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Who is the Holy Spirit?
This is the time of year when our minds are, quite rightly, focussed on Remembrance. Many of us will show our respect by wearing the traditional red poppy, but over the years other colours have materialised, with some seen as controversial and others representing a particular community, such as the black poppy.
The red poppy is a symbol of remembrance and hope – a belief that the lives that were lost to wars of the past have paved the way for a more stable present and peaceful future. The first occasion artificial poppies were sold in Britain was in 1921 to raise money for ex-servicemen and the families of those who had died in the conflict.
The white poppy has been worn in the run-up to Remembrance Day for over ninety years, as a symbol of remembrance and peace. They were first produced in 1933 in the aftermath of the First World War, by members of the Co-operative Women’s Guild. Many of these women had lost family and friends in the First World War. They wanted to hold on to the key message of Remembrance Day, ‘never again’.
The BlackPoppyRose commemorates the contributions of black, African and Caribbean communities to the war effort – as service personnel and as civilians. The charitable organisation was launched in 2010 and aims to highlight “largely untold historical legacies” from the 16th century onwards.
The purple poppy is often worn to remember animals that have been victims of war. Animals like horses, dogs and pigeons were often drafted into the war effort, and those that wear the purple poppy feel their service should be seen as equal to that of human service.
Across Europe other colours and designs are used to indicate remembrance.
The word or term ‘remember’ occurs in the Bible 137 times, so it is a strong theme running throughout scripture. As in the choice of poppy colour, it is not in how we choose to remember God’s love and the precious gift of His Son but that we remember at all – not just at Christmas and Easter but continually throughout our lives.
Steve Beynon
