All Souls' - the day we remember those who have gone before,
As we begin our journey through remembrancetide, and especially in the light of the Covid-19 situation, we come before God and remember the Church now sleeping as we await the return of Jesus, the Christ, and the resurrection of the dead,
dona eis requiem
Showing posts with label Remembrance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Remembrance. Show all posts
Monday, 2 November 2020
Tuesday, 11 August 2020
Covid-19 and 2020: Opportunities and blessings (count yours)
How odd life can be - somehow this seems to have been one of the best years ever experienced for so many reasons. Stop to count your blessings; how many are there?
Here's my quick and messy starter with ten blessings:
1. Stopped care homes but cared in homes.
2. Took the Word of God (living and written) into peoples homes using technology
(am I the only one to go, "Oooh, technology!" (in a Homer Simpson voice)?
3. Got to stream funerals and be creative with way people are encouraged and supported to mourn.
4. Did virtual military remembrance services (one two at the same time).
5. Recorded and streamed some services (that said, we've done the majority live)
This means that at last I can proved I can be in two places at the same time!
6. Got to shop for people (which we're still doing), started supplying drugs (prescription only, honest
Occifer).
7. Had the challenge of three funerals in four locations in one day
(one church, one burial, two different crematoria)
8. Was part of pastorally-engaged and effective Church which put aside fees and catered for feelings
of bereaved and brokenness of our communities.
9. Managed to continually stream morning and evening prayer, compline, BCP evensong
(Communion coming) and CW Communion and returned congregations back to buildings.
10. Entered into the world of 'virtual' care home visits where the cleric is passed from one resident to
the next as they get to spend time with ,e.
The world has become so very different over the past few months - and I thing it is an invitation to blessing and service to me and others around me.
I'm sad at the loss,
the fear,
the lack of consideration for others as people fail to protect those around them
Here's my quick and messy starter with ten blessings:
1. Stopped care homes but cared in homes.
2. Took the Word of God (living and written) into peoples homes using technology
(am I the only one to go, "Oooh, technology!" (in a Homer Simpson voice)?
3. Got to stream funerals and be creative with way people are encouraged and supported to mourn.
4. Did virtual military remembrance services (one two at the same time).
5. Recorded and streamed some services (that said, we've done the majority live)
This means that at last I can proved I can be in two places at the same time!
6. Got to shop for people (which we're still doing), started supplying drugs (prescription only, honest
Occifer).
7. Had the challenge of three funerals in four locations in one day
(one church, one burial, two different crematoria)
8. Was part of pastorally-engaged and effective Church which put aside fees and catered for feelings
of bereaved and brokenness of our communities.
9. Managed to continually stream morning and evening prayer, compline, BCP evensong
(Communion coming) and CW Communion and returned congregations back to buildings.
10. Entered into the world of 'virtual' care home visits where the cleric is passed from one resident to
the next as they get to spend time with ,e.
The world has become so very different over the past few months - and I thing it is an invitation to blessing and service to me and others around me.
I'm sad at the loss,
the fear,
the lack of consideration for others as people fail to protect those around them
Saturday, 25 April 2020
Anzac Day - Saturday, 25 April 2020
Every year we hold an Anzac Day service at the National Memorial Arboretum.
It's a service filled with emotion and meaning.
This year, having been unable to do this, I post here a tribute and remembrance to those young men who marched away from Australia and New Zealand never to return and to those who returned broken by their service in distant lands in a war that was far from them and their ken.
I hope this service ticks some of the boxes for those unable to pay their respects elsewhere today.
It's a service filled with emotion and meaning.
This year, having been unable to do this, I post here a tribute and remembrance to those young men who marched away from Australia and New Zealand never to return and to those who returned broken by their service in distant lands in a war that was far from them and their ken.
I hope this service ticks some of the boxes for those unable to pay their respects elsewhere today.
We will remember them
Thursday, 10 November 2016
The reality of Remembrance
It seems to me that Remembrance, as found attached to a poppy, is one of the most misunderstood and misappropriated areas in which I find myself working.
Misunderstood because some think Armistice and Remembrance Sunday are all about glorifying war and engaging in jingoistic sabre rattling as we revel in having triumphed over our enemies.
Misappropriated because every year the same old, same old, is dragged out and the white poppies are, less than proudly displayed, and the pascifistic mantras are made apparent in much that same way as crosses are used against vampires in the old Hammer horror films.
Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching children about Remembrance and one of the schools had made a wall of poppies that flowed along the wall of their hall and tumbled down to the floor, a la that which adorned the Tower of London, many bearing the name of a family member.There were, side by side, poppies looking back to the 1914-18 conflict and those looking to serving and recently served family members - and in doing this the children of Flaxhill School had made Remembrance theirs.
Without someone, something or somewhere to be remembered how do we spend those two minutes of silence?
Yesterday we spoke of books the children had read: Anne Frank, the Boy in Striped-Pajamas, Private Peaceful, and others, all came to the fore. Characters and accounts that put flesh on historical accounts and give the warmth of life to the cold hard statues that adorn war memorials. The small stories that capture the imagination and bring the perspective that sadnesses such as war demand. His too became something to focus upon in that endless two minutes of silence.
Yesterday we spoke of how war is never glorious and of how the word 'glory' relates to a place, as in 'gone to glory' , and means dead; and in this spoke of the lives lost by combatants and civilians alike. We reflected on the way that war changes society at large and individuals in particular, changing the way we live and think; women working in factories, people of different colours becoming officers, pubs having closing hours, men returning with limbs, lives and minds broken and disfigured; those who forlornly waited for a loved one's return.
