Remembrance

Today has been remembrance Sunday and it's stirred some odd feelings in me, not just because of the services today (which I hate because of the terrible mix between church and state!) but because of other things going on around us at the moment.

My wife and I have been struggling with institutional church recently but are feeling that God is telling us that we should be involved at our local church because of the community that gathers around it and the help and support we can give. We received this kind of help when we were young parents at our church in South London, and now it's our turn to give back.

One of the things about being involved in church is its community and friends and support and togetherness. It's odd that the Church of England sometimes seems to be so against all these things! (At least it does down here!).

A friend of ours died suddenly a week ago, he was only 40 and he leaves behind a young widow and two small kids. That brings remembrance home to you in a very real way. We didn't know him and his family well, but this is the time when community really should count for something. In this increasingly individual society, where everyone is only out for themselves, we should all of us be reaching out to touch others.