This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday when we gather to remember those who died in two World Wars and other conflicts. November seems to be a month for remembering: ‘Remember, remember the 5th of November, gunpowder treason and plot’.
At the beginning of the month are the feasts of All Saints and All Souls when we remember the dead.
At his last supper Jesus took the bread and wine of the Passover meal and shared it amongst his disciples and he said to them, and he says to us;
“Do this in remembrance of me“.
To remember is to put something back together.
In the book of the prophet Ezekiel there is a vision in which the prophet is shown a valley of dry bones. Ezekiel is told by God to prophesy, to speak God’s word to the bones which he does, as he does so they are gradually put back together, they re-membered, fleshed out and their lungs are filled, and they have been given life again.
The Christian life is a kind of remembering and it’s not just about the last supper. In the Christian life what we are seeking, what we are called to do, is to remember the life of Jesus, we are to remember the life of Jesus in our own living, so that his life is shown and lived in our own lives.
One of the ways in which we remember Jesus is to remember his life of prayer in our life of prayer. During Lent we remember Jesus’ fasting and praying in the wilderness.
During this particular November we have returned to the lockdown we experienced earlier on in the year. During this time the Archbishops have called ‘upon the Church of England to make this month of lockdown a month of prayer. More than anything else, whatever the nation thinks, we know that we are in the faithful hands of the risen Christ who knows our weaknesses, tiredness and struggles and whose steadfast love endures forever. Above all we recall people to some of the fundamental spiritual disciplines that shape our Christian life. How we do this is up to each congregation and clergy person. We will publish resources to support you before the first day of lockdown. During the first lockdown we cheered for the NHS every Thursday. During this second lockdown we invite you to fast in a way appropriate to you as well as pray for our nation every Thursday, for its leaders, its health and essential services and all those who suffer’.
This is one way in which we can remember the life of Jesus in this time of lockdown.
Brislington Community News 