Preached at 10am Eucharist at St Michael’s Church, Handsworth, Diocese of Birmingham on 30th November 2008
Advent Sunday, Year B.
Readings Isaiah 64: 1-9 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9 Mark 13: 24-end
Today is Advent Sunday, and it is the start of a new year in the life of the Church. So Happy New Year! Each year the Church starts its new year on Advent Sunday, four Sundays before Christmas, and this period from today up until Christmas Eve, we call Advent. Advent is all about waiting for Jesus. It is about preparing for the coming of Jesus. And there are two different ways in which we are preparing for the coming of Jesus.
On the one hand we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus; we are preparing for Christmas. In our families, we start doing our Christmas shopping and we start preparing our Christmas dinners. In the Church we remember people like John the Baptist and Mary, who have important roles to play just before Jesus bursts onto the scene.
But preparing for the coming of the baby Jesus at Christmastime is only one half of what Advent is all about, and we tend to do that more in the second half of Advent. In first half of Advent we are still thinking about the coming of Jesus, but we are thinking much more about the second coming of Jesus, that we read about today in Mark’s gospel. In Mark’s gospel Jesus warns us that his second coming will be preceded by earthquakes and famines and wars. In those days there will be suffering such as has never been seen since the world was created. The after the great suffering the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory, and he will send his angels to gather his elect from the four corners of the world.
Now in Mark’s gospel, the prophecies about the second coming of Christ are very closely woven in with prophecies about another important event. This section of Mark’s gospel starts at the beginning of chapter 13 with the disciples admiring the great temple buildings. Jesus tells them that the wonderful buildings will be completely torn down, with not one stone left upon another. This is a prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army, which took place in the year 70 AD. The destruction of the temple and the expelling of the Jews from the Jerusalem was like an end of the world experience for the Jews. It is quite hard to unpick what Jesus is saying about the destruction of the temple from what he is saying about the return of the Son of Man at the end of time. When he says, “I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place,” he is presumably talking about the destruction of the temple. When he says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father,” he is presumably talking about the second coming.
At first sight it might seem difficult and confusing that these two prophecies are closely bound together and hard to separate apart, but I suspect that this is quite deliberate on God’s part. For God, who stands outside of time, it may well be that the two events are very closely related; two parts of the same process. Also it serves to emphasis the main point that Jesus is making; that we need to keep awake and alert because the second coming of Christ could be at any moment. Even though 2000 years have gone by, we still need to keep awake and expect the second coming of Christ at any moment.
As I read our readings for today, two points in particular stood out for me. Isaiah says, “because you hid yourself, we transgressed,” (v5). He also says, “you have hidden your face from us and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity,” (v7). This does seem to describe the situation of our western world today. God appears to be absent. God is not talked about very much by our politicians or civil servants or business leaders. News broadcasts seldom consider stories from a religious perspective. Our society seems to become more and more selfish and individualistic. We all find it harder and harder to find our right place in society, to become the people God created us to be, and the church seems to struggle. And when we look to other places, to China and Asia and Africa it seems different. Despite many terrible sufferings and difficulties, God seems more present and the church seems to grow. And so it seems to me particularly important that in the western world we redouble our efforts to stay awake and be ready for the second coming of Christ, which we know will come suddenly, when it is least expected.
And the other point that stood out for me as I read our scripture readings was the word “waiting”, “waiting on Jesus”. In the Isaiah reading we are told that God works for those who wait on him (v4). Paul describes the church in Corinth as waiting for the revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the gospel Jesus says that we are like slaves put in charge of a house when the master is away. We must stay awake and await his return because we do not know when it will be.
Waiting on Jesus. This is a theme of Advent. Of course we find waiting very hard. It requires patience and faithfulness, and trust that Jesus really will return. But this is the challenge of Advent. And notice that waiting on Jesus is very similar to being a servant of Jesus. To “waits at table” and to “serve at table” is the same thing. Certainly servants spend a lot of time waiting for their masters.
