Remember, Remember the 5th of November

"Remember, remember the 5th of November.
Gunpowder, treason, and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot..."

This little nursery rhyme has quite a big meaning in the UK on November 5th. It is the annual commemoration that on November 5th, 1605, Guy Fawkes, along with his co-conspirators (a group of Catholics who wanted a Catholic King), failed to assassinate King James I of England ( a Protestant) because Fawkes was found in the cellars of the House of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Fawkes was tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. To celebrate King James I survival, people lit bonfires all around London and the introduction of the remembrance was starting.

So now the UK celebrates this day by having bonfires all over as well as fireworks and such to remember the events of the 5th of November.

Of course, this is my shortened version of the story. There is a ton of information online and here I have posted a link from none other than the great BBC on the event. It includes a short video clip on Guy Fawkes and on the Gunpowder Plot. Take a look!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/the_gunpowder_plot

This story is quite profound, really. A group of people set out to murder one person because of a small difference. You see, the King was a Christian, but a different Christian. Fawkes along with his other co-conspirators, did not want King James I ruling if he was not like them. So, they decided to kill him (along with many other innocent people).

If we take the time to really look at the story and what this says about the choice we have as humans to make daily with how we treat others, we can see that we can choose to either hate someone because of a small difference (even if they're "on the same team") or we can choose to love and embrace them and know that how they practice religion or live their life may not be wrong...it's just different. This is a phrase that Time For God has us remember constantly while serving in the UK: "It's not wrong, it's just different." This is something that can be extremely beneficial if our entire world recognized this. Think about the possibilities for peace and understanding.

Being celebrated in Edinburgh.