All Saints' Church, Lilbourne.
Remembrance

Serving God in the Community

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This Year, 1999, Remembrance was a little bit special in Lilbourne. We had asked villagers to look out their memorabilia from the war years so that we could put on a display in Church as the context of our remembering. All sorts of momentos were forthcoming. Gas masks, ration books, photographs, helmets, posters and old newspapers were on display.

We had a photograph, identity tag and other momentos of John Hipwell, a name on the war memorial and Uncle, Great Uncle and Great Great Uncle of members of the congregation.

Rather than a formal sermon a member of the Church was asked about what it is that makes remembrance important to him. He had seen action in Cyprus and Port Said where he had lost comrades as a result of "Friendly" fire. His concern includes that we should be thankful for being alive, deeply gratefull for the sacrafice those who are not, aware of what soldiers are facing in places like East Timor today and working for peace in the World.

The service, for all its remembering of the past, was concerned also for the future. We baptised a baby called Jessica during the service. The sacrifice of generations about which she knew nothing was for her freedom. Likewise the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary was so that she (and each one of us) might become the children of God.