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“But they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God. forever and ever."
 Micah 4:1-5

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.  I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.  "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."    John 14:9-17          

What does it mean to remember someone? It means to bring them here with us—to re-member them, so that time and space have no meaning. Death itself is overcome. This is the purpose of remembrance in Canada: to affirm the lives lost in war and bring them here with us as we worship in freedom and peace. We should never take for granted the freedom we have to celebrate our diversity in Canada.

On this day of Remembrance, O God, we give thanks:
For peacekeepers and pacifists, for those who served on the front lines, and those who protest and march; for those who volunteered and those who waited anxiously at home; for those who hoped that things would get better, and those who could not stand by and wait.
We give thanks for those who believed that the world could be a better place.
We remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, trusting that others could and would carry the torch.
We give thanks for those who were once enemies who have become friends and allies.


[Rev. Dr. Neil Parker, military chaplain at the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in Meaford, ON]
 

Photo by Chris Sansbury on Unsplash