Dear Friends,
November 11th – Armistice Day – brings many thoughts to mind. We may find we are led along memories of two dreadful World Wars which dominated events during the last century. Significantly, there will be British families and friends remembering 453 military deaths in Afghanistan which occurred during 13 years of conflict. Dignified scenes of crowds lining the High Street in Royal Wootton Bassett are still fresh in our thoughts.
This year has seen older conflicts recalled. There has been the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo when Napoleon, a nasty little tyrant, was finally defeated. It was due to largely mythical writings of Victor Hugo that Napoleon was transformed into a great hero! Most recently, 25th October marked the 700th anniversary of Agincourt when an English army comprising about 9,000 soldiers defeated a French army with about 50,000 soldiers.
Historians study wars and try to draw conclusions about why and what took place. Some of them also try to distinguish if a war is a ‘just war’ or if it is one which has no moral basis. Back in the 4th Century Augustine of Hippo attempted to justify some wars because they protected peace by overcoming evil. In the 13th Century Thomas Aquinas added two further justifications in saying a war should only be declared by a legitimate authority and it must not be for self-gain. Though it is a fine action to look at war in such a philosophical way, there is no escaping the fact that a war taints a nation.
If in some way we are filled with shame at the awful things we human beings did to one another during a period of war, we can also mark the heights to which the human spirit rose. In all wars and on all sides there has been heroism which defies belief. No one could live through or study wars without being astounded at the sheer resilience of the human spirit. Think about ways in which a life force has enabled men and women to survive some terrible situations.
Wars are also a time when faith comes under fire. Many people are quick to look for scapegoats and single out religion as a cause of war because it is convenient to do so. The truth of the matter is that warmongers hide behind all sorts of excuses because they do not want to be exposed as fundamentally evil people. History may eventually sort out details and provide some reasons for posterity to muse upon. For instance, historians are largely in agreement about the Kaiser’s mental instability which led to the First World War.
Even if we come to some kind of conclusion about the cause of a war, we ought not end it there. War is not a book that can be closed and laid to one side. Whenever we are in our church we are able to look on magnificent stained glass windows that frame a plaque bearing names of church members who died a century ago. Amongst the millions who died, West Park Church remembers nineteen men and I make a point of having their names read aloud during our Remembrance Sunday service. Though nobody remains alive who knew those men, the fact that we are able to meet and speak freely is their living legacy.
Beyond trying to record history with accuracy, our memorial plaque also serves to remind us that nations struggled to see evil would not permitted to overwhelm the world. Evil will always come knocking at our door, seeking ways of worming into our lives and turning good people away from what Jesus called “the straight and narrow way”. Our Act of Remembrance tells us of those who stood against evil and it is an inspiration for us as we continue working for God’s Kingdom “on earth as it is in Heaven”.
Your Minister and friend,
John.