Remembrance Sunday 2026 (Isaiah 2:2-5 & Ephesians 6:10-18) More than 100 years since the end of the first world war, why do we still remember? Or perhaps, I should stop and rephrase the question and say ‘what are we doing when we remember?’ This isn’t just remembering to switch off the lights before leaving the house Or remembering the names of all the planets of the solar system in order, although that is sometimes helpful, particularly when you go to a quiz. When we remember, we show respect, we show fellow feeling, we show gratitude and we show sadness. Today we are remembering all the sacrifice, sorrow and wounds of war. We are remembering that the Armistice was an agreement to stop fighting, and so we are also remembering that we should be building a peaceable kingdom. We are remembering that sometimes in the interest of justice and peace, sadly there is a need to take up arms against the oppressor, or in self-defence. And sometimes there can feel like there is an apparent conflict and tension, in all these elements of remembering. Indeed, there seems to be a certain tension between our two bible readings this morning. We began with a beautiful vision of future peace in Isaiah, where we are told this is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. ‘In the last days, the mountain of the Lords temple will be established as chief among the mountains, it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. With beautiful imagery, Isaiah prophesies of a time when there will be war no more, when the implements of war, will be turned into tools for farming. This is an image of hope and peace. As I read this passage, I am often reminded of a trip we made as a family to the war graves in northern France, when our children were teenagers. We spent several days, walking through massive cemeteries, reading the names on the graves, and remarking on their ages. It was harrowing to see row upon row of neatly ordered graves … and how young most of the men were. But in amongst the pain and the deep sorrow, I caught glimpses of hope At school, I had learnt of course, about the Christmas truce, when for a brief moment, the fighting ceased along large parts of the front line, and soldiers emerged from both sides of the trenches, exchanged Christmas gifts and played football together. But what I hadn’t been taught about in school was Trench art … this I discovered as we visited museums along the way, and in every museum, we would find, beautiful examples of trench art, where shell casings, had been transformed into beautiful pieces of art work. As I saw these items, I could picture, the men in the trenches, beating these shell casings, these weapons of violence, and transforming them into useful objects, such as vases, or cigarette cases … with the imagery, offering an insight into their feelings and emotions. It reminded me of the image Isaiah gives of swords being beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. And then in our second reading, we come across Paul writing to the Ephesians, about putting on the full armour of God. On first appearances, this seems to conflict with the image we are given in Isaiah of God being the judge of the nations and ultimately the bringer of peace. But then, what is this armour of God that Paul is writing about and for what purpose, dig a little deeper and of course, Paul is writing about spiritual armour. Pauls scope in Ephesians has been cosmic, from the very beginning of the letter he draws attention to the unseen world, and now he describes the spiritual battle that takes place against evil in the heavenly realms. Whilst these verses are referring to a spiritual battle, I want us just for a moment to think about some of the armour of God, he refers to, in particular the belt of truth, and the shield of faith. We live in a world where we are never far from conflict, where we are constantly bombarded with headlines, which talk of war, indeed according to the international committee of the Red cross, there are 130 armed conflicts being fought today, the highest level since 1945. Some of the conflicts around the world today, may seem far off, in distant lands, the Democratic republic of Congo for example, which has been stricken by decades of conflict over its mineral wealth and unresolved tensions from the 1992 Rwandan genocide, or the civil war in Somalia which has been ongoing since the 1980’s, these are conflicts we might hear about occasionally, but they are not constantly at the front of our minds, and then there are the ones that are more obvious to us, they appear to more directly impact on our daily lives, and to a greater or lesser degree we might have opinions about who is in the right and who is in the wrong and what should be done about it. We might think here of the conflicts in the middle east, or even closer to home, Ukraine. And in the midst of the media headlines and social media posts, which often appear to contradict one another, the truth, can sometimes be hard to discern, but Paul reminds us to put on the belt of truth we are to hold on to that which we know is true, that God is sovereign over all, and that we are called to follow Jesus, who said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’ And we wear the shield of faith, a faith, that reminds us of the vision we have in Isaiah, that there will come a time, when God will judge between the nations, and there will be war no more. And so in faith and seeking truth, on this day when we remember the sacrifice of so many, not just in the two world wars, but in all the wars and conflicts since, those who continue to serve to preserve our freedom and fight against injustice and oppression. We remember the love they have shown and continue to show. And we commit ourselves afresh to working for peace. We look for ways that we as individuals and as nations, can turn from all that is hateful and harms, and seek ways to bring peace and hope.