So this Advent we continue to wait expectantly for the coming of Christ. We have be waiting for this for 2000 years, but we continue to wait, because this is part of our service to Jesus. And what is the best way of waiting on Jesus, of serving Jesus? Well I think there was a very good answer in the gospel reading that we read last week. Jesus said, “what ever you do to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me.” This means that we can wait on Jesus, we can serve Jesus, by serving on him present in other people. If we take good care of the people around us, if we do our part to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, take care of the sick, then we are serving Jesus, we are waiting on Jesus. And it seems to me that this is the best preparation we can make for the second coming of Christ. If when the master returns he find his servants busy loving and serving him present in the people around them, then surely he will know that his servants are faithful and true, and surely this will be well rewarded.
30 November 2008
27 November 2008
Growing the Kingdom of God
Funeral homily preached on Thursday 27th November 2008, 11am at Robin Hood Crematorium.
Reading: Mark 4: 26-34
Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”
He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables,
oooOOOooo
??? was a great lover of gardening. She loved planting seeds and cuttings and watching them grow. She might have appreciated the reading that we heard a moment ago from Mark’s gospel.
In the reading, Jesus tells us two parables. In both parables the Kingdom of God is compared to a plant that grows. In the first parable Jesus says that when we plant a seed of grain and watch it grow, it is something of a mystery to us how it grows. We know we need to take care of the seed, giving it water and light, but the growing it does by itself. And when it has grown, one grain of wheat produces a whole head of corn, a harvest many times greater than itself. We harvest the grain, and rejoice in the good things we receive through the harvest.
In the second parable Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It starts off as a very small seed, yet over time it grows to be the greatest of all shrubs.
Well ??? has been growing on this earth for 88 years, and now, for her, harvest time has come. God has taken her home. It is a sad time for us, who are left with the stubble in the field, but in heaven there is rejoicing in the good things received there. Of course, we do not know how rich or poor the harvest in heaven has been. We know that Beatrice was baptised and confirmed in the Church of England, so we know that good seed was sown in her. We also know that she was not a great churchgoer, so perhaps the seed did not get as much light and water as it might have liked, but we trust in the remarkable and mysterious love of God, that allows many plants to grow, even where we do little to look after them.
So today, as we commend ??? to Almighty God, let us trust in his great love and mercy and let us have hope. Let us trust that any failing and difficulties and weaknesses in her can be restored through the death and resurrection of Christ. Let us trust that we will see her again, when we ourselves die. Let us prepare well for that day by living our lives in the love of God, because God’s love is like the light and water that makes a plant grow. It’s God’s love that allows the kingdom of God to grow in us. It is God’s love that will bring us one day to a successful harvest, and to a great reunion in heaven.
Reading: Mark 4: 26-34
Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”
He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables,
oooOOOooo
??? was a great lover of gardening. She loved planting seeds and cuttings and watching them grow. She might have appreciated the reading that we heard a moment ago from Mark’s gospel.
In the reading, Jesus tells us two parables. In both parables the Kingdom of God is compared to a plant that grows. In the first parable Jesus says that when we plant a seed of grain and watch it grow, it is something of a mystery to us how it grows. We know we need to take care of the seed, giving it water and light, but the growing it does by itself. And when it has grown, one grain of wheat produces a whole head of corn, a harvest many times greater than itself. We harvest the grain, and rejoice in the good things we receive through the harvest.
In the second parable Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It starts off as a very small seed, yet over time it grows to be the greatest of all shrubs.
Well ??? has been growing on this earth for 88 years, and now, for her, harvest time has come. God has taken her home. It is a sad time for us, who are left with the stubble in the field, but in heaven there is rejoicing in the good things received there. Of course, we do not know how rich or poor the harvest in heaven has been. We know that Beatrice was baptised and confirmed in the Church of England, so we know that good seed was sown in her. We also know that she was not a great churchgoer, so perhaps the seed did not get as much light and water as it might have liked, but we trust in the remarkable and mysterious love of God, that allows many plants to grow, even where we do little to look after them.
