(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) Hymns & Psalms (HP) & Mission Praise (MP) numbers will be given where appropriate)

Call to worship

Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers;
they shall be called the children of God.
The peace of the Lord be with us all.
We remember those who have given their lives in conflicts past and present; those who have sacrificed their physical and mental health; those who have lost loved ones and those who are in situations of war and fear.
And as we remember, we commit ourselves to work for the goal of all people living together in peace, justice and freedom.

Song: (StF 132/HP 358/MP 498/SF 415) O God, our help in ages past

Prayers of adoration and confession

Lord our God, Lord over all,
higher than we can imagine
and closer than our very breath,
we bring you our worship and praise.
Your words speak us into being;
you make us in your image;
you breathe the breath of life into our lungs;
you see all that you have made
and you declare it very good.
You seek us when we are lost;
you come close when we are afraid;
you encourage us when we are anxious.
Forgive us
when we would make you our God and not also the God of the other;
when we forget to see your face in the face of the one next to us;
when we imagine that you have favourites.
Forgive our pride and our lack of understanding;
our refusal to forgive and our closed hearts.
Help us to remember that as you love us,
so we are to love one another.
You offer us full and free forgiveness;
help us to offer it to those who have hurt us
and those whom we hurt.
In the name of Jesus who loves us,
Amen.

Reading

In our remembering, let us remember also the promises of God as Isaiah received them, in Isaiah 2:2-5

Responsive reading: Psalm 46 (StF 810/HP 850)

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
and though the mountains tremble in the heart of the sea;
Though the waters rage and swell,
and though the mountains quake at the towering seas
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the dwelling of the Most High
God is in the midst of her; therefore she shall not be removed;
God shall help her at break of day.
The nations are in uproar and the kingdoms are shaken,
but God utters his voice and the earth shall melt away.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come and behold the works of the Lord,
what destruction he has wrought upon the earth.
He makes wars cease in all the world:
he shatters the bow and snaps the spear and burns the chariots in the fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations;
I will be exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

Reading: Matthew 5:1-11

Song: (StF 707/hp 776/ MP 456/StF 381) Make me a channel of your peace

Act of Remembrance

Let us remember before God
those who have died for their country in conflict;
the ones known to us, whose memory we hold dear;
the ones we did not know, who were loved by others;
and all who have lived and died in the service of humanity.
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.

We will remember them.

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

Song: (StF 517/HP 379/MP 122/SF 1222) Eternal Father, strong to save

Reflection

 I have never been a soldier; never been in a position of war; never lost anybody in a war.  It’s always something I have looked at from the outside, from a safe distance, and each year I find the Remembrance Service a daunting one to do. One year, as I gave the call to worship, I realised there was a soldier in uniform in the church, and I felt very unequal to the task of leading worship for that day in the presence of someone who was serving in Armed Forces.

We read war poetry at school, and I remember Wilfred Owen and Seamus Heaney, and poems that spoke of the hell of being in the trenches, of killing, of suffering, of losing friends, but also of quiet, surprisingly ordinary moments in between.

I can remember being amazed the first time I heard an account of the first Christmas of World War One when German and British soldiers heard each other singing carols, and climbed out of the trenches to meet each other, exchange gifts, and play football together. 

I was very affected by the BBC series The Passing Bells that traced the stories of two young men, one British and one German, as they signed up and went out to fight against each other. The series showed how similar their lives were, even though they were on opposite sides in the conflict.

This is an idea that is explored by Thomas Hardy in the poem below.

The Man He Killed

BY THOMAS HARDY (1902)

Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
But ranged as infantry,
            And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
            And killed him in his place.
I shot him dead because —
            Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
            That’s clear enough; although
He thought he’d ‘list, perhaps,
            Off-hand like — just as I —
Was out of work — had sold his traps —
            No other reason why.
Yes; quaint and curious war is!
            You shoot a fellow down
You’d treat if met where any bar is,
            Or help to half-a-crown.”

Theodore Knell, in his more modern look at a conflict where two snipers look for enemies to shoot, explores the same theme in Cat or Mouse? His poem describes how the two fighters are scouting the area. It begins with ‘Hello’, when he spots an enemy, and ends, when he squeezes his trigger, with ‘Goodbye’.  He has done his job, but muses:

another place
another time
maybe you and me be mates

The drama and the two poems show how, if things had been different, those who chance had placed on opposing sides could have got to know one another and built a friendship.

For me, this is part of doing the almost impossible task of fighting to protect those who need protecting, while still remembering that those on the other side are also human, perhaps afraid, have a back story, and people who will be broken-hearted to lose them.

Almost impossible – but not quite.  Jesus calls us to take a stand against dividing the world into those on our side and those against us, and to love our enemies.  As part of the Jewish nation that was occupied by a conquering Roman army, he knew what he was asking.  He saw that if we keep dividing the world into ‘them’ and ‘us’ we will make the ‘us’ into ever fewer people; but if we can see everyone as ‘us’, we can begin to build a world which is safe for everyone.

The fear of war and the shortages faced by ordinary people often lead many to share what little they have, and to support one another against a common enemy.  Can we not cast the net wider and share what we have with all?

The world wars were fought to bring an end to bullies and dictators who turn people against one another, yet the vision is far from complete.  For each person welcomed in, others are still pushed to the side lines.  We need to keep working until all people, of every race, colour, creed, orientation, ability, gender (and however else we label ourselves and others) know themselves to be children of God, loved and valued as they are, with no need to fight for their dignity, because that dignity is cherished by us all.  May he who loves us help us to love others.  Amen.

Song: (StF 706/ MP 1201)Longing for Light, we wait in darkness

Prayers

Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace,
we bring our prayers before you.
Hear us and, by your Spirit,
move in answer to our pleas.
And if you move by urging us to action,
help us to be ready to respond.
Christ, our light, shine though the darkness:
Shine in your Church, shine in me.
We bring before you those who have been, and are, in situations of conflict.
We remember our Army, Navy and Air Force and thank you for their service.
We ask you to hold gently those who have suffered loss:
of life, of health, of peace, of loved ones;
and bring them your comfort
and hope for the future.
Christ, our light, shine though the darkness:
Shine in your Church, shine in me.
We remember those who suffer
war on their doorstep;
those who live in fear;
those who are without food and shelter
because of fighting;
parents who try to shield their children from snipers.
Christ, our light, shine though the darkness:
Shine in your Church, shine in me.
We remember peace-keepers
seeking to turn people away from violence
and toward reconciliation.
We remember those who bring aid,
food, shelter, and a friendly smile
to those who have known trauma.
Christ, our light, shine though the darkness:
Shine in your Church, shine in me
We pray for our government as they move forward,
and for our King as he settles into his role;
we pray for those making decisions that will affect the very fabric of our earth,
and for those who will be most affected by the way we live.
Christ, our light, shine though the darkness:
Shine in your Church, shine in me.
As children of your peace,
members of the human family, let us pray together the words of the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.  Amen.

Song: (StF 678/HP765) Come, all who look to Christ today

Blessing

We go into the word as people of peace
and commit ourselves never to return evil for evil
but always to seek the good of all
and to see the good in all.
And may the Lord bless us and keep us,
may he make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us,
may he look on us with kindness and give us peace. 

Amen.