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Taken
from the November
2006 parish
magazine.
One of the themes this month is
‘remembering’. We held a Memorial service
at the Church centre for people who have died recently on October 29th
and the Remembrance Sunday service for those who have been killed in
wars is at 10am on November 12th.
Each of these services are different, and at each we do more than just
remember. We are bringing God into a situation that is
painful. We show respect and how we value the lives of those
who have died. We say thank you for what they have given us.
In
the case of the Remembrance Sunday service, there is also the element
of doing what we can to ensure that the ultimate sacrifice that has
been made has not been in vain. There is a sense in which
victory in both the World Wars is enough in itself, as we still live in
a free country. But there is still a real challenge: have we
learnt the lessons about the horrors of war? This is a
complicated question, but the prospects for world peace are not very
good, as we look around today. It is truly shocking as we
observe what human beings do to each other: the terrible killings going
on in Africa; terrorist attacks continuing to spread death and fear:
cycles of violence that only seem to escalate.
There are some things we can do to help. We will be joined at
our November 12th service by Arthur Mauya, who was here this time last
year. He will be updating us on the situation in Tanzania and
helping us to know how to make a difference there.
At the heart of our Christian worship is another service of remembrance
and thanksgiving: our service of Holy Communion. We remember
with thanks the death of Jesus: a death that was not in vain, as we
show each time we respond to Him. Jesus was also the great
peacemaker, and lays down a challenge for us: love your enemies; do not
keep a record of wrongs; forgive one another. We may not be
able to effect world peace, but we can be peacemakers in our families
and community.
Rev W Henderson
