Songs of Remembrance

This month we decided to take a different perspective on remembrance. Not that we would want to detract in anyway from the importance of the 11 November as a day to remember the follies of war of and to echo the cry ‘Never Again”. None the less we thought that memory is such an important part of being human that it would be good to celebrate the gift of memory and be inspired by the shared memories of this month’s writers.

So we set them a task. We asked people from our pool of writers to share songs with us this month that bring back memories of a time and place from which they now in hindsight would class as a turning point in their lives. Its amazing how a song can evoke a memory and bring to life places people sounds and smells. Surely God has given us memories not simply to make us despondent and sad about our past lives but instead so that we might learn and grow from such experiences. Ecclesiastics 12.1 reminds us that putting God into our memories enables us to at least begin to make sense of all the many experiences we will encounter in our lives. It is also a comforting thought for those who find recalling memories more difficult that God our creator never forgets us. He tells us our names are written on the palms of his hands. (Isaiah 49. 16)

I’m looking forward to listening to the songs and being inspired by the experiences and memories of others. Why not take part in the task this month and respond to the prayers of others by posting your song in the comments section under the daily prayers on the Sanctuary First website.  You can view the playlist here.