Jeff Green | Nov 08, 2007
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In Remembrance - November 8, 2007 Reflectionsby Rev. Jean BrownEvery November 11, Canadians pause in a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who fought for Canada in the First World War (1914- 1918), the Second World War (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953) and also those who died in subsequent peace keeping efforts. Cenotaphs and war memorials across the country proudly host services of Remembrance to honour those who gave their lives for the current freedom we enjoy today such as our ability to participate in cultural and political events, and our right to live under a government of our choice. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms in our constitution ensures that all Canadians enjoy protection under the law. The Canadians who went off to war in distant lands went in the belief that such rights and freedoms were being threatened. They truly believed that "Without freedom there can be no ensuring peace and without peace no enduring freedom." (King George VI at dedication of National War Memorial, Ottawa, May 21, 1939.)Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, children, sweethearts were killed in action, wounded, raped, and many of those who returned were forever changed. Those who stayed in Canada also served - in factories, hospitals, in voluntary service organizations, wherever they were needed. We must remember and we must honour God who gives us memory and hope. There are always people who suggest that Remembrance Day is outmoded, and that it glorifies war and violence. I prefer to honour the kinds of actions that our brave fighters found themselves having to make in the midst of the war effort. They did it all for us- so that we might dwell in freedom and in peace today.
Take the torch - hold it high, do not break faith with those who have died, rather hold them and their ideals for peace in your hearts, minds, voices, ideas, plans and prayers. Remember the horrors of war and pledge "never again". Take the torch- and commit to serving God in such a way that faith is not broken with those who died for peace and for freedom. Live in the way that God meant us to live - in freedom and with the intention of preserving that liberty, by doing all that makes for perpetual freedom - and for perpetual peace; by doing justice, and loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.
Then our actions, remembering, and our memories committed to God can be used as instruments for peace, and our memories can be building blocks for a greater future. Let us indeed remember and commit our lives and our memories into God’s hands to be used as instruments in building the future.
May we, filled with the conviction that we can make a difference, carry the torch that has been entrusted to us, and with God’s help create a world where peace is possible, and love is a way of life.
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