The second Sunday in November, the Sunday nearest to 11th of November is observed as Remembrance Sunday, which is a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Common wealth military and civilian service men and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. This service is not to be confused with a Remembrance Day ceremony on the 11th that is hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion on Armistice Day.
A section of a poem often recited at Remembrance Day is this:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.
It was written by Robert Laurence Binyon in mid-September 1914, just a few weeks after the outbreak of the First World War. We will remember those whose precious blood was shed to fight for freedom and peace.
Any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith, but war happens. Russian threats in Ukraine, Chinese belligerence in Taiwan, North Korean missiles over South Korea and Japan . . . Nations go to war for a variety of reasons. Some have argued that wars are fought primarily for economic, religious, and political reasons. Others have claimed that most wars today are fought for ideological reasons. Mao Tse-tung, the Chinese Communist leader once said, “Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed.” War is the continuation of politics by other means of violence.
Politics and power are two elements which link with leadership of any organization. Power is needed for leaders with authority to manage their organisations. However, depending on how given power is used, we can either flourish or break our organisations. A world where power remains unchecked is unhealthy and harmful.
Placing so much influence in one person’s hands is prone to ideological biases and leads to an unpredictable and even dangerous situation, as we learn from history about highly centralized autocrats and dictators who insulated their power from critical information and misused their power. So, what do we do when we see human rights to peace violated and when life is threatened by evil power?
Fundamentally, Christian theology affirms peace, and pacifists hold that all war is unjustified, whereas contingent pacifists agree that it is at least possible for war to be justified.
Just war theory, as opposed to pacifism, deals with the notion that the resort to armed force is justified under certain conditions. Firstly, the war must be waged upon the command of a rightful sovereign; secondly, the war needs to be waged for just cause; thirdly, warriors must have the just intent, namely to promote good and to avoid evil. Even if just reasons for going to war are satisfied, conduct in the war must be just as well. That is, noncombatants and civilians must not be deliberately targeted. Without restraint there is no way to tell the difference between a warrior and a barbarian.
Just war theorists believe that some wars do have positive long-term consequences. Pacifists do not think that long-term benefits outweigh such near-term harms. Such controversial tensions will stay with us.
Some of you went through a traumatic experience of war, and many have no direct experience of war, yet our lives are all intertwined with bloody wars from WWI and WWII to Korean War and Vietnam War, from Desert Storm to today’s ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War, all of which left behind illusions, involving ethical and moral concerns and compensations for innocent victims of war.
As we remember fallen soldiers and war victims and ponder upon conflict resolutions in a non-violent way, we also take an opportunity to affirm our faith that the practice of this remembering centres our attention on what God has done in our lives, deepening our assurance that God is with us here and now, and expanding our hope and anticipation for what God will yet do.
Today’s reading from the Book of Wisdom goes:
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. ~ Wisdom 3:1-3
These words convey such a consolation to those in deep grief. James also says:
The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. ~ James 3:17-18
True peace and true wisdom are not in the domain of humans but belong to God’s. Thus, Jesus said:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ~ John 14:27
It is the will of God that all who see and believe in Jesus may have eternal life. And as Jesus promised, those who truly believe in him will be raised up by him on the last day.
In conclusion, I will quote a poem written at the epitaph on a hill town on the India-Myanmar border called Kohima, which bears this verse:
When you go home, tell them of us and say, “For your tomorrow, we gave our today.”
Today we remember those who have lived and died in the service of fellow human beings; we give thanks to God for their bravery and sacrifice to bring us peace. Also, we pray for all who suffer through war and are in need; we ask for God’s help and blessing that we may do his will, and that the whole world may acknowledge our resurrected Christ as true Lord and true King because he gave his life for our eternal life.
Let us pledge ourselves anew to the service of God and our fellow human beings that we may help, encourage, and comfort others, and support those working for the relief of the needy and for the peace and welfare of the nations.
Amen!