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It happened almost fifty years ago.  I was in elementary school.  It was the evening before our annual Remembrance Day assembly.  I am not sure what inspired me, but I sat down and wrote a poem that I titled “The Eleventh of November”.  At the encouragement of my mother, I showed it to my teacher the next morning in class.  And before I knew what had happened, I was standing in front of my schoolmates, reading…

We may laugh and play

We may have fun all day

At least we can talk

Run skip and walk

But do we remember

Do we remember

Do we remember

Or is it a day

Just sot run, skip, and play

What had happened?  I cannot quite explain it.  My life had barely spanned more than a decade.  I had no personal aquaintance with war.  Yet somehow, beneath the boyish naïvety, I sensed the solemnity of November 11.  Yes, my father had served in the Royal Canadian Artillary in WWII.  Fortunate to avoid combat, he had nevertheless sacrificed his health in his time of service.  I had several other relatives who had served in the armed forces.  But looking back – remembering – all these years later, I think my eleven-year-old heart was responding to something much deeper.

I was privileged to grow up in a home and church that taught me the Word of God - a privilege of living in country with hard won freedoms.  In the Bible, there is a pattern of remembrance.  Currently at Cornerstone, we are in a sermon series in the book of Deuteronomy.  Over and over in that book, Moses urged Israel to remember the mighty hand of God on their behalf.  “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” (5:15)  This pattern is repeated numerous times throughout Scripture.  For example, consider the sermons of Peter, Steven, or Paul in the book of Acts.  They all look back to the powerful and merciful hand of God in rescuing His people from their waywardness and sin.

But we need to remember that rememberance alone is not the goal.  Repentance is.  Obedience is.  Receiving and rejoicing in God’s goodness is another goal of remembering.  Why?  Because His deliverence in the past fortifies our faith today.  God’s invitation to look back at His redeeming love is so that we will move forward with Him in worship, faith, obedience, and hope. 

Today, please pause to ponder the cost and carnage of war.  Let's pray for peace.  Let’s remember the sacrice of so many to ensure the freedom we enjoy today.  And at an even deeper level, let’s remembr the redemption that Jesus purchases for us on the cross.  Through His sacrifice, God longs to grant to us His mercy and grace.  Don’t just remember it – receive it – and live in His hope!  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)