Text: Revelation 7.9–end, Matthew 5.1–12 Now take a moment to notice the person next to you – Saint or no Saint? Before we answer that lets for a moment remember how St Paul addressed the members of the churches who he wrote to. He called them all saints! Were the members of his churches particularly holy? We know from what he goes on to say in his letters they were not. In fact these early church congregations sound very like us. I think Paul was not looking at them through his eyes, but through God’s eyes of mercy. And God looks at us not as we are, but as we can become. We are saints in process… The Beatitudes are traditionally read at All Saints, to remind us what sort of people saints are. With an invitation for us to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before – to tread where the saints have trod. 'Blessed' means those who've received God's blessing. Being rich and famous doesn't make us happy — living life God's way does. The Beatitudes are very shocking; they say exactly the opposite of what most people are trained to believe. The upside-down kingdom. They show us a radically different way of living in the here and now, while Revelation gives us a glimpse of the reward in heaven. So if St Paul claims we are saints – how do we live up to that? Can the Beatitudes help us? Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor are the people who realise that they're completely dependent on God. Even if you've got money, if you use it for the benefit of others, and have the trusting spirit that the poor have, there's a place for you in heaven. So let's retranslate the first Beatitude as: Happy are the people who know they need God; they will go to heaven. Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. No doubt God comforts the bereaved with the hope of the eternity, but you could hardly call them happy. No, this is about people who grieve over the state of the world, and the sinfulness of the people in it. So let's try: Happy are those who worry about the state of the world; God will cheer them up. Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. Jesus commends the way of meekness — not milk-and-water 'Gentle Jesus, meek and mild', but humbly serving others without demanding your own rights. Happy are those who are humble; God will give them what he promised. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Righteousness is living the way God wants us to. Hungering after it means desperately wanting to live that way. Their reward's not to be filled with food, but with the power to live the way they wish. So: Happy are those who want to please God; God will give them all they need. Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. This is for those who bear a grudge: Happy are those who forgive others; God will forgive them. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. For the Jews, the liver was the seat of the emotions, and the heart was the location of your will. It means singleness of purpose: Happy are those who go all-out to do good; they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. This means what it says, and down the centuries, the teaching of Jesus has rebuked those who resort to violent solutions to their problems: Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy? Those who are persecuted? This is the very reverse of how the world sees things: but this is standing up for God’s way of living Happy are those who are attacked for doing good; they too will go to heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. With this, most of those who were listening will have written Jesus off as a lunatic. But the way to happiness is not to avoid trouble, but standing up for your beliefs. Happy are you, when folk make fun of you and tell lies about you because you try to live like me; be very, very happy when this happens, you will be richly rewarded in heaven. It goes against everything that the world teaches. That is what saints tend to do – cut across other people’s expectations. But at its heart lies true contentment and happiness. And because we know this that is why we set out after the example of the saints. For therein lies your and my calling as well.
All are welcome As I was preparing for a sermon a couple of weeks ago, based on the parable of the wedding feast, in which the master, having had his invitation to the feast rejected by his guests, sends his servants out to gather anyone he can find to join him so that the banqueting hall was full, a free gift for all, I was reminded of a sign at Coventry Cathedral someone had uploaded to social media several years ago. The image was soon hailed as lovely and brilliant, you may have seen or heard it before, the sign read. We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, gay, confused, filthy rich, comfortable or dirt poor. We extend a special welcome to wailing babies and excited toddlers. We welcome you whether you can sing like Pavarotti or just growl quietly to yourself. You’re welcome here if you’re ‘just browsing’, just woken up or just got out of prison. We don’t care if you’re more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury, or haven’t been to church since Christmas ten years ago. We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome keep-fit mums, football dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome you if you’re having problems, are down in the dumps or don’t like ‘organised religion.’ (We’re not that keen on it either!) We offer a welcome to those who think the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell or are here because granny is visiting and wanted to come to the Cathedral. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, both or neither. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down their throats as kids or got lost in the city centre and wound up here by mistake. We welcome pilgrims, tourists, seekers, doubters … and you! Over the next few months, as we journey through November with its All Souls Services, Remembrance Sunday parade services before entering Advent and approaching Christmas, our church doors will, as they always are, be open to all, all are very welcome to come and worship with us, as we celebrate and mark these special occasions. Because the gift of Jesus, born at Christmas and celebrated throughout the year in our churches, is a gift for all people all of the time … all are welcome. All are very welcome! May God bless you Heather
