Story: a Family Friend, a Military Chaplain Named John Foote Served in the Military And

1

SERMON, SUNDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2010

Remembrance Sunday (Ps 46:1-11)
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Ps 46:1)
Story: Many of you will recall Lt. General Sir William Dobbie. (Dobbie of Malta) who was Governor General of Malta during the Second World War – at a time when the defence of Malta was at its darkest hour.
The Italian forces had overwhelming superiority, both in numbers and firepower. Yet Malta never fell to the enemy – and for their courageous stand - the whole island was awarded the George Cross..
Historians still cannot understand why the Italians did not take the island, given its strategic position.
Dobbie, a committed Christian, realized the weakness of his position and that God alone was “his present help in trouble”. His first “Special Order of the Day”, defining policy governing the defence of the island read:
"The decision of His Majesty’s Government to fight until our enemies are defeated will have been heard with the greatest satisfaction by all ranks of the garrison of Malta. It may be that hard times lie ahead of us, but however hard they may be, I know that the courage and determination of all ranks will not falter and that with God’s help we will maintain the security of this fortress, I therefore call upon all officers and other ranks humbly to seek God’s help and then in reliance upon Him to do their duty unflinchingly.
(A Very Present Help – Sir William Dobbie p. 11-12)
Those were the words of a Christian General engaged in the height of the Second World War. His Christian faith was a reality when under fire. He looked to God for strength in the tasks that he had to do. Although Dobbie survived Malta, the war took its toll and he was invalided home in 1944.
Sadly we take the sacrifice of the many men and women who served in the Forces during the First, Second, Korean Wars for granted. We also take for granted the sacrifices of those who continue to serve in the forces throughout the world and especially in Afghanistan. We too easily forget the price of the peace we enjoy.
I think Remembrance Sunday is one of the most important services in the Christian year – a time when we stop to “remember them”
I am not old enough to remember the Second World War – I was born ten years after it ended. But many of my family friends were actively involved in the Second World War.

Story: A family friend, a military chaplain named John Foote served in the military and was part of the Dieppe raid of 1942. He has the opportunity to escape and return to England but chose to stay behind and with the soldiers. For this he was rewarded with the Victoria Cross for his valour. He did not talk much about it but it had a lasting impact on his life. Though I do remember him once telling me a little bit about the horror of being there and the years following dealing with all that took place.
General Sherman, the American Civil War General once said: “War is hell”. How true it is.
Story: Then there is our good friend Scotty Gilliland who served with the Royal Navy when as a young lad of about 20. Although his ship was not attacked there was the constant fear of submarines and the toll that takes on the lives of those involved.
Story: And even more recently is my brother’s nephew who has served in Afghanistan and has seen many of his friends killed and injured. He was been sitting beside his friends when their vehicle has been attacked and they have died. There is the trauma of dealing with that at the time and in the days to follow.

Story: And there is the military chaplains that I am acquainted with who tell their story of working with the forces in Afghanistan and dealing with the trauma of death and dying and of living with all that has gone on. And then the returning to ‘normal’ life in Canada and all that that entails. Working at AADAC with some of the returning soldiers from Afghanistan puts an interesting perspective on life.
Yet John Foote and Scotty and (Alex’s nephew) were the lucky ones – they survived. Many of their friends – and your friends - did not make it through the war years.
1. The Sacrifice
Today we recall the millions of servicemen and women ... gave their lives in both World Wars, the Korean Conflict , Afghanistan and peacekeeping missions throughout the world so that we might enjoy peace today.
The ability to remember is a wonderful gift that God has given to mankind. Some of our memories are happy and we can recall wonderful experiences. But some of our memories are sad and we may weep as we remember them.
Even though the Second World War ended 65 years ago and the First World War 92 years ago - it is important that we remember that many still bear the scars of war today. And that we remember that war still continues as we, as Canadians, are involved in Afghanistan and other places in the world.

And it is good for us to remember those who have fought for their country, to support them and to pray for them, whether we agree with the decision of the government to be involved or not.
2. Thanks
Today is a day when we say “Thank you” to all those who made the sacrifice that we can stand here today in peace and freedom. We must never forget those who have died nor those who have suffered as a result of these wars.
And may I commend to you the work of the Canadian Legion, who still work to alleviate suffering among ex servicemen. Please do give generously to them
3. The love of Christ
As we stand in our church today, these thoughts of sacrifice should bring us back to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us all on the battlefield of Calvary.
St. John put it well when he said: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)
Jesus gave his life not only for his friends but also for his enemies. As God, Jesus had no need to experience human suffering but he did for all our sakes. Man’s evil – what we call sin – has separated us from God. Jesus died to reconcile us to God, by dying in our place – the Perfect One for imperfect creatures .
Jesus reconciled man to God, through dying on the Cross. This reconciliation is a gift that we can receive simply by asking Christ to come into our lives. As the apostle John put it:
“But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12

Story: In 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul tells the young Christians another story. It is a story that is meant to encourage them in times of persecution that they were beginning to face. It was not a story about what had happened in the past. It was a story of what the future was going to hold for them.

Read 1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18:

"The day of the Lord is coming," he wrote, "when the heavens will open up and we will see Jesus Christ descending through the clouds to be with us once again, forevermore. He will come to gather us up to be together - the living and the dead - and to be in God's Kingdom. Until that time, take heart, have hope and never stop encouraging one another."

Paul doesn't take the time in this letter to describe the Kingdom of God in any detail but, in other places, it is spoken of a place of peace and justice. God's reign will be one in which there will be no war and no suffering. It will be a place where everyone has enough to eat and drink and a roof over their heads. No one will be a slave to another. There will be no subservience or subordination. No one will be oppressed, persecuted or marginalized.

That is the time toward which Paul and the early Christians were looking. In the face of pain, the coming Kingdom was the image that gave the people hope. Sharing that image encouraged the people of Thessalonica to carry on in the face of great suffering.

In an odd kind of way, I have come to believe that those young Canadians who went to war were working toward a vision of the Kingdom of God. For sure, God's Kingdom is not one of warfare, bloodshed and suffering. It is, however, one of self-sacrifice and one in which persecution and injustice cannot be tolerated. We all know that that Kingdom will not be completed until Christ returns at his Second Coming to finally defeat the forces of evil once and for all. In struggling against the human forces of evil, all of the people who contributed to the war effort sought to offer a glimmer of light to many for whom the world must have seemed a very dark and bitter place.

We need to remember them, their struggle and sacrifice. And we need to thank God for the encouragement that they give to us when we wonder where our world is going and sometimes are tempted to lose hope.

The torch of justice and freedom must be passed on to each generation. May we hold it high and honour it as legacy to be cherished and continued.

The former Bishop of Birmingham, Bishop J L Wilson, who was a Japanese prisoner of war in the Second War recommended three thoughts for us all to carry in our hearts on Remembrance Sunday.
These are:
• That we should be thankful for the sacrifice of others

• That we should be dedicated to work for peace and justice in the world
• That we should be sorry for human sin and evil.

Lest we forget.

Thanks be to God. Amen.