Remembrance Day Is a Memorial Day

On November 11th, at 11AM we will remember.

Exodus 12:14  ESV
"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast."

Remembrance Day is a Memorial Day.

Joost and I have both spent time serving in the military. My father was a professional soldier for 22 years and my grandfather was at Dunkirk watching his friends die. He never returned the same man he left as. So, I take this time to remember all those who fought and died in the line of duty to keep us free. But, the reality is, there is still violence, conflict, and battles in the world and these are stark reminders that God's vision for peace on earth is far from realised and Jesus' call for us to love one another is just as important today, as it was then.

When I think of battles, in this light, my mind goes back 2,000 years to the battle which was fought on a hill called Calvary. It was a battle of one young man against all the forces of evil. It seemed like a futile, hopeless struggle as Jesus Christ took on Satan's task force single-handed. The jeers of the rabble, the spittle of the soldiers, and the sneering of the people were incidental compared to the inner struggle which was taking place in Jesus' soul. And yet, he fought for us and gave his life that we might have life, freedom, and fullness in his sacrifice.

What does it mean to have this life given to us? It makes me mindful of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples in John's gospel (chapter 15:12-17) on the final night they ever spent together – the night before Jesus is arrested by the authorities and taken off to be crucified. The disciples have no idea that this will be the last meal they share together; that these instructions will be the last words of wisdom they will receive from their teacher, but it seems fairly clear that Jesus knows what will come next.

When Jesus says, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends," he already knows what that battle ahead of him would be. And Jesus doesn't contest it; he doesn't try to escape. He doesn't try to save himself by running away or putting up a defense. Jesus goes to the cross as one final act of love for not only his disciples but for the whole world – a world that he loves very much. A world that for Jesus, is so precious, so beloved, so full of potential that it's worth dying for.

In his life and in his death, Jesus models a selflessness that's not easy for us to imitate but we can remember those who have made sacrifices for our country.

Most of us will never be called on to put our lives on the line as our veterans and those who we remember today have done, but, as citizens and residents of Canada, we all have a calling to model some of that selflessness in our own way. We all have a duty to create spaces that are safe, where people can live their lives fully in community.

We honour the sacrifice and service of those we remember today when we sacrifice, when we lay down, something that is precious to us (our time, our money, our gifts) to help make life better for our neighbours and for our landscape.