So today, as we commend ??? to Almighty God, let us trust in his great love and mercy and let us have hope. Let us trust that any failing and difficulties and weaknesses in her can be restored through the death and resurrection of Christ. Let us trust that we will see her again, when we ourselves die. Let us prepare well for that day by living our lives in the love of God, because God’s love is like the light and water that makes a plant grow. It’s God’s love that allows the kingdom of God to grow in us. It is God’s love that will bring us one day to a successful harvest, and to a great reunion in heaven.
23 November 2008
Christ the King
Thought for parish pew slip – Sunday 23rd November 2008
Christ the King – Year A
Readings: Ezekiel 34: 11-16 & 20-24 Ephesians 1: 15-23 Matthew 25: 31-46
While God’s people Israel are suffering during their terrible exile in Babylon in the 6th Century BC, the prophet Ezekiel speaks to them with a message of hope. He tells of a time when God himself will come to shepherd his flock, the people of Israel, and to gather them together once again in their own land. God will judge between sheep and sheep, and David will rule over them. Christians see this prophecy fulfilled in Jesus who is the Good Shepherd, the Son of God and a descendent of David.
In our reading from Ephesians, Paul emphasises the great hope to which God calls us; the riches of a glorious inheritance and the immeasurable greatness of God’s power. This power was put to work in Christ who is now high above all power and dominion.
In our gospel reading Jesus tells us about the final judgement to take place at the end of time. We will be judged according to how well we have treated Jesus present in the people around us. Have we helped the people around us in practical ways, seeking their good, or have we ignored them, thinking only of ourselves?
Christ the King – Year A
Readings: Ezekiel 34: 11-16 & 20-24 Ephesians 1: 15-23 Matthew 25: 31-46
While God’s people Israel are suffering during their terrible exile in Babylon in the 6th Century BC, the prophet Ezekiel speaks to them with a message of hope. He tells of a time when God himself will come to shepherd his flock, the people of Israel, and to gather them together once again in their own land. God will judge between sheep and sheep, and David will rule over them. Christians see this prophecy fulfilled in Jesus who is the Good Shepherd, the Son of God and a descendent of David.
In our reading from Ephesians, Paul emphasises the great hope to which God calls us; the riches of a glorious inheritance and the immeasurable greatness of God’s power. This power was put to work in Christ who is now high above all power and dominion.
In our gospel reading Jesus tells us about the final judgement to take place at the end of time. We will be judged according to how well we have treated Jesus present in the people around us. Have we helped the people around us in practical ways, seeking their good, or have we ignored them, thinking only of ourselves?
16 November 2008
Warnings of judgement and Choir Sunday
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull at 9.15 and Eucharist
Sunday 16th November 2008 – Second Sunday before Advent (Year A)
Choir Sunday
Readings: Zaphaniah 1: 7 & 12-18 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 Matthew 25: 14-30
Our readings today are about the Lord coming in Judgement, and they have a fearful quality. Since the earliest times in the Church we have been expecting the second coming of Christ. Jesus told us that the day or the hour of that second coming is not known by anyone, not even by Jesus himself (Matt 24: 36), but there has always been an expectation that it will be “soon”. Well 2000 years have gone by and it has not come yet and there is a danger that we become complacent. There is a danger that we become like the man who thought he would never die. Every morning when he woke up he would say, “There we are, another night safely past. Experience confirms that I wake up every morning.” As time went by the man had more and more evidence that he woke up again every time he went to sleep. As he got older he became more and more convinced that he would never die. By the time he was in his 90s he was completely certain of it!
So in the Church we continue to expect the second coming of Christ, and as our reading from Zephaniah suggests that it will be a terrible day when it comes. Zephaniah was prophesying in the years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in about 590 BC. That was the terrible day of the Lord about which he spoke, but he words can also be applied to us as we await the second coming of Christ.
