Hazelwell Weekly Contact 10th November 2024

9 Nov 2024 • Weekly Notices

Remembrance Service with Church Pararde

Led by Rev. Matt Churchouse

Please join us for this special service

Please Pray For

• The residents of Millhaven Avenue & Norfolk Close
• Give thanks for all existing and former members of our armed services, especially those whose lives have been lost or irrevocably damaged in the course of their service.
• Please remember in your prayers Elaine, Val, Nuala, Louise and Chris.

Update

Many thanks to all who supported our Big Quiz last Saturday in aid of Tear Fund.

It was a good evening and a total of £200 was raised for this worthy cause.

Christmas Fair - only 2 weeks away!

A reflection on remembrance from St James Church North Cray

Wisdom of Solomon chapter 6 verses 12 to 16

¹² Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
¹³ She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
¹⁴ One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate.
¹⁵ To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
¹⁶ because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought.

In this passage, the writer describes and commends ‘Wisdom’. Here, Wisdom is personified as a gracious young woman, quietly making herself available to those who seek after her with sincerity and discernment.

On this Remembrance Weekend, as we honour those who have died in war, the topic of ‘Wisdom’ is one we could usefully reflect on. In the midst of a world in turmoil, of US elections with the usual amount of divisive and aggressive rhetoric and with the outcome of wars in Gaza and Ukraine still uncertain, we need to pay attention more than ever to the need for deep, God-given Wisdom.

Remembrance Sunday can be a time to look back the past and consider what we might learn from it. Here are some things I invite you to consider: -

Many of those who over the years have lost their lives in war were called on to lead others in difficult and dangerous situations. Think of the young men who faced the horrific barrage of guns in the First World War and displayed unbelievable courage in rescuing their fallen comrades. Think of those young airmen of the Second World War. Their life expectancy was counted in weeks, not months, yet when the warning came that enemy aircraft were approaching they did not hesitate to take to the skies to protect ordinary people. Think of those servicemen who struggled through France to the beaches of Dunkirk, and those who commanded the flotilla of small craft to mount a huge rescue mission. Think of those who commanded the ships of the Merchant Navy to bring much needed supplies against fearful opposition.

There were other people of courage too. Think of those who worked to keep the nation housed and fed, the teachers trying to keep life as normal as possible for those in their care, the shopkeepers who struggled with the limitations of rationing to treat everyone with fairness, think of housewives struggling to make the rations stretch, and those who took in evacuees and refugee Jews fleeing the death camps. Think of those who worked all day, and then at night served as ARP Wardens, or in the Home Guard, serving their communities. They too are honoured this weekend. And yes, let us be honest about the past, there were times when people acted in less honourable ways, the black-marketeers, those who tried to avoid responsibility, those who complained…

In the tribulations that face us in our own era, we need people of deep faith and courage and commitment still, and I believe God will raise those people up. It is the calling for each one of us, whatever difficulties we face to stand for that which we know to be right and honourable and wise, amongst the lies and distortions and hatreds. Our Lord Jesus Christ, when facing trials of many kinds, acted with grace, wisdom, forgiveness and courage. May He strengthen us to do the same.