I speak to you in the name of the one who died so that we might be free.  Amen.

What does it mean to remember?  Is it as simple as recalling something to mind?  Recalling them names of our family members and friends who once fought for their country?  Is this why we gather on Remembrance Day?

There are two main words used in the New Testament which we translate as “remember.”  The first word means to be mindful of … to keep in mind.  It is an ongoing act, not something that we do every once in a while and then forget about until next time.  The second word means to make new in our minds.  We are to take the old memory and renew it in our lives, to make it current.

These two “remembers” are what today is all about.  We are not just calling back to mind the sacrifices that were made for us, we are making those experiences new.  And unfortunately, we are adding more memories to the collection.  We do this so that we can properly give thanks to everyone who has served, who is serving, and who will serve in the military to protect our freedom and the freedom of other people throughout the world.  We do this so that we can continue to understand the full cost of that freedom and to offer our support.  We do this so that others may be inspired and moved by the dedication and calling of so many brave and courageous people through the years.

I would like to finish by reading a poem that has shown up for the last few Remembrance Days.  I think it does a great job of explaining why we gather each year at this time.

A Poem for Remembrance Day

"The inquisitive mind of a child"

Why are they selling poppies, Mummy?
Selling poppies in town today.
The poppies, child, are flowers of love.
For the men who marched away.

But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy?
Why not a beautiful rose?
Because my child, men fought and died
In the fields where the poppies grow.

But why are the poppies so red, Mummy?
Why are the poppies so red?
Red is the colour of blood, my child.
The blood that our soldiers shed.

The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy.
Why does it have to be black?
Black, my child, is the symbol of grief.
For the men who never came back.

But why, Mummy are you crying so?
Your tears are giving you pain.
My tears are my fears for you my child.
For the world is forgetting again.