Jane, one of our deacons, writes the following reflection for Remembrance Sunday:

On Tuesday night, while I was beginning to prepare for Craft Group, I spotted a book that I had taken from the box of books in the foyer that had been available to anyone who wanted them.

It is called, ‘All – Sorts Prayers’, by Claire Benton-Evans.

I hadn’t read it before, so I had a quick peep and found the following which seemed very apt to me as it is Remembrance Sunday.

Over the years, plants and flowers have developed symbolic meanings. The herb, Rosemary, (pictured), has come to symbolise remembrance.

Claire writes, “Rosemary is a perfect symbol for remembering. It is evergreen, just as our memories stay with us year after year. It also has a strong, bitter–sweet taste and smell, just as our memories of those we have loved and lost can be vivid and bitter-sweet. We remember them with smiles and also with tears. When the leaves are rubbed between fingers, they release their bitter-sweet perfume.”

I invite you to take part in the following activity. If you grow Rosemary at home, you will be able to this activity at a time of your own choosing. If you don’t grow the plant, there will be sprigs of Rosemary available on Sunday morning to take home for the activity and use as a token of our remembrance and a sign of our prayers.

I invite you to take a sprig of Rosemary and rub it between your fingers. As the bittersweet smell fills your senses, rest in God’s presence and call to mind all those you want to remember. After a moment of silence remember them and pray:

“Lord of all time and space. I remember those we lost long ago; Those we lost in faraway places. Those who died by our side and those who left us only recently. May their memory stay green in our lives and our prayers. Amen.”

Our Morning Worship on Sunday 8th November will begin at 10.55am to allow us to observe the two minutes silence at 11am.