Complexity in Remembrance
Observing Remembrance Day for those who follow the Prince of Peace is not a straightforward matter. We remember and are grateful for those who have died in war, yet we pray for peace. We honour solders, and yet, we take up the call to end war, and the need for soldiers of any kind.
Complexity in remembrance requires that we hold ourselves in a place of humility and offer grace. Humility and grace are two core pillars of Christianity, and two core virtues for all those working towards a more compassionate world. Humility allows that we do not hold the fullness of knowledge and are therefore open to new understandings and the wisdom others may offer. Grace is the giving of gift in purity, with no attachments.
We have within our scriptural stories a tale of a centurion, a soldier in need of Jesus’ aid. Within it we can observe the centurion’s humility and Jesus’ responding grace. The solider is our teacher today. May we have the humility to learn from him, and then, to be agents of grace in this world.
Our opening thoughts and prayers come to us from Rev. Dr. Neil Parker, military chaplain at the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in Meaford, Ontario.
On this day of Remembrance, O God, we give thanks:
For peacekeepers and pacifists; for those who served on the front lines, and those who protest and march; for those who volunteered and those who waited anxiously at home; for those who hoped that things would get better, and those who could not stand by and wait.
We give thanks for those who believed that the world could be a better place.
We remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, trusting that others could and would carry the torch.
We give thanks for those who were once enemies who have become friends and allies.
Prayer of Confession
O God of life and death and life beyond life: we confess our love of quick and simple solutions. We avoid complexity in favour of simple and shallow answers; we prefer slogans to solutions. We are too prone to look back after setting our hand to the plough. We do not want to commit to the long haul.
When we reflect on our history of the things that make for peace and the things that make for war, we confess that we have resorted to violence instead of the hard work of seeking just and fair solutions. At other times, we have been reluctant to hold others to account, and have ignored injustice and even cruelty. Forgive us for our unwise use of our own power.
O God, we confess that we have been afraid. We have been indecisive when others’ lives were threatened, too concerned about politics and precedent. At other times, we have been quick to jump in, assured of our own righteousness and the justness of our cause. We have too often prayed to you to support our own prejudices and goals. Forgive us and give us courage to seek peace with justice in your world, wherever that may lead us. Amen
Larger reflection and more prayers by military chaplain, Rev. Dr. Neil Parker.
Our tradition has often been uncomfortable with appeals to the use of force to solve the problems of the world, and rightly so
Across the United Church, there are many approaches to marking Remembrance Day. In contributing a new…..
“The terror and privation of combat bonds men in a way that the word ‘brother’ only partly captures. Men become mothers to one another in combat.”
Going to War, Produced by Michael Epstein, of Twin Cities PBS in association with Vulcan Productions, and PBS.
Watch a three minute video clip here that is so worth watching, an excerpt from the PBS series. The program attempts to get at the larger picture of war, the effect on the soldiers, in particular, and their mental health.
The Duality of War. War is the most destructive and pitiless of all human activities. And yet the experience of war has a profound and strangely compelling effect on those who fight. Combat kills, maims, and terrifies, but it can also reveal the power of brotherhood and a selfless sense of purpose. It’s an experience that changes soldiers, and those changes last a lifetime.
Two Reflections on Remembrance Day from the United Church of Canada
For Remembrance Day, a military chaplain and United Church minister reflects on the cost of war and peace.
I remember when I first heard the biblical account of the healing of the centurion’s slave. It was at a church parade while on training in the naval reserve many years ago…. READ MORE
United Church minister, Rev. William Alfred Seaman responded to the call “Follow me” as a chaplain during World War II, serving as a sign of God’s presence in a broken world.
On the base of one of the 2048 burial markers in the military cemetery located in Bény-sur-Mer, France, these familiar words from the Apostle Paul may be found. “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). READ MORE
From the War Museum in Ottawa - with hopes that one day it is only about history, and we will have a Peace Museum in its place…….
Canadians recognize Remembrance Day, originally called Armistice Day, every 11 November at 11 a.m. It marks the end of hostilities during the First World War and an opportunity to recall all those who have served in the nation’s defence.
And here’s a selection of Canadian musicians and singers offering their take on war and peace, including Lenard Cohen’s reading of Flander’s fields.
Remembrance Day video from the 80s by Canadian Rocker Bryan Adams
A video of one tin soldier by its original singers, The Original Cast, synced it with Cher's cartoon video.
Dear Brody with a country tune about brothers, war, loss, endurance.
In fall 2015, Legion Magazine and Leonard Cohen released a video to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poem "In Flanders F...