November is the month, above all, for remembering.

Early in the month, for All Saints Day, we remember those who have died. A little later in the month, on Remembrance Sunday, there is the recording of the fallen in war, with its themes of suffering and loss.

Memory is very important in any community. I see this most often when I take a funeral or bury ashes in the churchyard. For here the memories are publicly commemorated, first in words, and then in headstones and plaques.

Recently, I buried some ashes at All Saints.  Afterwards, in the church, I was asked if there were baptism records for the 1960s.

One of the mourners wanted to see if her own baptism record was there. I searched and found the records, and we were delighted to see her name in the baptism register for 1965. A happy memory for the person concerned, but also a valuable archive record, preserving and reviving a memory of an important event.

Events in the Middle East as I write tell of memory’s downside – the memory of conflict, misunderstanding, hatred and war. Those of us who pray will pray most earnestly for peace in that part of the world – just as we’ve done for Ukraine and Burma before this.

And any of us, whether we pray or not, will surely hope that this long-standing conflict can be resolved and the appalling humanitarian crisis relieved.

For memory and hope go hand-in-hand in the creation of lasting and peaceful communities.

With every blessing
Stephen