Remembrance Eighty Years On: Gratitude and Reflection

This year’s Remembrance Sunday has special significance, marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War. Eight decades have passed since Victory in Europe against the evils of Nazi Germany and Victory over Imperial Japan. Echoes of two world wars are still felt across the decades albeit that the world is a very different place from our parents’ generation. History is in danger of being repeated and we would do well, not only to remember the sacrifice of the past with gratitude, but also to reflect on our own sense of responsibility and duty today.

 What should we be grateful for?

On Remembrance Sunday, 9th November, across towns, villages, and cities, we pause for the 2 minutes silence to honour those who fought, and to remember the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of an entire generation. They endured unimaginable hardship so that future generations could live in freedom and peace. When we wear the poppy, observe the silence and hear the bugle’s call, we remember with thanksgiving those who never came home, those who returned forever changed, and all who have served since. We also remember what they fought for. Hard-won values such as justice and democracy cannot be taken for granted: we will remember them.

Reflecting on the Present

In the 21st Century, again we face war in Europe, conflict in the Middle East and the largest movement of migrants and displaced people since the end of World War 2. We also face new challenges such as climate change, all of which require peoples and nations to work together to provide global solutions.

As the number of World War veterans diminishes, our act of remembrance becomes ever more vital. It is not just about looking back with gratitude but about carrying their legacy forward. Our present generation is also called to fight for things that we believe in. It may not mean a call to arms (although that could be a possibility). It definitely means standing up against injustice, cherishing peace, and striving for unity in divided times if we are not to drift into the next global conflict.

Where do we begin?

It begins with ourselves. There is so much that is good in our local communities; we should support these, not just applaud them. We also see declining values and a lack of shared responsibility all around, whether it be angry drivers on the road, peoples’ attitude to women, or the way we treat humans with a lack of dignity and respect * simply because their colour or creed or circumstances are different from our own. And the Bible’s remedy?

“We should love the Lord our God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength and love our neighbour as ourselves”.

‘You would say that, Philip, you’re a Christian minister’, I hear you cry. Well, it wasn’t my idea. Jesus said it – maybe he had a point!

Footnote

* Last month we posted a link to Padre Matt Dietz’s podcast, ‘Respect for Others’. Speaking in depth about one of the British Army’s six core values and leading us in prayer for our Armed Forces today. Do please listen to it right to the end. I cannot recommend this podcast highly enough. I am proud to have served in the British Army with chaplains like Matt.