Remembrance: Sunday 11th November 2018

Remembrance Day has developed from being the commemoration of the 1918 Armistice into becoming a memorial day, marked by state ceremonial, for all those who have lost their lives in war, and a tribute to those both serving and caught up in armed hostilities today.

The following short liturgy, appropriate for use by individuals and groups, reflects on the underlying causes of conflicts and wars, and aims to help us make our own contribution to change and the establishing of peace. If using it in a group, then everyone is invited to join in saying the responsive words in bold type. There may be one leader to say the biddings, you can take it in turns, or share the reading as best suits your group.

The liturgies, celebrations, ceremonies, prayers, and reflections offered on this blog are the result of my thoughts, reflections, and experiences, usually in my own words, but sometimes weaving them together with adaptations of the words others have used: I am indebted to their wisdom. Please use these liturgies freely, adapting them as suits your own context. I am always pleased to hear from people who have used them. 

Our societies and our nations are infested by crises and conflicts

brought about by fear:

       Fear created and manipulated by individuals, 
       groups, and governments,

       in order to subjugate others, created desired behaviours, 

       or explain things away.

Fear is a natural response to the perception of danger,

emitting alarms which can create a contagion of fear.

       We are all vulnerable to fear:

       fear for our own safety, for that of our loved ones,

       and for those in harm's way.

Every day we see and read of the horrors of war and terrorism,

filling us with fear and sorrow and despair:

       Every day we experience the divisive 

       and absolutist consequences of fear, 

       as ordinary people are stereo-typed and denigrated,

       instead of being valued and cherished.

Peace, true peace, seems a long way off:

       Peace – not the absence of war,

       but the absence of extremism and of fear,

       and the presence of justice and of delight in diversity.

God of our ancestors, be with us now.

Still the turmoil in our hearts,

disarm us of the bitterness and resentment with which we wound each other.

       Help us to lower the defences which isolate us from others.

       Help us to learn to love.

We remember with thanksgiving and sorrow those who lives

have been given and taken away in wars and conflicts, past and present,

those whose memories are cherished,

and those whose names will never be known.

       We pray for those who are bereaved,

       and for all who continue to suffer the consequences of armed conflict.

In penitence, we call to mind the anger, hatreds, and fears of humanity - 

of people like us- which break and destroy the lives of other ordinary people:

       We commit our selves to try our hardest to be reconciled with others,

       so that at last we may all live in true freedom, justice, and peace.

We commit our selves to develop our hearts as well as our minds,

to be compassionate not just to our friends, but to every one.

And, whatever is going on we will not give up on peace:

       We will not give up.

       We will pursue all that unites us;

       we will offer help and healing;

       we will learn courage and compassion;

       and at last, through love,

       we will overcome the fears that separate us.