The Supreme Sacrifice

Today we will mark Remembrance Day which will honour those who gave their lives so that we might live in freedom and peace.  This will be a different Remembrance Day as we will not have the usual assembly in the local North Middlesex District High school in Parkhill or, I am sure, in other schools due to the COVID pandemic restrictions.  We also will not likely have as many people at the cenotaph at 11:00 as the students form the public schools will likely not be in attendance.  This is unfortunate as having children in attendance is an important part of the remembrance.  The students at the High School have always done an excellent job in the Remembrance Day assembly in the years I have been attending.   However, all this is part of the new normal these days.

There can be something of a dissonance or discomfort with Remembrance Day as it can be seen by some people as a glorification of war.  However, this is mistaken as it is entirely intended as a service to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country.  I should add that it is, for me, also a time to honour those who have served and serve in the armed forces in time of peace as well as war and who are ready and willing to put themselves in harms way for our country.  The purpose of Remembrance Day is stated very well in the call to worship for the service from the Royal Canadian Legion Chaplain’s Manual.

Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God. Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, time stands still for a moment; and we remember those who died, not for war, but for a world that would be free and at peace.

As I write this, I am aware that this language needs to be updated to be inclusive of religions other than Christianity. Certainly, many, if not most of those who fought in past wars and conflicts were Christians; however, it was not exclusively so.  There were soldiers of many faiths who fought and made the supreme sacrifice and will do so in the future should the need unfortunately arise.  This is addressed in the introduction to the manual:

The Chaplain’s Manual has been compiled to provide suggestions and assistance to anyone tasked with organizing the religious aspect of a ceremony. One of the challenges in assembling the material for the manual is the issue of inclusiveness. Choice, no matter what the subject, is by its very nature discriminatory. The moment a decision is made, it becomes exclusive of other options. In this manual the Legion, in an effort to accommodate the vast majority of its members, has chosen to follow widely accepted religious traditions as much as possible. This is by no means an indication that other religious beliefs that are not specifically identified are discouraged.

It is good that the diversity of those who served is acknowledge.  However, I believe that this must be addressed with more than lip service.  The reality of those outside of the mainstream in our society has rightly come into the general consciousness of our society.  I hope that his will be addressed in not too distant future.

I will close with the prayer of Remembrance from the Manual (with an edit for a small step towards inclusion):

Almighty God, as You have gathered Your people together this day in hallowed remembrance, we give You thanks for all who laid down their lives for our sake, and whom You have gathered from the storm of war into the peace of Your presence. Let the memory of their devotion ever be an example to us, that we at the last, being faithful unto death, may receive with them the crown of life. Amen

Blessing on your journey and remember to pause for two minutes of silence at 11:00 a.m. today.