This Sunday is the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1. I am old enough to have a grandfather who served with the American Expeditionary Force in 1917-18. He kept a diary and wrote of the loss of a best friend and of a much loved officer. My son John and I attended a Remembrance Day at the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres, Belgium. One of the last surviving veterans - he lived to be 111 - was there to yell into a microphone, “Remember!”
Jesus said in John 5:13: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” We remember the sacrifices of the heroes, sung and unsung, in our lives. We remember the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. Last night in the wonderful new Overflow class Monte Peterson leads, there was discussion about the difference between the sacrifice of Jesus and the generosity of Jesus. Anyway, Jesus was both generous and sacrificial and its an honour to follow him. The class left me wondering how we can demonstrate generosity and sacrifice. This is worth pondering during Union's Stewardship Campaign.
We will observe a minute of silence and prayer at each service. This is a very special Remembrance Day. As the Psalmist says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul and do not forget all his benefits.” Psalm 103 goes on to mention that those benefits include forgiveness, redemption, satisfaction, vindication, mercy, and grace. What a generous God we serve and what a sacrifice Christ made for us.
Gratefully,
Pastor Greg