WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

 November 11, 2024

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning 

We will remember them.

When you go home, tell them of us, and say For your tomorrow we gave our today.

 (Words taken from the Kohima Epitaph)

Micah 4:1-5

In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. 

Today we honor the memory of countless individuals, children of God , cherished by their families, whose lives were tragically ended by the conflicts of war. They were often thought of as the best of their generation, answering their country's call with courage and dedication.

On Remembrance Day each year, we honour them and are determined that they will not be forgotten. We commit to honoring the profound debt we owe them. As we recall the sacrifices made, we pursue the liberation that arises from a Peace dedicated to the welfare of everyone.

Daniel Graves in an article from November 2012 wrote, "a dear friend gave me a button. The words on the button are: “to remember is to work for peace.” I choose to wear that button alongside my poppy to help me understand and interpret what it is that we are called to remember each year, and what it is we are called to do as the result of that remembrance."

I believe that the remembrance of sacrifice should guide our daily lives, be the foundation(s) of our communities, and indeed, influence the story that is being written by our lives we lead.

On Remembrance Day, as a Christian, we reflect not only on the brave sacrifices made by men and women throughout history in the service of their nation but also on God's ultimate sacrifice. Isn't it true that for us, the story of the crucified God is the defining narrative of our lives as Jesus followers. More than anything, it is the story that forms the foundation of the Christian community, and it is this narrative that we are all a part of.

In Christ Jesus, God made the ultimate sacrifice: of giving up his divine power, walking in our midst, as a human being, feeling the pain and the suffering of our condition, and finally offering himself on the cross that we might live. There is more!

In Jesus defeat of death, we come to realize that are no longer enslaved to the devastating power of death. In his sacrifice on the cross and his victory over the grave, the proclamation “death no more has dominion over him,” means that death no more has dominion over us!! Ah, the now and the not yet of the gospel. We hold onto the hope that the ultimate vanquishing of the destructive forces aiming to ruin and corrupt God's children is yet to come.
Sometimes I wonder if this is why we still fight wars. We have tasted the goodness of God, but as human beings, we still hesitate to embrace the full extent of His goodness.

What was God's sacrifice all about? It was about reconciliation; reconciliation between human beings. It was about restoration; the restoration of humanity to God. It was about healing; healing as individuals, and healing as nations. It was about healing our bodies and healing our souls. The underlying theme connecting reconciliation, restoration, and healing is peace. Jesus's mission was to bring peace.

God is on the side of peace. The message of peace is clear in our reading from Micah. Even in the dark times when Israel faced the onslaught of Assyria's armies, Micah boldly proclaimed that this darkness would not last forever. He presented a vision where, led by God, people would choose the path of peace.

“They will beat their swords into ploughshares
And their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
Nor will they train for war any more.”

So Today we will take a time to reflect and remember people who sacrificed their youth, their love, their efforts, gave themselves up for our country, a broken country, but their sacrifice represents hope, and trusting in God. The gospel's call of giving of our whole lives to God means that the systems that are broken have a chance to be repaired.

Perhaps today we are forced to respond to questions like, 

where do we put our energy?

our finances?

our time?

our sacrifice?

our patience? 

Who do we honour?  

How do we give of ourselves so that the kingdom of God, the realm of peace, and hope, and love, has a chance? 

When we remember, it is also an opportunity to reflect on how we can do our part to make it better.

To remember is to work for peace.

F.B. MacNutt in his book A War Primer: an Anthology of War Prayers, Intercessions, and Prayers of Devotion wrote:

We arise today with the power of God to guide us,
the might of God to uphold us,
the wisdom of God to teach us,
the eye of God to watch over us,
the ear of God to hear us,
the word of God to give us speech,
the hand of God to protect us,
the way of God to direct us, and
the shield of God to shelter us. Amen