This week I have been away on a course . On the course one of the things that was continually stressed was the need to proclaim Jesus in all that we do - to make sure that people are not missing out on good news - that we might know about -but which was intended for all people - the news that Jesus came and lived amongst us, died for us and rose again from the dead...
But then perhaps I thought Remembrance Sunday wasn't the day to do that -it's a day of civic remembrance and so on...
But after reflecting on that for a bit I realised that there is no day when good news isn’t worth sharing and perhaps on remembrance Sunday it is even more relevant than on most.
Today we remember people who gave up their lives or who sacrificed their health or time to fight in wars - they did it often because they were told to, but they did it also with a burning desire to make life better for their family and friends at home - they did it because they wanted to make the world a better place...
Today we still have people fighting wars, and people at home and far away suffering, because they too hope to make the world a better place...
And, in Jesus we celebrate and remember someone who, motivated by love for people everywhere, gave his life.... He gave his life to try and make life for everyone better....
Today in our gospel reading we heard the parable of the talents - a talent is a weight or measure so perhaps the talent talked about here is a measure of gold or silver - it was certainly something to be invested...
We're told a man was going on a journey and decided to entrust his property, his talents, to his slaves - while he was away 2 of the 3 invested the property wisely and got a decent return but the third buried the property - keeping it safe certainly but not using it for good...
God gives us gifts to be used for good - not to be buried away - hidden beneath the ground or kept to ourselves....
And God gives us many gifts - think for a moment of what he gives us.......... It may be family or friends, a nice home, a beautiful part of the world in which to live, food on the table every day.... Maybe it is the talents he gives us in terms of our gifts or our abilities or our money - Wonderful gifts to be thankful for and to be used....
But the greatest that God gives us is his Son Jesus - a gift that enabled us to live a life secure in his love, a gift that ensures that he will walk with us every moment of every day whether we choose to acknowledge him or not, a gift that in spite of all we do or fail to do remains the same....
God promises a life of hope and peace, he urges us to live joyful lives celebrating his love - wonderful gifts....... Wonderful gifts that he asks us to share with others....
And that's why on remembrance Sunday this message is so important - because people are still hurting each other, people are still doing things which turn others against them... We may not be able to bring peace overnight to the world but we must keep praying for peace because Jesus wanted peace for all his people - and we may not be able to ensure a perfectly just world in which all people live in harmony and all work and live together for the good of all but we can pray for it, because Jesus wants these things for his people...
I am sure of those things because in his life on earth Jesus lived fighting for justice for people, working for those who were the underdogs in society, offering hope to all those who others didn't want anything to do with - simply saying to people 'come to me and I will change your life forever'...
Today he still urges people to come to him and allow him to change their lives forever...
We remember the sacrifices of people in the past, we pray for people sacrificing so much today, but let us also pledge ourselves to follow Jesus who changes lives forever - and let us pledge ourselves to seek to share a message of good news and hope and peace and love and joy - and finally let us also pledge ourselves to doing absolutely everything we can do to make our homes, our communities, our country and the whole world a better place, because guided by Jesus, following his ways, trusting his guidance, that is what the world will be. Amen
But then perhaps I thought Remembrance Sunday wasn't the day to do that -it's a day of civic remembrance and so on...
But after reflecting on that for a bit I realised that there is no day when good news isn’t worth sharing and perhaps on remembrance Sunday it is even more relevant than on most.
Today we remember people who gave up their lives or who sacrificed their health or time to fight in wars - they did it often because they were told to, but they did it also with a burning desire to make life better for their family and friends at home - they did it because they wanted to make the world a better place...
Today we still have people fighting wars, and people at home and far away suffering, because they too hope to make the world a better place...
And, in Jesus we celebrate and remember someone who, motivated by love for people everywhere, gave his life.... He gave his life to try and make life for everyone better....
Today in our gospel reading we heard the parable of the talents - a talent is a weight or measure so perhaps the talent talked about here is a measure of gold or silver - it was certainly something to be invested...
We're told a man was going on a journey and decided to entrust his property, his talents, to his slaves - while he was away 2 of the 3 invested the property wisely and got a decent return but the third buried the property - keeping it safe certainly but not using it for good...
God gives us gifts to be used for good - not to be buried away - hidden beneath the ground or kept to ourselves....
And God gives us many gifts - think for a moment of what he gives us.......... It may be family or friends, a nice home, a beautiful part of the world in which to live, food on the table every day.... Maybe it is the talents he gives us in terms of our gifts or our abilities or our money - Wonderful gifts to be thankful for and to be used....
But the greatest that God gives us is his Son Jesus - a gift that enabled us to live a life secure in his love, a gift that ensures that he will walk with us every moment of every day whether we choose to acknowledge him or not, a gift that in spite of all we do or fail to do remains the same....
God promises a life of hope and peace, he urges us to live joyful lives celebrating his love - wonderful gifts....... Wonderful gifts that he asks us to share with others....
And that's why on remembrance Sunday this message is so important - because people are still hurting each other, people are still doing things which turn others against them... We may not be able to bring peace overnight to the world but we must keep praying for peace because Jesus wanted peace for all his people - and we may not be able to ensure a perfectly just world in which all people live in harmony and all work and live together for the good of all but we can pray for it, because Jesus wants these things for his people...
I am sure of those things because in his life on earth Jesus lived fighting for justice for people, working for those who were the underdogs in society, offering hope to all those who others didn't want anything to do with - simply saying to people 'come to me and I will change your life forever'...
Today he still urges people to come to him and allow him to change their lives forever...
We remember the sacrifices of people in the past, we pray for people sacrificing so much today, but let us also pledge ourselves to follow Jesus who changes lives forever - and let us pledge ourselves to seek to share a message of good news and hope and peace and love and joy - and finally let us also pledge ourselves to doing absolutely everything we can do to make our homes, our communities, our country and the whole world a better place, because guided by Jesus, following his ways, trusting his guidance, that is what the world will be. Amen
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