Dear friends,

This Remembrance Sunday much of my sermon has been inspired by one of the prayers from the children's Act of Remembrance on Friday. It takes the symbol of the poppy and links particular areas for prayer with the petals and the colour and the poppy's centre. Whilst the simple red poppy remains the main visual way of remembering those who have lost life in conflict through these days in November - it has inspired crafted versions, gilded versions, wrist bands and more ways to display a poppy in homes, on cars, in the street. We see purple poppies worn to mark the loss of animals' lives in the service of our defence, and the white poppy cries out for a peace that will end the destruction of war forever.

The first poppies recalled the red poppies of Flanders and were the simple act of Remembrance of the whole generation of young men lost in one war - so shocking it must be the war to end all wars.

The emergence of a symbolic field of wildflowers, as the years have passed and war continues to be a presence in the world, reminds us that the simple act of remembering has widened to draw in those lost in other conflicts and those who mourn for them, those who have returned from wars fought in our name with mind or body injured in the fight, those who continue to put their lives at risk in so many ways to protect and care for us, those who seek to find or preserve peace.

This year we "remember" while once more there is war being waged on our own continent and in the towns and cities where services are being held at cenotaphs, there are Ukrainian refugees living far from home and fearing for their loved ones.

To honour those who gave and give their todays for our tomorrow, let us pray for the hearts of all who take up violence to further their cause to be turned to peace, for all who lead the nations to be guided by a search for co-operation and the common good and for the peace that passes all understanding to keep our own hearts in the knowledge of the love of God and inspire us to share that love by all that we are and all that we do.

God bless

Samantha