This will be a weekend to remember*.
On Saturday, many people who have been bereaved, either recently or long ago, will gather in Busbridge church to sing well-known hymns, hear words of hope and remember their loved ones by name. The church will be ablaze (we hope not literally!) with candles, symbolising the light of Christ, which brings hope on dark days.
On Sunday, we shall join with the rest of the nation in remembering those who gave their lives in two world wars and many conflicts since. The Royal British Legion is encouraging us to re-think Remembrance, in the light of the fact that many so-called war veterans these days are not old men, but young men and women in their twenties and thirties. People who have lost limbs, independence and sometimes peace of mind, in wars fought far from home. Remembering is important. Whenever the Jews celebrate Passover, they remember their ancestors’ escape from Egypt. They remember significant people, places and events, as we should. They also remember God’s goodness and faithfulness, as we should.
In times of remembrance, these words from Lamentations 3:21-23 offer them - and us - hope:
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
*A weekend to remember. As the children would say, “Do you get it?”