November is a time for looking back, a time for remembrance.
On All Saints Day and All Souls Day we remember the Christian saints and martyrs down the centuries who gave their lives for Christ. And Remembrance Day itself is of course a time to remember with gratitude the supreme sacrifices that our armed forces made during World War 1, World War 2 and other more recent conflicts.
November also brings us The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), which reminds us that conflict is far from over: 380 million Christians worldwide live under persecution today.
But November also brings us the final Sunday in the church calendar: the Sunday of Christ the King. And Revelation 21 promises that one day God will wipe every tear from our eye, and death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things will have passed away.
So, this month is not only a time for Remembrance, but a time for looking forward to the world to come, when ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ will no longer be a prayer of hope, but an eternal glorious reality.
We wish you a peaceful October.
Anne Coomes and the Parish Pump Team