Remembrance Sunday at my church

It has long been a tradition in many churches, including my own, ever since the armistice was signed to end World War 1, at 11am on November 11^th, 1918, to remember those who lost their lives in that war and also in wars after that, typically on the Sunday following the anniversary of the ending of hostilities.

While 2 minutes silence is hardly enough time to pay our respects given the magnitude of what we are remembering, standing in silence in honour of those who lost their lives to defend our freedoms and much more, is a tradition worth continuing. There is much to remember with thanksgiving, starting with the goodness of God and His Son who gave His life, not for His friends but for His enemies; then the tragedy of lives lost due to war and the Fallen.

Soon after WW1 ended, my church decided to erect a memorial board and one half of it (the other half is lost) was on display today and this contained ten names (presumably around ten more would have been on the other board). Someone who did the research was able to locate details of everyone named, including rank, regiment, age, family connections and address (all living near the church that we still meet in). A salutary point to note is there were two pairs of deceased service men who had the same surname and it was confirmed one pair were brothers (there being many instances of members from the same family dying in battle during WW1).

Remembering is a personal thing, and many can think of dead relatives they have never met who fought and died in war. I am glad members of my church continue to so remember on this day.