Sunday 9th November 2025

Dear friends,

This Sunday, 9th November, we gather for our Remembrance Sunday Service at 10:30am (please note the later time). It will be a moment of solemn beauty and gratitude as we commend the glorious dead—including some who rest in our own churchyard—to the care and mercy of God. We will be joined by representatives from the Town Council, the Rotary Society and the RAF Cadets, as we remember together those who laid down their lives that we might live in peace.

Our reading this week comes from John 15: 9–17, in which Jesus declares, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” These words ring with power and poignancy on this day of remembrance. They remind us that love is most visible when it costs us something.

In my sermon, I’ll be reflecting on both the well-known heroes and the forgotten ones—including the Chinese Labour Corps, whose sacrifice during the Great War has long gone unrecognised. Their story challenges us to broaden our remembrance—to see the faces history has overlooked, and to honour those who, though strangers, laid down their lives for our freedom.

As we stand together in silence this Sunday, may our remembrance not end in mourning, but rise in hope—hope grounded in the love of the One who laid down his life for the world.

With every blessing,

Listen and watch services on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stjohnswoodley