The Prince of Peace November 12th, 2023
God of ages past, present and yet to come, your Word comes to us as the witness of your saints over many generations. Send the Holy Spirit to open our hearts so that we too may hear your wisdom and come to know Christ more deeply as your Living Word. Amen.
Today, we gather to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. We honour their courage, their sacrifice, and their legacy. They left homes and families to go to foreign lands to defend the values of justice, freedom, and peace; the effects of which we still feel in our society today. The world would be a very different place for us without their sacrifice, which cannot, and should not be forgotten. And we’re here to pray for their families, their friends, and their communities who still feel the pain of their loss.
More importantly, we’re here to give thanks to God for their lives given for the freedom of many countries around the world. We’re here to acknowledge publicly and before God that countless people have given their lives for us, for our freedom, and for others and their freedom. We’re here to pray for all who suffer and have suffered as a result of war, for those who gave their lives today for our tomorrow.
Yet Remembrance Day is not only a time to look back, but also a time to look forward. It is a time to reflect on the values that we cherish as a nation: democracy, justice, peace, and human dignity. It is a time to renew our commitment to uphold these values in our own lives and in our world.
Whenever there is a war or conflict, we are usually hopeful that it will be the last, that there will be no more war. But we are not free from war and the pain of war. Our purpose today is to not only acknowledge that pain and to remember it, but also to thank God for the freedom that so many now enjoy because of the laying down of life by so many for our country.
And for the Christian, Remembrance Day also presents a unique opportunity for us to meditate on the way of peace. God calls us to look to Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace.
The memories we recall this Remembrance Sunday should spur us forward in the search for true harmony and peace throughout the world. As the Lord commanded the apostles to “Do this in memory of me”, we gather this day praying for the graces of the great sacrifice of Calvary to engulf the whole world so that we may live in the harmony for which Christ prayed; and to our fallen who fought for peace we say, “We will remember them”.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to be peacemakers. Jesus said this to his disciples, “‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’” (Matthew 5.9) We are called to love our enemies, to forgive those who hurt us, and to seek reconciliation with those who are different from us. We are called to resist evil, to stand up for the oppressed, and to work for the common good. We are called to be salt and light in a dark and broken world.
In the life and teachings of Jesus we see that God establishes peace in his world in an unconventional way. Jesus doesn’t begin a war in order to defeat the enemies of God, instead, Jesus chooses the way of non-violence. He lays down his life and dies at the hand of God’s enemies in order to defeat evil. Only then does God raise Jesus from the dead in the victory over sin and death.
In the person of Jesus, we see the perfect example of humble obedience, sacrificial love, and life-giving peace. When Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, this is what he said to them, “‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” (John 20:21) And in the same manner, today, we are God’s sent ones. We are ambassadors for Christ, commissioned by the Holy Spirit to announce the good news of God’s peaceable kingdom. But what is more, we are called to embody God’s peace in the world. God is leading us to be his peacemakers even though it is often difficult in these challenging times.
And for the Christian, the understanding of ‘peace’ is more than just the avoidance of war, more than the absence of conflict. It is about building relations between people, between communities, and between nations, which positively and constructively creates a love and care for others founded on justice for all.
For as we remember the sacrifice of the many in far too many wars, we cannot let the enduring tragedy of lost lives, and the experiences and traumas of those who survived, be in vain. We need to build relationships of peace and justice in our world, starting right here in our community.
And for that we will always need God’s help – to change each and every one of us, into people who have a passion for peace and justice, and a care and love for everyone. To follow Jesus’ example: to love God and love our neighbour as ourselves.
Because of Jesus, a real relationship with God begins with hearing the gospel, and the gospel by God’s grace then finds a pathway into our hearts, enabling us to believe the truth. The truth that Jesus gave his life for us, that he suffered the penalty we deserve, that on the cross he willingly laid down his life for us, in order to take away our sins - the sin and unholiness that separates us, creates a terrible gap between us and God.
We repent and turn from everything in our lives that is not the truth, we turn away from every sin. And we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord, as our King, as the Saviour of our souls, our very lives. And then we live our lives free, and we submit ourselves completely, spirit, soul, mind, and body, to Jesus' authority, and call on his name. By coming to Jesus in humility and brokenness and need, we find what we are looking for.
Today, we remember the victims of war and all those who have died to help bring freedom and to help make the world a better place to live in. But today is also a stark reminder that our world is deeply broken and divided because of human violence. So, on this day of “remembrance” let us seize the opportunity and prayerfully take to heart the radical message of the Prince of Peace and follow his way of reconciling love. Let us discern together the ways in which God is calling us to be peacemakers in his world.
Let us remember that Jesus himself laid down his life for us, and that he rose again to give us hope. Let us remember that he is the Prince of Peace, and that he will come again to establish his kingdom of justice, joy and peace. Let us remember that we are his body on earth, and that he has given us his Spirit to empower us for his mission. Let us remember and let us act accordingly.
May each of us, even as we remember today the terrible sacrifices made by soldiers who defended Canada and who served as peacekeepers internationally; may we remember the one, greatest sacrifice of all; the one of Jesus. And may we respond in gratitude to the gift of life, the gift of freedom, the gift of relationship with God, the gift of salvation, that Jesus won for us. And, as the words of the song go, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me”.
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, we pray for peace in our world. We remember the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom and justice, and we honour their courage and service. We ask for your guidance and protection for all who work to uphold human dignity and rights, and we seek your forgiveness and healing for the wounds of war. Help us to be peacemakers in our families, communities, and nations, and to respect and cherish the diversity of your creation. Amen.