In the letter from Paul to the Thessalonians that was our second reading, Paul also warns that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. He urges us to walk in the light, in faith, in love and in the hope of salvation. That way, whether we live or whether we die we will find our salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our reading from Matthew was a reading about Judgment. When the Lord returns he will want to know how we have used to good gifts he has given us. Have we used them well for the good of many, so that the gifts multiply? Or have we hidden the gifts away so that they have been of no benefit to anyone?
Next week we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. We know that when the Lord comes it will be terrifying and there will be judgement. But after the judgement, the Lord will establish his reign of peace. All things will be put under his feet (Eph 1: 22). We will know him as king. But more of that next week.
Meanwhile this week it is choir Sunday. Choir Sunday gives us an opportunity to celebrate our choirs and to give thanks for all that they contribute to our worship and to the life of this church. A tremendous amount of work goes into our choirs. Those who do the singing work very hard and give up a lot of their time to do it. And then they are supported by many, many people. Most obviously they are supported by Nigel Stark our Director of Music. Our assistant organist Jon contributed a great deal, until his recent resignation. The Friends of the Music play an important role in organising choir events and raising money for events and training. Then there are all the choir parents who bring their children to choir practices and to worship each week. Then there are many other families of choir members who to a greater or lesser extent find themselves organising their lives around the choir commitments. So to all of these we are very grateful today, because they all contribute to the work of our choirs, and our choirs add depth and breadth to our worship through their music. The singing of the choirs contributes hugely to the sense of occasion at our regular Sunday worship and at special services such as weddings, civic services, and carol services. I believe that our worship with the music of the choirs help us to prepare ourselves for the worship of heaven where the book of Revelation tells us there will be lots of singing around the throne of God (e.g. Rev 5: 11-13 or 7: 11-12).
At St Alphege we actually have four choirs. The boys and the men are singing with us at this service. At the 11o’clock the girls choir will be singing, and then at a special Choral Evensong this evening the ladies choir (including the senior girls) will be singing with the boys and men. Being part of the choir is a wonderful way to participate in the life and worship of our church community. I have asked six of our choir members to come forward now and tell us a little bit about that.
Choir Interview - Questions for:
Two longest serving choir members: Michael Palmer and John Emmett.
Four newest choristers: Jonathan, Samuel, William and Dylan, all aged 8.
Let’s start with the young ones.
How old are you? How long have you been signing in the choir?
What do you enjoy most about singing in the choir?
What is your favourite bit of choir music?
What is the hardest thing about being in the choir?
Now let’s ask some questions of our long serving members.
How old were you when you started singing in church choirs?
Do you remember being trebles like these four here?
[To John] And where was that? And when did you join this choir?
[To Michael] Where were you a treble?
You have obviously both put a huge amount of energy into the choir over the years, and we are very grateful for the contribution you have made. But I wonder, what do you feel you have got out of this experience for yourselves? How do you feel you have benefited?
Then I have got one last question for the younger ones.
They can remember when they were like you. Do you ever think you will be like them?
Sunday 16th November 2008 – Second Sunday before Advent (Year A)
Choir Sunday
Readings: Zaphaniah 1: 7 & 12-18 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 Matthew 25: 14-30
Our readings today are about the Lord coming in Judgement, and they have a fearful quality. Since the earliest times in the Church we have been expecting the second coming of Christ. Jesus told us that the day or the hour of that second coming is not known by anyone, not even by Jesus himself (Matt 24: 36), but there has always been an expectation that it will be “soon”. Well 2000 years have gone by and it has not come yet and there is a danger that we become complacent. There is a danger that we become like the man who thought he would never die. Every morning when he woke up he would say, “There we are, another night safely past. Experience confirms that I wake up every morning.” As time went by the man had more and more evidence that he woke up again every time he went to sleep. As he got older he became more and more convinced that he would never die. By the time he was in his 90s he was completely certain of it!
