Every November, we pause for Remembrance. But have you ever asked yourself: Why? What are we really doing when we gather to remember?
For some, there’s an unease—does this glorify war? The answer is no. Remembrance is not about celebrating conflict. War is terrible. It is costly—costly for those who fight, for those they leave behind, and for those they fight against. It has always been so.
So, does Remembrance matter? I believe it does.
Remembrance is about community—coming together to tell stories, to honour those who suffered and died, to make space for grief, and to acknowledge those who live with scars of mind and body because of what they endured.
The dead and the living are not forgotten because we choose to remember. And neither has God forgotten. God is the One who sees and weeps with us.
Why So Much Brokenness?
With wars still raging today, the question presses: Why? Why do we live in a world so fractured? And how does God feel about it—not just the wars between nations, but the daily battles we all face?
To say “God is present in suffering” can sound like a hollow platitude—unless we take seriously both the magnitude of human pain and the depth of God’s love.
The Christian hope is this:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is not just life after death. Resurrection is about restoration—the rebalancing of all disorder, the mending of broken limbs, the knitting together of shattered minds, the healing of relationships, the end of all wars, and the well-being of all creation. It points to ultimate peace. And who doesn’t long for that?
God Sees Every Story
For God, who is outside of time, all history is now. God sees every story—every horror, every act of courage.
Our school children have worked hard to uncover the stories of those from our village who died in war. You can read their work on the silhouettes and the display at the back. Many stories are lost to us—but not to God. None of this is finished until God gathers all things to Himself. Then, all injustice will be called to account, all wounds healed, all harms vindicated.
But for now, while wars rage on, here’s what I want to say—especially to those who bear visible or invisible scars of war: There is a God who sees you, loves you, and weeps with you.
Two Words That Change Everything
There’s a simple, beautiful verse in the Bible that speaks hope into hopeless places. It’s the shortest verse in Scripture:
John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.”
When we weep, we do not weep alone.
A Poetic Tribute
I’ll finish with a poem by Dai Woolridge that captures this truth:
To those who chose to be so brave,
To those who rest within the grave,
To the ones who fell and did not rise,
With bayonets in hand and fear in eyes,
To those who lay on Flanders fields,
To those blanketed in poppy seeds.
To the trench diggers, barbed wire bargers and front foot chargers,
To the privates, lieutenants and ‘camped at war’ tenants,
To the ones who didn't make it back alive
May they know John 11:35
……………………………………………………......
To those fighting at sea, sand or land,
To those who see war at first hand,
To the Normandy landers,
To the beach stormers
And Cliff climbers
To those who lived at the sword and died at the sword,
To the warzone patrollers and the fresh faced enrollers,
To the heat seeking missile controllers.
………………………………………………………
To the every generation of soldiers,
May their hearts bind,
To two words from John 11:35
………………………………………………………
To those with battles back at home,
To those isolated and alone,
To those who grieve and know loss of sleep,
To those with pain that cuts so deep.
To those who know the ache of loss,
To those who paid such a cost,
To those who know loss of their soul mate,
To the ones who not yet know their fate,
To the thinkers, feelers and mind blockers,
To the bed ridden and rage driven,
To the unforgiving and unforgiven,
To those whose joy was long left behind
May they know John 11:35.
………………………………………………………………..
To those who fight for what is right
To those who long to re-unite
To those who know their time is close
To those who know that pain the most.
To those who feel there's nothing left
To those fighting ‘til their final breath
To the cancer bearer, and the cancer carers
To the ‘light searches – may they find,
At the end of the tunnel is John 11:35
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To those who breathe with lung filled pain
Who wonder why the world is still the same?
To the ones who have given up on faith,
To the ones who feel that nowhere’s safe
To the ones who see through a suffering midst,
To the ones who doubt that God exists,
To the screamers, tearers and silent speakers,
To the guilt built and shame keepers,
May they know that He weeps with-us
To those that replay trauma in their mind
May they know John 11:35
May we all know, John 11:35
©Dai Woolridge – October 2014
Final Thought
Remembrance matters because it reminds us of sacrifice, suffering, and hope. It calls us to remember—not just those who fell, but the God who weeps with us and promises ultimate peace.