Let us pray: O God, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you and may they be to your glory. Amen.

I've mentioned already today what Remembrance Day was like for me in my younger years. I was reflecting on this in the lead-up to today's worship service, and as far as I can recall the only two times I really encountered the word remembrance in my life were in church, especially when we had communion and on Remembrance Day. This Do in Remembrance of Me was routed into the communion table in more than one of the church sanctuaries that I have attended. It was a reminder, whether communion was being celebrated on a particular Sunday or not, of the last meal that Jesus shared with the disciples, leaving them with the deeply meaningful symbolism of a shared meal and an invitation to make that meal a time of remembering.

In early years of my life, there was a lot of similarity in the moods of communion and Remembrance Day. There was a funereal air to both. In communion it always seemed that we were marking Jesus' death, more than resurrection, and of course, Remembrance Day was always a day to remember those who died, a sombre recollection that while those deaths had in some way helped to preserve our freedom, it was still a huge sacrifice, and a time for grief and mourning.

Communion has changed a lot in the days since. Special meals are usually understood to be happy occasions. Even receptions following a funeral service are often punctuated with some healing doses of laughter. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are meant to be joyful times of reunion with friends and loved ones. It didn't make sense to me that Communion which was also a special meal, should be so sombre. And I'm happy to say that it has changed. We tend now to sing songs of joy as much or more than the funeral dirges I remember. Jesus lives again. Earth can breathe again. Pass the word around. Loaves abound.

Sometime in my past I was alerted by a speaker at a conference, seminar or presentation to the real meaning of Remembrance. It literally means putting back together. Dictionary.com in the seventh definition of nine lists member as a part or organ of the body, especially a limb. So re-membering is putting back a part or organ of our body. We are the body of Christ – that's how Paul described the community of followers of Jesus. When we celebrate communion we call ourselves the body of Christ and the bread becomes a powerful symbol of Christ's body – broken yes, but who ever eats bread without breaking it – whether it is sliced Wonder, whole wheat, multi-grain health, dinner roll, or pumpernickel, or Naan, pita, croissant or baguette romped apart bit by bit, it is always broken, sliced or otherwise fragmented for consumption – and so rather than a sign of brokenness it is a symbol of wholeness – contributing to our physical well being and in the powerful, dramatic symbolism of communion also an important element of our spiritual well-being.

Are you familiar with the concept of the pre-game meal? Hockey players, marathoners, long distance cyclists, cross-country ski racers, mountain climbers and many others will carefully plan their food consumption to give them the best combination of nutrients for the activity they are about to do – fuel for endurance and energy.

What about communion as a pre-game meal – a gift from God for the people of God – a time of re-membering – re-constituting, re-committing, ourselves as the body of Christ. And what is it for which we are getting ready – something we are reminded to do by Jesus' parable in the gospel reading this morning? Might I suggest that the happy coincidence of Remembering at the table and Remembrance Day provide a suitable direction – committing ourselves to the making of peace. Making peace is what I strongly believe is God's will for us. Making peace is the only hopeful outcome possible for Remembrance Day.

And so that's my challenge for all of us today. How can we re-member who we are as a community of God's people. How can we re-member ourselves as a community which makes peace? How can we follow the guidance of Jesus – sometimes known as the Prince of Peace – to be ready? How can we make peace not just something that happens out there, but in here?

Re-stored, re-formed, Re-membered. Amen.