Remembrance Sunday Sermon
Sunday November 8, 2026
Canadians across the country are preparing to mark Remembrance Day this coming Wednesday, November the 11th. Ceremonies will be held at cenotaphs in large cities and small towns alike, as well as in schools where young people will actively participate. These gatherings will be attended by government officials, dignitaries, members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans, and local community members. Many of us will turn to television and the internet to view the National Remembrance Day service at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, especially as the clock approaches 11:00 a.m.
At today’s liturgy, we too pause as a community to commemorate those who have died defending our country and the values upon which we strive to build our lives and Canadian society. Today we set aside our regular journey through the Gospel of Matthew, which we have been reading week by week this liturgical year. In place of the assigned Sunday readings, we have heard the scripture passages set for All Souls’ Day—a traditional day of prayer for the faithful departed. The readings from the Wisdom of Solomon, the First Letter of Peter, and the Gospel of John are familiar to many of us; often read at funerals and memorial services, they lend a particular solemnity to our Remembrance Sunday service.
Today, November the 8th, is also Indigenous Veterans Day. Established in 1994, it serves to commemorate the service and sacrifice of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis veterans—people like Francis Pegahmagabow, who was born in March 1889 near Georgian Bay, Ontario. An Anishinaabe man from the Wasauksing First Nation, Francis was among the first Canadians to enlist when the First World War broke out in August 1914. He spent nearly four years serving on the Western Front, fighting in some of the war’s most brutal battles, including Ypres, the Somme, and Passchendaele.
Francis Pegahmagabow was awarded the Military Medal with two bars, recognizing his bravery on three separate occasions. His first award recognized his courage as a messenger carrying vital information between positions while exposed to enemy fire. His second came during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, where he maintained communications between units and guided reinforcements through the confusion of battle. His third bar followed an extraordinary act in August 1918: with his company running dangerously low on ammunition and facing encirclement, Pegahmagabow ventured through heavy enemy fire to retrieve desperately needed supplies, enabling his fellow soldiers to withstand the attack. By the end of the war, he had become one of Canada’s most highly decorated Indigenous soldiers.
At our parish Bible study this past Wednesday, I suggested to our small group that we read the three assigned passages for All Souls’ Day and share our reflections in light of Remembrance Day. As we read line by line through Wisdom, 1 Peter, and John, stopping to discuss each passage, much of what was shared stayed with me over the past few days—not just the spoken words, but the deep emotion, shared feelings, and moments of thoughtful silence.
We might tend to think of Remembrance Day as something distant—a formal, traditional ceremony tied to Canadian history and a world war that ended over a century ago. But our discussion brought out the reality that Remembrance Day is far more than custom: it is deeply personal. It is personal because family members and loved ones served in the armed forces for our country, its way of life, and its values. It is personal because it is tied to real people and to the values we hold essential to our daily lives as Canadians. It is also personal because our understanding of conflict, war, sacrifice, and loss is deeply rooted in our own experiences and upbringing.
The reading from John 11 forms part of the story of Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha. It is a narrative filled with rich human emotion: real people experiencing a devastating loss, accompanied by feelings of grief, shock, anger, and despair—feelings we can all readily identify with. Martha sets out to meet Jesus on the road, putting her grief and faith into words: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Mary meets Jesus shortly after, she echoes the exact same words.
Yet, as we know from the story, death does not have the final word. Jesus goes to the tomb and calls out, “Lazarus, come out!” When Lazarus emerges, still bound in burial cloths, Jesus commands, “Unbind him, and let him go.” It is a powerful reminder that death is not the end of the story.
There are many notes that mark today’s liturgy—scripture, hymns, and solemn silence—giving voice to what matters most and drawing us together as one community. Above all, it is the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of new life that breathes hope into our observance of Remembrance Day. Without faith and hope in Christ’s resurrection, Remembrance Day might only be a somber reflection on the past. But each time we gather at the altar to break bread and share the cup, we experience the reality that Jesus lives and is present among us.
As we remember those who paid the ultimate price in defense of our nation, we give thanks that they are not lost, but rest safely with God. We bless and thank God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and for the enduring promise it holds for our lives.
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Father Ted Hales