So in the Church we continue to expect the second coming of Christ, and as our reading from Zephaniah suggests that it will be a terrible day when it comes. Zephaniah was prophesying in the years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in about 590 BC. That was the terrible day of the Lord about which he spoke, but he words can also be applied to us as we await the second coming of Christ.
In the letter from Paul to the Thessalonians that was our second reading, Paul also warns that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. He urges us to walk in the light, in faith, in love and in the hope of salvation. That way, whether we live or whether we die we will find our salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our reading from Matthew was a reading about Judgment. When the Lord returns he will want to know how we have used to good gifts he has given us. Have we used them well for the good of many, so that the gifts multiply? Or have we hidden the gifts away so that they have been of no benefit to anyone?
Next week we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. We know that when the Lord comes it will be terrifying and there will be judgement. But after the judgement, the Lord will establish his reign of peace. All things will be put under his feet (Eph 1: 22). We will know him as king. But more of that next week.
Meanwhile this week it is choir Sunday. Choir Sunday gives us an opportunity to celebrate our choirs and to give thanks for all that they contribute to our worship and to the life of this church. A tremendous amount of work goes into our choirs. Those who do the singing work very hard and give up a lot of their time to do it. And then they are supported by many, many people. Most obviously they are supported by Nigel Stark our Director of Music. Our assistant organist Jon contributed a great deal, until his recent resignation. The Friends of the Music play an important role in organising choir events and raising money for events and training. Then there are all the choir parents who bring their children to choir practices and to worship each week. Then there are many other families of choir members who to a greater or lesser extent find themselves organising their lives around the choir commitments. So to all of these we are very grateful today, because they all contribute to the work of our choirs, and our choirs add depth and breadth to our worship through their music. The singing of the choirs contributes hugely to the sense of occasion at our regular Sunday worship and at special services such as weddings, civic services, and carol services. I believe that our worship with the music of the choirs help us to prepare ourselves for the worship of heaven where the book of Revelation tells us there will be lots of singing around the throne of God (e.g. Rev 5: 11-13 or 7: 11-12).
At St Alphege we actually have four choirs. The boys and the men are singing with us at this service. At the 11o’clock the girls choir will be singing, and then at a special Choral Evensong this evening the ladies choir (including the senior girls) will be singing with the boys and men. Being part of the choir is a wonderful way to participate in the life and worship of our church community. I have asked six of our choir members to come forward now and tell us a little bit about that.
Choir Interview - Questions for:
Two longest serving choir members: Michael Palmer and John Emmett.
Four newest choristers: Jonathan, Samuel, William and Dylan, all aged 8.
Let’s start with the young ones.
How old are you? How long have you been signing in the choir?
What do you enjoy most about singing in the choir?
What is your favourite bit of choir music?
What is the hardest thing about being in the choir?
Now let’s ask some questions of our long serving members.
How old were you when you started singing in church choirs?
Do you remember being trebles like these four here?
[To John] And where was that? And when did you join this choir?
[To Michael] Where were you a treble?
You have obviously both put a huge amount of energy into the choir over the years, and we are very grateful for the contribution you have made. But I wonder, what do you feel you have got out of this experience for yourselves? How do you feel you have benefited?
Then I have got one last question for the younger ones.
They can remember when they were like you. Do you ever think you will be like them?
09 November 2008
Remembrance Sunday
Preached at the Civic Remembrance Day Service at St Alphege Church, Solihull following the 11am Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial.
Remembrance Sunday, 9th November 2008
Why is it that we feel such a compelling need to remember those who have been killed or injured by war? Why is it that this annual time Remembrance in November is so important to us?
Well these are deep questions. But, we need periodically to remind ourselves of the great sacrifices made for us by other people. We need to remind ourselves of our history, and how we came to be the people we now are. We need to show our respect for the fallen and to give thanks for what they have won for us. And this annual reflection in November is not simply about looking back. It has profound implications for the way we live our lives and for the future that we seek to bring about.