Bible Sunday Year A – Nehemiah 8:1-4a; 8-12 & Matt 24:30-35 Many of us have Bibles, that carry stories. When we open them up, we may find underlined verses, notes in the margins, old prayer cards, funeral service sheets or reminders of seasons of both joy and of sorrow. The pages remind us that God has been faithful before. That matters, because all of us walk through seasons when we need to be reminded of that truth. Some of us may have arrived at church today full of hope and joy. Others may be carrying disappointment. Some may have seemingly unanswered prayers that weigh heavily on your heart. Others may be worried about the future. Some may not be sure what they believe, or even why they believe it. It strikes me that the people we find in Nehemiah chapter 8 were not so different. They were a people who needed to hear from God. The story begins with a people group who have been through a great deal. They have known exile, loss and disappointment. They have returned to Jerusalem, and the city walls have by this time been rebuilt. But rebuilding walls, though a difficult task, is far easier than rebuilding hearts. The people need more than physical security. They need to hear the voice of God. So they gather together and ask Ezra to bring out the book of the law. Notice that nobody has to persuade them. Nobody has to manufacture enthusiasm. They are hungry to hear God speak once more. Ezra reads the scriptures aloud. The people listen carefully. The Levites help them understand what is being read. And the people respond. Their example, gives us a simple but helpful pattern for engaging with the Bible: they listened, they understood, they responded. So, when was the last time you came to scripture genuinely expecting God to speak and meet with you? What if we opened our bible and simply prayed, ‘God, I want to hear from you.’? In our Gospel reading, Jesus makes a remarkable claim. ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’ Those words sit right at the heart of Bible Sunday. In days of destruction and disruption, as concern weighs in even in the end of times, Jesus’ words remain. An anchor of hope for the soul, firm and secure. In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks in a setting of uncertainty, upheaval and change. the disciples are anxious about the future. Jesus does not promise them an easy of predictable path. Instead, he points them towards something utterly dependable … his word. Everything around us changes. Empires rise and fall. Cultures change. languages change. technology changes. Our own lives change. but the words of Christ remain. Faithful from generation to generation. The things surrounding us may be changing, but the word on which we build our lives does not. The same truth is illustrated beautifully in Nehemiah. Jerusalem has been rebuilt, but the people need more than walls. They need Gods voice. And when they hear Gods word, something happens. Gods word brings life, strength and joy. As Ezra reads, the people are deeply moved. They begin to weep as they recognise God’s holiness and their own need of him. But the story does not end in tears. Nehemiah tells them: ‘Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (verse 10) God’s word does not simply expose them. It restores them. Hearing the scripture leads them not into despair, but into renewed joy, hope and strength. What happened in Nehemiah still happens today. When people encounter God’s word, lives are changed. That is why the Bible matters. It is not merely a historical document or a collection of ancient writings. Through these words, God continues to reveal himself, draw people to him and shape his people. Across the world, Christians know the reality of Jesus’ promise that his word will never pass away. The bible continues to be read, translated, shared and treasured. People continue to encounter Jesus through its pages. And on Bible Sunday, it is right to give thanks for the Bible. But Bible Sunday is not simply about celebrating the Bibles survival. It is also about asking what place Gods word has in our own lives. The people in Nehemiah listened, understood and responded. The Bible society across England and Wales is focusing on the theme of Bible confidence. The pattern we find in Nehemiah of Listening, understanding and responding, can help us think about bible confidence with our heads, our hearts and our hands. Firstly, our head confidence. This is when we grow in our understanding of scripture. We learn its story. We ask questions. We allow others to help us understand. Bible confidence does not mean having every answer. It means becoming increasingly confident in exploring the bible and discovering what God is saying through it. Understanding the context of the stories that we read and the narrative from Genesis through to Revelation. Secondly, heart confidence. The bible is not simply information to master. Through scripture, we encounter the character, promises and purposes of God. We can ask, ‘What is God showing me about Godself?’ and ‘What is God shaping in me?’ I wonder, do we expect God to shape our hearts as we read his word? Thirdly, hand confidence. The bible invites a response. What needs to change? whom might we need to forgive? Where is God calling us to act with courage, generosity or compassion? Who needs our encouragement? What would it look like to put what we have heard into practice? A bible confidence that informs our heads, transforms our hearts and moves our hands. So as I conclude, a couple of questions to ponder What place does God’s word actually have in my life? Am I making space to hear Gods word? Am I allowing it to shape my heart, my thinking, my priorities? Am I putting what I read into practice? The people in Nehemiah gathered around scripture. They listened, they understood, they responded and they found joy. On Thursday, in my Morning prayer, I was encouraged to focus on the life of Eugene Peterson, who amongst other things, was the writer of ‘The Message’ bible. This paraphrase, took the great story of the bible and made it accessible to ordinary people in contemporary language. ‘Stories invite us into a world larger than ourselves,’ Eugene Peterson said in one interview, ‘and the bible is our greatest story. If we just live within ourselves, or if our needs are determined by our own needs, our wants and our desires, it’s a very small world.’ So, on this bible Sunday, let us give thanks for the gift of scripture. Let us recommit ourselves to reading it, listening to it and living it. And let us pray that many more people in this nation and across the world will encounter the life-giving message of Jesus through the Bible. For heaven and earth may pass away, but the words of Christ will never pass away. Amen
