As the clocks have gone back and daylight hours have lessened, we might be remembering the warmer and brighter days of what summer we had, or our memories might be stirred re-living evenings by the fire, warm and safe from the cold and misty nights. For me, the last month, brought happy memories of my parents, tinged with sadness that neither are here now; they both died in October. However, it is on the first two days of November that the church commemorates All Saints and All Souls.
All Saints Day has for many centuries been is a day to remember the heroes of the Christian faith whose lives have inspired and excited others to holiness, and All Souls Day a day for the commemoration of the faithful departed, remembering that in Christ all the faithful, both living and departed, are bound together in a communion of prayer. Many churches will have a special service. It is a day to remember that those who have lived and died were made for God and meant for heaven. In various places events such as outdoor candlelit services or prayer walks, as well as services in church buildings, will take place to mark All Souls’ Day, giving people the opportunity to remember a loved one who has died.
This year, in All Saints Church, Belton, we will be resuming our traditional service of Holy Communion at 11am on All Souls’ Day. There will be a special service giving space for remembering and the lighting of candles for loved-ones departed; remembering that they are still part of us and that beyond our horizons, beyond our boundaries, beyond our understanding, they are held in God’s embrace.*
Poppies play a large part in our remembering at this time of the year. The Royal British Legion red poppy is a significant symbol and many of us will buy one and wear it in remembrance of those who have lost their lives serving their country. There will be a service in All Saints Church, Belton at 10.30am on Sunday 14th November Remembrance Sunday and at 4pm in Burgh Castle Church.
Obviously, we don’t just wait for special days in the calendar to remember our loved ones, or to be thankful; they are remembered all the time, triggered by things we see or do, or just our need to hold our loved ones close. At funerals, I often use a few verses adapted from the Yizkor Service which acknowledge just that:
When we are weary and in need of strength,
When we are lost and sick at heart . . .
We remember him/her.
When we have a joy we crave to share
When we have decisions that are hard to make
When we have achievements that are based on his/hers
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn . . .
We remember him/her.
At the rising of the sun and at its setting . . .
We remember him/her.
As long as we live s/he too will live.
For s/he is now a part of us,
As we remember him/her.
The theme of remembering is significant in the Bible, too; acknowledging our need to remember who we are and our personal history, remembering to be thankful, and ultimately Jesus, in the Last Supper giving his disciples an act of remembrance that is carried out week in week out in our churches.
So, may I encourage you to journey through this month remembering the people who have given so much to us, personally, and those who gave their lives for our nation; and be thankful. (*from Praying the Dawn – a Wild Goose publication) Rosie Bunn
