Remembrance Sunday 2013

On Remembrance Sunday...

At the going down of the sun

and in the morning

we will remember them.

We will remember them.

Thanks to the Royal British Legion poppies continue to be a symbol of lives given, lost or damaged by war and the need for support for those affected.

Not all who die or suffer through war are heroes. Many performed heroic acts in service with the armed forces in the wars of the last century. All deserve respect and should be honoured and remembered with thankfulness. But in modern wars and conflicts the majority of casualties are civilians, including children. You only have to think of places like Syria. We remember them too.

What a mess the world is in.

We could blame people in power.

We could blame uneven distribution of resources.

We could ask, why does God allow dreadful things to happen?

I wonder - would he ask us the same question?

In many Remembrance Sunday services today, these words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount may be read:

blessed are the peace-makers,for they shall be called children of God.

It’s not peace-lovers Jesus calls blessed, but peace- makers. You can love peace but not be a peace-maker. Peace-making is not a soft option. Peacemakers take flak from opposing sides while bringing them together. Peace-makers don’t avoid conflict, but tackle its roots, at personal cost. Peace-makers overcome evil with good. That’s what Jesus came to do and we crucified him. 

Image Credit: Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, CC License