Tower and Town, November 2019

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Clergy Letter

November is our month for remembering.

November 1st is All Saints Day when we remember all the saints who have gone before. All Souls Day is November 2nd and remembers the souls of all the departed. ‘Remember, remember the 5th of November gunpowder, treason and plot.’ November 11th is Armistice Day when we remember that at 11 o’clock on the 11th day of the 11th month 1918 hostilities ceased.

The good book is full of admonitions to remember: ‘Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw nigh’ Ecclesiastes 12:1. ‘Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy’ Exodus 20:8. At the last supper Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ Luke 22:19.

So, there are many things to remember this month, it feels right in November as the leaves are falling off the trees, and the Bible is full of encouragements to remember.

But, what if you don’t want to remember?

In the village I grew up in there was an older man called Neville who used to come to church. Dad told me that Neville had fought on one of the Normandy beaches on D-Day. He was 19 and had lost many of his friends, and he hadn’t talked about D-Day ever since it happened. And as a young adult I was surprised by this and rather naively wanted to talk to Neville about it.

At the same time a film came out called ‘Saving Private Ryan’ which begins with a brutal re-enactment of D-Day. After I left the cinema, I thought to myself, ‘If that had happened to me, I’m not sure I would want to remember it either’.

Things happen in life that shouldn’t happen. And I’m afraid this isn’t confined to war. There are things that we have seen, things that have happened to us, things that we have done that we simply do not want to remember. We wish we could forget.

St Peter had an experience like this. He had the privilege and joy of following Jesus for three years. He had seen, heard and been part of some of the most extraordinary events in history. He promised to follow Jesus right to the end but famously denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed. Remembering Jesus’ words about this led to bitter tears of regret. I suppose he wanted to forget, move on, avoid, deny, bury and hide.

However, the story for Peter doesn’t end there. Jesus is crucified and rises again. And on the shores of Lake Galilee where Peter and Jesus first met, he is restored. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Twice Peter replies yes. But when Jesus asked the third time, perhaps Peter remembered his three denials. He was hurt and this time he replies, ‘Lord you know all things; you know that I love you.’

Peter had to revisit with Jesus that which he didn’t wish to remember. But in going back with the Lord he was healed, restored, forgiven and made whole. If we need to we can always revisit moments with the same Lord who loves us and wants to make us whole.

Chris Smith