I would like to share with you a story about Remembrance Sunday 1999 and about the changes that that it brought about for me personally. 1999 was before my priesthood days. I was working for British Gas on Homer Road, here in Solihull. We lived in Shirley, and we worshipped at St James the Great in Shirley where Fr Michael Caddy is the Rector.
Some weeks beforehand, Fr Michael had asked my wife Elaine to sing a song at the 9.30 service on Remembrance Sunday. The song was “Green Fields of France”. The song recounts the words of a weary traveller who sits down beside the gravestone of a Great War soldier and starts talking to the dead Soldier.
In the days building up to Remembrance Sunday Elaine was practising her singing around the house. As this went on I began to find it more and more annoying! It’s not, I am sure you understand, that my wife is bad at singing; quite the opposite in fact, but I realised it was a particular line from the song which was annoying me. The line was “I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean.” I pondered this line, “I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean” and I realised that the reason I did not like it was because it seemed to me that to hope for a quick and clean death, is rather a limited hope. Certainly I found that my own hope for the dead soldier was much bigger than that, much fuller than that.
First of all I found that I wanted to hope that the soldier was now enjoying eternal life. I wanted to hope that as he died on the battle field he was met by the angels and saints and led away to a heavenly reward in Jesus’ eternal kingdom.
Then I wanted to hope that the value of his sacrifice was properly recognised. Surely, his sacrifice makes up for a multitude of sins, and helps humanity to be reconciled to God. Surely his sacrifice contributed towards the winning of the war, and the securing of freedom for this nation. I found I wanted to hope that it also contributed to reconciliation between nations, and towards the building of peace and justice in the whole world.
Then I found I wanted to say thank you to the soldier for the great contribution he has made. To thank him for his sacrifice, to recognise and value the great cost that was paid. To recognise and value the loss borne by others; by the parents who mourn, by the sweetheart who perhaps lost a future husband, by friends and comrades and those who had lost a brother.
As I said, I pondered these things and wrote them down and discussed them with Fr Michael. Fr Michael invited me to share these things with the congregation after Elaine had sung the song. I did that, and I suppose, in a way, it was one of my first ever sermons.
In my reactions to the song I said that “I wanted to hope”. And I think that this is the situation for many of us on Remembrance Sunday. We want to hope in these things. We profoundly want them. At the same time, we have to admit that it can be difficult. In this day and age it is hard to have faith. It is hard to see value in suffering. It is hard to have hope that the world is guided by a God who is good, that it is getting closer to a destiny that is good.
And that was the strange thing; the truly remarkable thing. As I worked through the Remembrance process in 1999, I discovered that despite all the difficulties, despite all the suffering, I really did believe in these things. I really did hope for the eternal life of the soldier. I really did value his sacrifice. I really did believe that it brought closer the peace and unity of the world. I really was thankful for the difference the dead soldier made. I did feel some real empathy with the great cost that was paid.
After the remembrance service of 1999 my wife asked when I was going to get ordained; that is to become a priest. I laughed it off, but just seven weeks later I had an extraordinary dream. I realised that ordination was indeed the way forward for me, the way that God calls me, personally, to make my own small contribution.
So the process of remembrance in 1999 made a huge difference to me. It is my hope that in 2008, and indeed in every year, the Remembrance process that we go through will make a difference. I hope that it will remind us of the blood, sweat and tears, and above all the many, many lives that have been invested in the freedom of our nation today. I hope that it will encourage us to value that freedom, and to give thanks for it. Above all I hope that it will give us courage to face the future, not bowed down by fears and disappointment, but with hope, because through the extraordinary horror and suffering of the world wars, a new and better world was born.
Remembrance Sunday, 9th November 2008
Why is it that we feel such a compelling need to remember those who have been killed or injured by war? Why is it that this annual time Remembrance in November is so important to us?
