THE Rev. Jeremy Thompson, of St John’s Lee, comments for Remembrance Sunday on Mark 12 v 38-44:

Over the last few weeks we have been entertained by the Rugby World Cup. For the commentators it has been a marvellous opportunity for hyperbole. Perhaps the most frequently used cliché has been to do with players ‘giving their all’. In other words if victory is to be gained they must play to the very limits of their physical, mental and emotional capacity. To come off the field at the end of the game knowing they could have played no harder, run no faster, performed no better.

But truth be told it is rare for a sports man or woman to genuinely ‘give their all’. They may play close to their limits, but give their all? A soldier, on the other hand, knows that giving his or her all is a genuine possibility. As we recall the men and women of our armed services who have given their all in the service of their country we stand silent and humbled. As we salute their bravery, their dedication to duty, their selfless service, they challenge us all to consider what would I be willing to give my all for?

The widow that Jesus watched put her two small coins into the temple treasury was a challenge to those around her too. The rich men ostentatiously giving of their wealth were shown for what they were: shallow, pretentious, perhaps even cowardly. The fact that the widow was poor was unimportant. The fact that she gave her all was. It takes bravery, courage and trust to genuinely give one’s all, be it in the service of your country or your God.