This verse is rattling around in my head as I prepare for our annual Remembrance Day commemorations. Remembrance Day is a time for us to pause our very busy lives and give thanks for those who have sacrificed their lives so that we may live in freedom and peace this day. I think of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice – the thousands upon thousands that have laid down their lives for friends they never knew, so that they may live in peace and concord. I also think of those who also made a sacrifice – and still live to this day with the very much unseen wounds of that sacrifice. I think of those who are currently sacrificing their lives as members of the Canadian Forces. This year, we especially remember those who made sacrifices in the First World War, as on November 11, 1918, the fighting ceased between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.
But what shall I pray on this Remembrance Day, you might be asking me. That happened so long ago! I’m reminded of the words of a hymn by John Bell, a member of the Iona Community in Scotland: “What shall we pray for those who died, those on whose death our lives relied? Silenced by war, but not denied, God give them peace.”
We remember their sacrifices and pray for peace – both for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in battle, those who lived (and are currently living) with the unseen battle wounds that come with the horrors of war. May God give us peace, and more than this, show us the path where justice is; and let us never be remiss working for peace that lasts.
I invite you to join me in remembering the sacrifices of these brave men and women on November 11th at 10:30 a.m. at the Aud. We will have members of CFB Shilo joining us this year, and I encourage you to thank them for their sacrifice for us.
