict in your life and community and are you able to engage this well or create further conflict in our actions? 

We have a choice and there are consequences as we have seen in history.

Each of us has our part to play for good or ill!

Remember with Peace to all

Hope you might connect.

Rev Dean