Thought for the Week

by the Rev Mark Smith

Vicar at St Peter's, Rawdon

THE residents of Rawdon have gone on a crazy knitting and craft spree. People are gathering scraps of red and back wool Even when a group of Rawdon folk went on trip to Bridlington recently I could see people hunched over knitting needles and croquet hooks! Hand knitted and crocheted poppies are appearing by the bagful at St Peter's Church.

It's a massive community effort and poppies are being made in local schools, by the Uniformed organizations of the Scout and Guide movement, and by both old and young in our community.

At the beginning of next month there will be another big community effort to thread those poppies into cargo netting and create a "Cascade of a Thousand Poppies" to display in St Peter's Church on Town Street where they will be on display for all to see during a week of remembrance at St Peter's. It starts on Sunday, November 5 which this year is both Guy Fawkes Day, and All Saints Sunday when we traditionally remember the Saints who are in heaven and our own loved ones who have passed away. Members of our community bring photos to church at 10am on Sunday and we place them on the Altar and light candles to remember those we have love - then at the end of the week on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th we remember those who have given their lives in war on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday - and our community and others across Aireborough will gather at war memorials and cenotaphs.

For some, these may seem extravagant or meaningless gestures. What do we achieve by knitting poppies, lighting candles, or standing round stone monuments in all weathers? We could be watching TV or washing the car, or maybe doing something more useful.

But that's what love is like. And remembrance is really all about love. About showing our love and appreciation for those who have loved us or made sacrifices for us. And a bit of extravagance in showing love never hurt anyone. Like the woman who broke a jar of expensive oil on Jesus feet because she loved him so much. The moaners had a field day saying what a waste it was, but Jesus stood up for her explaining she was honouring the death he was about to go through. And its the same death Christians still extravagantly honour by putting up crosses holding passion plays and making a big deal of breaking bread and drinking wine as we "do this remembrance of him every week. If you think about it totally crazy but at the same time so human so divine and so perfectly beautiful.