Rev Rosie Bunn
Rector of All Saints Church, Belton and
 St Peter & St Paul Church, Burgh Castle
 

On Sunday 11^th November we remembered an important part of our history:  very personal for some and yet significant for each one of us.  Remembrance Day says much about our identity as a nation; that we are people who are prepared to stand up and be counted and that we take seriously our responsibility in the world-wide community.  Much of who we are comes from the fact that our laws and practices have their roots in the Christian faith and the character and principles that emanate from the out-working of those beliefs, such as freedom for the oppressed, defending the poor and needy, and provision for the widow and orphan.  Our memory of who we are plays a large part in this

Last week I took my Mum to her brother’s funeral.  My Mum’s memory is not what it was and on speaking to her sister-in-law, her brother’s widow, said “I didn’t expect to see you today!”  She knew what was going on and who she was talking to, but with her loss of memory couldn’t connect everything together

It occurred to me that as a nation we are very much in danger of losing the connections of our identity, history and culture with regard to Christmas.  It will very soon be the beginning of December and the children, big and small, are looking forward to the daily taste of chocolate in the advent calendar.  Advent is the four week period when, traditionally, we have remembered the coming of Jesus Christ at his birth and considered our preparedness for the second coming of Christ at the end of time, for “coming” is what Advent means.   In many ways we have lost that emphasis on preparing for Christmas, instead filling that time with shopping and celebrating

 

Advent and Christmas gives us so many opportunities to meet Jesus or introduce friends and family to Jesus; the living God who we can meet every day in our day-to-day lives.  I wonder how many we know whose response to Jesus could be like my Mum’s: “I didn’t expect to see you, today!” because their memories are unable to connect to the purpose of the event

 

As we prepare for Christmas, let’s ask God to help us connect into the memory of our Christian heritage in Jesus and to help others make the connection to Jesus and who he is