Remembrance Day Sermon

St Francis of Assisi, Meadowvale Town Centre
Homily for All Souls & Remembrance Day
Sunday, 2008 October 12

By The Rev. Vernal S. Savage

Scriptural Readings
• Wisdom 3:1-9
• Psalm
• 1 Peter 1:3-9
• John 11:21-27

Let us pray
Almighty God, creator of all and whose mercy endures forever, bestow upon us your people gathered here your grace. We understand Lord that the souls of the faithful that has departed this life are in your arms. hear our prayer and console us As we renew our faith in Your Son whom You raised from the dead, strengthen our hope Lord our comforter and burden bearer in Jesus Name we pray, amen.

Remembrance Day and All Souls day – Lest we forget
We commemorate All Souls and Remembrance Day in a pensive mood and in deep reflection upon what life has thrown our way. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause and remember the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom and democracy during the First & Second World Wars, the Korean War, the Afghanistan conflict and those who die during peacekeeping missions. It is very appropriate for us to have these days combined. It is understood that there is probably only one Canadian survivor from the First World War.
The first Remembrance Day was held in 1919 throughout the Commonwealth, called Armistice Day. The day commemorated the end of the First World War on Monday, Nov. 11, 1918, at 11 a.m. — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
I was asked by my mother to carry something down to my grand uncle. I was probably seven or eight at the time. It did not seem like anything out of the ordinary at the time but little did I realise it was to become an experience that has become indelible written in my mind. When I reached there and greeted him I noticed that his face was disfigured. of course I became very curious as to why it had that appearance. The irony is he had some difficulty moving about but that did not arouse my curiosity. He realised I wanted to ask about his face because I chose not to just deliver the items and leave but instead kept staring; fortunate for me he decided to oblige. He began relating his story being at the frontline in the World War. He explained that his face became like that because of the many days and nights of fighting without sleep.
There are many stories we can all share about the wars. They may be similar but that is not the point really. We are beneficiaries of these brave and courageous persons who gave so much, their own lives. There story can be told in the words from the passage from Wisdom as it states,
“In the eyes of the foolish, they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.”


So we come to this day many of us with a heaviness of heart as our inward being seeks to commemorate those we love who have died. There are no words adequate enough to describe the loss felt. These faithfully departed whose names shall be read out shortly for many of us they reminded us of our true selves. They gave of themselves and therefore we join in faith to commemorate them.
We remember them as the part they played in our lives comes to life.......they were our confidant...........our best friend........grandmothers and grandfathers, brothers and sisters........colleagues.........they were probably the disciplinarians..........champions of the faith.........we are the ones here to tell their story......
It is worthwhile to quickly add that death occurs in relationships as well. This may occur in a marriage, deep friendships and we still experience the grief. George Matheson was only fifteen when he was told he was losing what little poor eyesight he had. Not to be denied, Matheson continued straightaway with his plans to enroll in the University of Glasgow, and his determination led to his graduating at age nineteen. But as he pursued graduate studies in theology for Christian ministry he did become blind. His sisters joined ranks beside him, learning Greek and Hebrew to assist him in his studies. He pressed faithfully on.
But his spirit collapsed when his fiancée, unwilling to be married to a blind man, broke their engagement and returned his ring. He never married, and the pain of that rejection never totally left him. Years later, as a well-loved pastor in Scotland, his sister came to him, announcing her engagement. He rejoiced with her, but his mind went back to his own heartache. He consoled himself in thinking of God’s love which is never limited, never conditional, never withdrawn, and never uncertain. Out of this experience he wrote the hymn, O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.
His song captures the unmoveable faith that endures in such circumstances, that offers healing,
O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee:
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee:
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day,
May brighter, fairer be.

O joy that sleekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee:
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.

O cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee:
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

We are well aware of the fact that death comes to us in the same way it did to Jesus. What does this gospel mean then? Christ reminds us in the gospel of His immense Love by risking His own life as He responds to the call of His friends (7–16). It was very dangerous for Him to go respond to the call of His friends in Judea but he took the risk anyway.
When Jesus came he listened to the concerns of His friends, Mary and Martha, and assured them with His word. Mary had no hesitation in talking to Jesus about her grief. It says a great deal about him and about trust. In verse 35 of John chapter 11 it is noted that Jesus weeps. This is one of those moments we can appreciate that Jesus identifies with our sorrows.

We as a community in St Francis of Assisi are being similarly asked to provide comfort and to risk ourselves to listen and bear one another’s burden. The love and consideration demonstrated to those who have suffered loss is very important. We are being asked to deepen the ministry. As we are told in Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

There is a fallacy in the society that looks at crying to be a sign of weakness which is certainly not consistent with that of the church. Earlier this year when my nephew died I cried. Yesterday I rejoice with my two nieces who graduated from university.

At the same time Jesus is telling us some wonderful news: for those who believe, death is not an end but a beginning. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” It is but a transition to a new life that is so beyond belief we can't begin to imagine it.

Lazarus and his sisters were very special friends to Jesus. He thought of him as a brother. His feelings of friendship and love made him raise Lazarus from his tomb, giving him back to his sisters. But that is only the beginning. His feelings lead him to his death on the cross for them and for us.
They knew that Lazarus would die again. God in Christ Jesus is saying to us this morning that this belief we exercise in the resurrection and the life grant to us comfort. As we commemorate this day we can join with others who have had lost and in Christ share his love. We can join with the songwriter in agreement in Jerusalem the Golden as it states,
Jerusalem the golden,
With milk and honey blest,
Beneath thy contemplation
Sink heart and voice opprest,
I know not, O, I know not
What joys await us there,
What radiancy of glory,
What bliss beyond compare.

This is the hope we live in as we commemorate the faithfully departed. In Jesus name, Amen.