Nov | 11 | Of Bread and Blood Red Wine, or, How to Keep From Falling On Our R’s

Dream Word – CONSIDER

Revelation 19:11-16 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Of Bread and Blood Red Wine, or How to Keep From Falling On Our R’s

The 5.00 am signing of the Armistice document which put an end to the on-going hostilities of WWI between the Allies and Germany, was signed today at Compiègne in France. Armistice Day is the anniversary of that symbolic end of World War I in 1918, and is brought to mind each and every year on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when the guns stopped firing and at long and much hoped for last, it finally became ‘All quiet on the Western front.’

In England this act of Remembrance is fully celebrated on remembrance Sunday and in America it is celebrated on the 11th of November and is called Veterans Day. The central symbol of this remembrance is the flower which proliferates itself all over the churned up grounds of Western Europe, that is, the blood red Poppy. Surely, there is no more fitting flower or colour to remember the living veterans and ‘The Glorious Dead’ of all our wars.

Granted, on the one hand, there is little glory in the manner of mass and industrialised killing. On the other hand, this term, ‘Our Glorious Dead’ is found on most major war memorials all over this land of ours and is a testimony to the sacrifice our soldiers made against the onslaught of tyranny and also an especial testimony to the high regard the survivors place upon the sacrifice of their fallen comrades, often their very own flesh and blood, their very own most 'Glorious Dead.'

So, in symbols of stones and flowers all draped in silence, around our lands there used to be a nationally observed two minute testimony to the the Remembrance of that sacrifice. This quiet Remembrance brought with it a Respect for the valuable, sacrificial and dutiful offering of those lives. This was important for you see, for when the situations which led to the conflict were most thoroughly Recalled they led to a Resolve not to let it happen again. Unfortunately it is here that we all fall on our R's as it were, for not only is this silence now forcefully disdained by the ungrateful living, but on the whole, such Resolve not to let the carnage happen again, when placed in the hands of the self-Righteous and sinning forgetful blind, has lead to a peace at any price mentality, instead of a Righteousness at any cost way of life. Inevitably, such unRighteous Resolve of ‘peace at any price,’ will lead to our Removal from the map and our Replacement on the scene by the onslaught of old evils dressed in new clothes. It's happening even now. Unfortunately, this generation is totally unable to meet the enemy. All of this is because we have forgotten that peace at any price is no peace at all. We have failed to remember this.

Right Remembrance will lead to Real Respect coupled with accurate Recollection and therefore a Righteous Resolve to Re-arm our forces and Replenish our Reserves. My politics are not to the far right of Genghis Khan, but rather they are Rooted in Reality, for it is dreadfully obvious that darkness and evil take no prisoners in this world and so, for the flowers of peace and freedom to be enabled to continue to flourish, there must always be war, until once and for all, evil is finally ripped and removed from the hearts of nations and of men. Yes, there is such a thing as a righteous war. Evil shall be ripped from the planet and only Jesus can do this thoroughly and last I read, He is coming, booted, spurred and armed to the teeth, to wage a final battle against the darkness. Until that time, He too calls us His people to Remembrance, and with a such a Remembrance that it continually fuels our forgetters with dripping Red Reminders. Yes, the central symbols of this Remembrance for Christians are not stones and poppies, but are the common a day items of the kitchen larder, even pure white bread and blood Red wine. So Christian when you are remembering the Lord in quiet reflection, remember that the purchase of righteousness was paid for at the ultimate cost. Righteousness was won at the greatest of cost. It always is. Let us no fail and fall on our R's but let us this day, REMEMBER.

Listen: - Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:11-13 NKJV.)

Pray:- Lord, help us to stand against all unrighteousness even and especially if it is within our own beloved lands. We remember today then, the immense cost of our present freedom and so resolve in righteous ways, by Your grace and power, to wage war against all evil and all the works of darkness. Especially O Lord, we do not forget but most sincerely remember even Your great sacrifice for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Amen.