Dear Friends,
As I sit to write this, I look out on a grey misty morning. What a vibrant early October we have had, but at last the weather forecasters tell us the weather is changing to something more normal for the time of year. November is the month for me when the call to be outdoors is replaced by the call to hunker down and reflect on the summer that has been.
In our Christian lives, November is the Remembrance month. At the beginning we have All Saints Day when churches traditionally remember all those faithful people who have gone before the current generation of Christians. Within the Methodist tradition there are no special saints but all the faithful who have died are included in that group. Later in the month the National Celebration of Remembrance Day sees local communities gather to recall, give thanks for and honour all those who have given their lives over the years for the cause of our country’s ongoing freedom. Then towards the end of the month or perhaps in early December many churches have special candle lighting services in order to remember those loved ones who have died more recently, amongst the families of the church and local community.
But why remember and what does the act of remembrance (personal or national) entail? I think God gave us Remembrance as an important pastoral tool for our mental and spiritual wellbeing. Acts of Remembrance have three major elements.
1) Looking back with respect and love
2)Giving thanks in the present and
3) rekindling the lessons learnt, for the future.
As one fairly recently widowed, looking back through family albums has taken on new meaning.
1.The grandchildren love to look at old photos of when their parents and grandparents were young, often asking myriads of questions about why Grandpa is wearing platform shoes or why Grandma is in a heap on a ski slope! Through the photos they get to know their Grandpa better, for they were fairly young when he died. There is much laughter but alsothe occasional tear. Through it all the present generation learn of, and we are reminded of, the joys shared with those we have lost. It is in this act of remembrance that recalls and appreciates the essence of the people involved and what they did for us.
2. Remembering also has an impact on those doing the remembering in the present. It often invokes a desire to give thanks for the joys and the wisdom of those no longer present, or perhaps to offer a prayer of regret for words unsaid or wrongs not righted.
3. And finally, it provides an impetus to remember the principles those who are no longer with us stood for, and the things they thought important.
Perhaps we need to renew our commitment on a personal or community level to take those principles forward in the way we lead our lives today. If remembrance is God given then it is no surprise, I guess, that our faith is framed in those wonderful words of Jesus at the last Supper ‘Do this in Remembrance of Me’ 1 Cor 11 v 24.
Enjoy November, the month to remember.
Heather Bentley