Remembrance Sunday

Good morning. For those of you who don't know me, my name is John and I'm married to Lydia,

who was leading us in worship earlier. At the beginning of last summer, I got married to

Lydia, in fact. It was only in June. Our wedding was the most wonderful day of friends and family

coming together to celebrate our marriage. But it wasn't until the following morning when I was

sat at breakfast with my new wife that it dawned on me that life had changed. This was new.

Life was never going to be the same again. And after five solid months of marriage, I can confirm

that life has not been the same. Some of my old bachelor ways of living have, well, been updated.

For example, my ultra-convenient floor drope has been replaced with a wardrobe. Apparently,

you hang things up these days. My life and my rhythms have been changed. They have adapted

to a new way of life. Life is new. And John uses this image of marriage in our passage in Revelation.

He points, he uses it to point towards what the kingdom of God will one day look like when it comes

in all its fullness. The new heaven and the new earth will be like a bride coming down

out of heaven, he says. And it will be new in every possible way. In fact, newness itself will be made new.

It is that revelation I experienced at breakfast that day following my wedding, but on a totally

different level. Humanity will not merely transition from one phase of life to a new phase of life like I did,

from putting clothes on my floor to putting them in a wardrobe. No. What God is doing is something

completely new. He is renewing all things. As God himself declared in our passage, he who is seated on the throne said,

I am making all things new.

And within this new act of creation, there will be no room for suffering or injustice.

No room for pain or violence. And even death itself will be no more.

It is the most awesome and wonderful image anyone could imagine. Full and complete wholeness and peace.

In God's kingdom, when it comes in all its fullness, we can truly say,

this is new. Life will never be the same.

But here's the snag.

If I'm really honest with you,

I just can't imagine that world.

Because I'm unable to fully disconnect my experience of this world from my imagination.

I'm unable to fully disconnect the dysfunction that we see around the world.

The injustice.

The violence war.

So I can't imagine that perfect place where wholeness reigns.

Where peace is fully known and experienced.

I just can't get there in my mind.

The image in Revelation is so beyond our experience of the world today.

From the reports that we read in the newspaper.

From the news we watch on our TV screens.

That it becomes almost distant from our experience.

We think,

how could life ever be like that?

And so that glimpse that we get in Revelation of God's kingdom that is yet to come,

becomes nothing more than a distant future event.

An unattainable reality.

It's, well and truly,

not yet.

And if you're anything like me,

you're tempted to disconnect from that

not yet reality.

Because we cannot see how it connects with us today.

Perhaps,

all we think is,

well,

we can hope against hope that

maybe one miraculous day,

by some

great and wonderful God event,

God's new peaceful kingdom

will somehow become

my reality too.

The thing is,

the Bible tells us that

that miraculous day,

that great and wonderful God event

has already happened.

You see,

through the violence

inflicted on the one

who came to bring peace

to the world,

through his

crucifixion

and resurrection,

Jesus has already

changed everything.

Jesus' death

and resurrection

has secured

that whole

and peaceful kingdom

described in Revelation.

It is 100%

guaranteed

for all

who pledge their allegiance

to Christ.

That will be

your inheritance.

and isn't that

a wonderful

and comforting thought

for us all,

particularly

on a day

like today

when we remember

those

who gave their lives

to secure

and protect

their country.

But

there's

more.

Jesus has not

only secured

that not yet

inheritance

for us,

but because of

his death

and resurrection,

God's

not yet

kingdom

has broken

into the

here

and now.

God's

not yet

kingdom

is

now.

God's

complete

and total

renewing

work

has begun

in the world.

Behind the scenes,

God is

bringing

all things

together.

He is

starting

to put

all things

right.

His kingdom

is being

built

even in

this sad

and dysfunctional

world

in which we live in.

And one day

he will

complete that

task

and it

will be

that picture

that we read

in Revelation

this morning.

It will be

like that.

That will

be our

reality.

So in other words,

we can say

God's

kingdom

is now

but not

yet.

It has

come but

not in

all of

its

fullness.

But for

God's

new

not yet

kingdom

to come

to be,

there's only

one person

we can trust

with the

task of

making it

happen

because let's

be honest,

if you or I

get involved,

it's going

to go

bad

pretty

quick.

And that's

Jesus,

right?

Only he

has the

ability to

make it

what it

needs to

be.

Humanity,

we have

literally

zero chance

of creating

the world

that peaceful

kingdom

that we've

heard described

in Revelation.

But here's

where it

gets exciting.

Almost

unbelievably,

God

invites us

to join

in with

him

in building

that

peaceful

whole

kingdom.

He invites

us

as we

are.

God

has chosen

his church,

God has

chosen his

people

to be

his kingdom

representatives,

to be his

kingdom

ambassadors,

if you

like.

And as

representatives,

he calls

us to

live out

his kingdom,

to live

his way,

as the

strapline of

the college

that I studied

at says,

to live like

the kingdom

is near.

So the

question this

morning for

all of us

is are we

willing to

play our

part,

to join

in with

what God

is doing

in his

great

kingdom

project.

A couple

of weeks

ago,

I was in

Uganda,

and I

had the

privilege of

spending 72

hours in

Morobi

refugee camp.

