The summer has gone and many of us will be reflecting on our exploits during the warmer months.

In a few weeks we will be encouraged to ‘remember, remember the 5th of November’.

In my childhood we would ‘light up the sky with Standard Fireworks’. Now we go to much more dramatic and exciting displays.

The reason for this celebration is perhaps somewhat lost these days with little reference to Guy Fawkes and the gun powder plot.

Of course the act of remembrance which follows just a few days later is always far more poignant, as we stop to remember those who have given their lives in two world wars and many conflicts since.

This will be particularly the case this year, as we mark the centenary of the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne, France. This brought about the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front and took effect at 11:00 am – the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”

What is more, this year Armistice Day falls on a Sunday and many from our local community and churches will gather at the War Memorial to mark this moment.
For further details see Margaret Cook’s excellent article on page 4.

Before we look back to these events, we will spend some time reflecting on God’s provision in the Harvest (weekend of 6th/7th October).

As we see so many around the world, and sadly even within our own community, struggling to make ends meet, we should be mindful of all we have and express our gratitude to God.

Of course, God’s provision does not end in nature and the harvest but in the gift of His son, Jesus, who, through His willingness to go to the cross, made a way for us to come to know God as father.
“my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

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