Well these are deep questions. But, we need periodically to remind ourselves of the great sacrifices made for us by other people. We need to remind ourselves of our history, and how we came to be the people we now are. We need to show our respect for the fallen and to give thanks for what they have won for us. And this annual reflection in November is not simply about looking back. It has profound implications for the way we live our lives and for the future that we seek to bring about.
I would like to share with you a story about Remembrance Sunday 1999 and about the changes that that it brought about for me personally. 1999 was before my priesthood days. I was working for British Gas on Homer Road, here in Solihull. We lived in Shirley, and we worshipped at St James the Great in Shirley where Fr Michael Caddy is the Rector.
Some weeks beforehand, Fr Michael had asked my wife Elaine to sing a song at the 9.30 service on Remembrance Sunday. The song was “Green Fields of France”. The song recounts the words of a weary traveller who sits down beside the gravestone of a Great War soldier and starts talking to the dead Soldier.
In the days building up to Remembrance Sunday Elaine was practising her singing around the house. As this went on I began to find it more and more annoying! It’s not, I am sure you understand, that my wife is bad at singing; quite the opposite in fact, but I realised it was a particular line from the song which was annoying me. The line was “I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean.” I pondered this line, “I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean” and I realised that the reason I did not like it was because it seemed to me that to hope for a quick and clean death, is rather a limited hope. Certainly I found that my own hope for the dead soldier was much bigger than that, much fuller than that.
First of all I found that I wanted to hope that the soldier was now enjoying eternal life. I wanted to hope that as he died on the battle field he was met by the angels and saints and led away to a heavenly reward in Jesus’ eternal kingdom.
Then I wanted to hope that the value of his sacrifice was properly recognised. Surely, his sacrifice makes up for a multitude of sins, and helps humanity to be reconciled to God. Surely his sacrifice contributed towards the winning of the war, and the securing of freedom for this nation. I found I wanted to hope that it also contributed to reconciliation between nations, and towards the building of peace and justice in the whole world.
Then I found I wanted to say thank you to the soldier for the great contribution he has made. To thank him for his sacrifice, to recognise and value the great cost that was paid. To recognise and value the loss borne by others; by the parents who mourn, by the sweetheart who perhaps lost a future husband, by friends and comrades and those who had lost a brother.
As I said, I pondered these things and wrote them down and discussed them with Fr Michael. Fr Michael invited me to share these things with the congregation after Elaine had sung the song. I did that, and I suppose, in a way, it was one of my first ever sermons.
In my reactions to the song I said that “I wanted to hope”. And I think that this is the situation for many of us on Remembrance Sunday. We want to hope in these things. We profoundly want them. At the same time, we have to admit that it can be difficult. In this day and age it is hard to have faith. It is hard to see value in suffering. It is hard to have hope that the world is guided by a God who is good, that it is getting closer to a destiny that is good.
And that was the strange thing; the truly remarkable thing. As I worked through the Remembrance process in 1999, I discovered that despite all the difficulties, despite all the suffering, I really did believe in these things. I really did hope for the eternal life of the soldier. I really did value his sacrifice. I really did believe that it brought closer the peace and unity of the world. I really was thankful for the difference the dead soldier made. I did feel some real empathy with the great cost that was paid.
After the remembrance service of 1999 my wife asked when I was going to get ordained; that is to become a priest. I laughed it off, but just seven weeks later I had an extraordinary dream. I realised that ordination was indeed the way forward for me, the way that God calls me, personally, to make my own small contribution.
So the process of remembrance in 1999 made a huge difference to me. It is my hope that in 2008, and indeed in every year, the Remembrance process that we go through will make a difference. I hope that it will remind us of the blood, sweat and tears, and above all the many, many lives that have been invested in the freedom of our nation today. I hope that it will encourage us to value that freedom, and to give thanks for it. Above all I hope that it will give us courage to face the future, not bowed down by fears and disappointment, but with hope, because through the extraordinary horror and suffering of the world wars, a new and better world was born.
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