Dear Friends,

As we enter November, thoughts turn to Remembrance Sunday on the 9th, and Remembrance Day on the 11th. Remembrance Day was first marked in 1919, exactly one year after the Armistice brought the First World War to an end. Indeed, it was called Armistice Day until the year after the Second World War ended. The First World War was supposed to have been ‘The War to End All War’, but it wasn’t! Indeed, there has not been a single year since without a war somewhere, and there are an estimated 56-59 armed conflicts in the world today. There seems to be no end to humankind’s ability to fall out with each other, often violently. This should come as no surprise, as Jesus said,

'And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.' (Matthew 24:6)

That should not lead us to despair because, some time in the future, war really will come to an end. This was prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments:

‘He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields with fire.’ (Psalms 46:9)

‘He will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,’ (Isaiah 25:8a)

‘And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and be their God; He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”’ (Revelation 21:3,4)

We have no way of knowing when that blessèd time will come. After all, even Jesus didn’t know,

‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.' (Matthew 24:36)

All we can do is follow Jesus as faithfully as we can, and He said,

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’ (Matthew 5:9)

On Remembrance Day, while we rightly commemorate the sacrifice of so many, we should also re-commit ourselves to peace-making. While, I suspect, none of us can end today’s wars, we can each try to love our neighbour that little bit more. After all, any great project can only be built one brick at a time, and peace is a project worthy of Christians, called to work for it by Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Many blessings,

Carl