This coming Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, an informal Presbyterian holy day observed on the first Sunday in November, because that is the Lord’s Day closest to the days (November 1st and 2nd) when our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers observe All Saints Day and All Souls Day/Día de los Muertos.
Traditionally, Presbyterians and other Protestants have chosen not to pay any attention to Roman Catholic holidays (in fact, early Calvinists didn’t even observe Christmas because it felt too popish), but in recent years, a lot of us have revisited the practice of setting aside a Sunday to remember in worship our loved ones who have passed from us and have now joined the Church Triumphant.
I have found Remembrance Sunday to be a wonderful experience, as it invites me to give thanks for the lives of my dear ones who are no longer living, and it gives me a way, formally, to express gratitude for those I did not know, but whose lives touched me and formed me nonetheless.
I also love Remembrance Sunday, because it creates space for tears. Americans seldom allow ourselves to cry in church. We don’t usually let down our guards and we don’t often express our sorrow. This is too bad, because if ever there was a place in which to lament and mourn, it should be church, where the love of God is manifested in a beloved community.
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Now, we also are going to dedicate our solar panels in Celebration on Sunday. This may, at first, seem inconsistent with the work of Remembrance Sunday, but consider this: those of us alive and active in the church today, will, with time, be among the saints commemorated on Remembrance Sunday. As we dedicate our solar panels, we will do so with the understanding that when we take action to protect the earth we do so as a gift to those who someday will remember us. This is true for all of the great earth-care work at MPC—our vegetable garden that bears witness to the health of the earth, our commitment to recycling and to collecting rainwater, our transition to efficient lighting, our use of washable dishes, our composting and so much more—it is an offering of love to future generations. And future generations will remember us for the good work we do.