It was an

incredibly

difficult and

challenging

72 hours,

and I

could tell

you many

stories of

what life

is like

there.

Uganda is

home to

over 1

million

South Sudanese

refugees,

and there

are 2.5

million

South Sudanese

refugees in

the world.

Alex and

Harriet are

two pastors

who were

in South

Sudan,

and they

fled to

Uganda.

And this

is their

story.

We've got a

short video.

It was

July 9,

2016,

when the

war started

in South

Sudan.

It was

Sunday.

We saw

the vehicle

carrying

soldiers.

We had

gun shoot

all over

the place.

bullets were

running

over the

roof,

and I

remember

one of

it even

hit the

water tank

and water

was flowing

off.

There was

no time.

We had to

leave the

church and

go to

somebody's

house.

We had

to hide

ourselves

under beds

until the

rebels.

They came

and told us,

we are giving

you only 30

minutes to

leave this

place.

Every

people

within the

town

left all

their

properties.

They had

to run

for their

life because

on that

very day,

very many

people were

killed within

the town

and you can

see dead

body everywhere.

When we

were brought

here, we

were dumped

in the

bushes and

there were

very many

people here

in the

camp living

under the

trees.

So everybody

was traumatized,

including even

the children.

They were

asking,

Mama, we

need to go

home because

they were

under trees.

They were

seeing that

they were

not in

their houses.

But we

could not

forget our

members in

church.

I called

all the

pastors coming

together to

sit down because

people were

traumatized.

Then we

decided to

plant the

churches very

quickly so

that we can

encourage people

with the

word of God.

So we

started

fellowshipping

under trees,

encouraging

them, give

them a word

of comfort

and support

and encouragement.

We have

seen that it

is very much

important to

talk to our

community about

reconciliation,

like we are

coming from

different

backgrounds.

So we bring

them together

and tell them

let us

reconcile and

let there be

peace among

us.

So we

encourage them

to live

peacefully in

a place where

we are.

Then we

started gathering

the youth

together to

take outreach

to them

through sports.

Then we

formed two

clubs in the

refugee camp

bringing all

youth together

who are

traumatized.

Also they

have no work

to do in the

camp and they

were involved

in criminal

activities.

so we

brought them

together

through sports

and preaching

to them.

That's how we

can reach

them.

Peace is

coming and

my plan is

that when we

go back I

will reestablish

all the churches

which were

destroyed.

men.

This morning I

have chosen to

wear a white

poppy alongside

my red

poppy.

Alongside

remembering

those brave

men and

women who

lost their

lives in

service of

this country

I wanted

to remember

those who

are still

at war.

the family

and friends

of Alex

and Harriet

who lost

their lives

in South

Sudan.

And the

white poppy

is a symbol

of remembering

all who have

lost their

lives in

war.

Both

service

personnel

and civilians

across all

wars

throughout the

whole of

human history.

But the

white poppy

is also

a symbol

of peace.

A hope

for peace

that peace

may one day

be known

here on

earth.

And Alex

and Harriet

are doing

exactly that.

They are

peacemakers

in that

community

which has

been ravaged

by war.

people

and what

they didn't

tell you

in that

video

is that

Harriet

is actually

a Ugandan

national.

She

could

with Alex

move

and stay

with family

in Jinja

or in

Kampala

and have

a much

more

comfortable

life.

But

they don't.

they choose

to live

in the

refugee camp.

They choose

to remain

with their

people

because they

long to

be God's

good news.

They long

to be

God's

kingdom

peacemakers

in that

place.

You see

when

we are

all

invited

to join

in

and

when we

do

join

in

with

God

when

we

pray

when

we

seek

his

kingdom

to be

made

known

here

on

earth

it's

like

this

we are

standing

with

one

foot

in

this

sad

and

dysfunctional

world

but

with

the

other

foot

we are

stood

in

God's

not

yet

perfect

peaceful

kingdom

and we

bring the

latter

to bear

on this

broken

and hurting

world

perhaps we

cannot all

be Alex

and Harriet's

and nor

is God

asking us

to be

them

but he

is asking

all of

us

to come

and join

in

with what

he is

doing

in the

world

to come

and join

in

with bringing

peace

bringing

hope

bringing

wholeness

to our

families

to our

communities

and so

this is the

real challenge

this morning

where is

God

asking you

to be

a peacemaker

where is

God

asking you

to bring

wholeness

where is

God

asking you

to make

his kingdom

known

in the

world

around you

and may

I suggest

may I

encourage us

and this is as much

to myself as it is

for all of you

to start

small

start with that

annoying guy

in the office

start with

the family

member

that you

really need

to say

sorry to

start with

the neighbor

over the road

who you had

a fight about

their hedge

being too

tall

and start

today

don't delay

don't put it

off

don't make

an excuse

start today

and finally

stay connected

it is only

in God's

strength

that we are

able

to be

kingdom

people

it is only

in God's

strength

that we are

able

to see

his kingdom

come

on earth

so stay

connected

to him

because he

does not

leave us

to do it

alone

he gives

us the

strength

to stand

when we

don't think

we can

stand

any longer

who

had

a

king