We spoke of those left behind - and as we did, great grandads and uncles lost in WWI were reanimated; a grandad with a leg missing from a recent conflict walked in and took a bow, a young, fresh-faced twenty something passed by singing 'Tipperary', a fearful child from a refugee camp peeked around the corner of the assembly hall door to remind us that little has changed in conflict's ability to scar and scare.
This is what Remembrance is all about - making the promise that 'Never Again!' would be more than a trite phrase uttered at times like this but would, in the many lives lost so wastefully, be made real in the shadow of the act of Remembrance we have made.
In another school we talked of war and Remembrance in a different way, bringing the parallels of conflict in war with those playground spats that those in an infant school so often engage in as they begin to feel their way in a world outside of the home. We spoke of making peace and making friends, dialogue rather than decking our assumed opponent and expanded this into the world of silly and selfish grown-ups.
Making friends rather than creating enemies was the key - and as the locks turned in the minds of those five and six year olds the hope that seeds sown for seeking peace rather than conflict became a reality. But the ground needs to be filled and watered - and this is what Remembrance, if handled well, does!
And grandads and uncles and other relatives who had served all came forward and took a bow and stood before these tiny little pieces of humanity as they stood amazingly still and quiet for those interminably long sixty seconds (for two minutes would surely be an imposition).
This is Remembrance - an act that in itself works to end wars and yet, whilst the wicked still exist, acknowledges the fact that there is sometimes the need to have those who are willing to stand for others and March away and remembers those that have done so never to return.
We pray for the day when wars shall cease and all those departed this life shall see the resurrection and Jesus, the Christ's, return and until then 'We will remember them' and continue to work for peace.
Misunderstood because some think Armistice and Remembrance Sunday are all about glorifying war and engaging in jingoistic sabre rattling as we revel in having triumphed over our enemies.
Misappropriated because every year the same old, same old, is dragged out and the white poppies are, less than proudly displayed, and the pascifistic mantras are made apparent in much that same way as crosses are used against vampires in the old Hammer horror films.
Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching children about Remembrance and one of the schools had made a wall of poppies that flowed along the wall of their hall and tumbled down to the floor, a la that which adorned the Tower of London, many bearing the name of a family member.There were, side by side, poppies looking back to the 1914-18 conflict and those looking to serving and recently served family members - and in doing this the children of Flaxhill School had made Remembrance theirs.
Without someone, something or somewhere to be remembered how do we spend those two minutes of silence?
Yesterday we spoke of books the children had read: Anne Frank, the Boy in Striped-Pajamas, Private Peaceful, and others, all came to the fore. Characters and accounts that put flesh on historical accounts and give the warmth of life to the cold hard statues that adorn war memorials. The small stories that capture the imagination and bring the perspective that sadnesses such as war demand. His too became something to focus upon in that endless two minutes of silence.
Yesterday we spoke of how war is never glorious and of how the word 'glory' relates to a place, as in 'gone to glory' , and means dead; and in this spoke of the lives lost by combatants and civilians alike. We reflected on the way that war changes society at large and individuals in particular, changing the way we live and think; women working in factories, people of different colours becoming officers, pubs having closing hours, men returning with limbs, lives and minds broken and disfigured; those who forlornly waited for a loved one's return.
We spoke of those left behind - and as we did, great grandads and uncles lost in WWI were reanimated; a grandad with a leg missing from a recent conflict walked in and took a bow, a young, fresh-faced twenty something passed by singing 'Tipperary', a fearful child from a refugee camp peeked around the corner of the assembly hall door to remind us that little has changed in conflict's ability to scar and scare.
This is what Remembrance is all about - making the promise that 'Never Again!' would be more than a trite phrase uttered at times like this but would, in the many lives lost so wastefully, be made real in the shadow of the act of Remembrance we have made.
In another school we talked of war and Remembrance in a different way, bringing the parallels of conflict in war with those playground spats that those in an infant school so often engage in as they begin to feel their way in a world outside of the home. We spoke of making peace and making friends, dialogue rather than decking our assumed opponent and expanded this into the world of silly and selfish grown-ups.
Making friends rather than creating enemies was the key - and as the locks turned in the minds of those five and six year olds the hope that seeds sown for seeking peace rather than conflict became a reality. But the ground needs to be filled and watered - and this is what Remembrance, if handled well, does!
And grandads and uncles and other relatives who had served all came forward and took a bow and stood before these tiny little pieces of humanity as they stood amazingly still and quiet for those interminably long sixty seconds (for two minutes would surely be an imposition).
This is Remembrance - an act that in itself works to end wars and yet, whilst the wicked still exist, acknowledges the fact that there is sometimes the need to have those who are willing to stand for others and March away and remembers those that have done so never to return.
We pray for the day when wars shall cease and all those departed this life shall see the resurrection and Jesus, the Christ's, return and until then 'We will remember them' and continue to work for peace.
Friday, 21 October 2016
Aberfan - 50 years on
And the pain will not have subsided;
not for those who lost children;
not for those who lost family members;
not for those who lost schoolmates and contemporaries and survived that day;
not for those who feel the resonance for themselves in the loss of a child.
not for a community that was irreparably and awfully changed in that moment in time marked today fifty years on.
Today at 9:15 - please stop and spare a moment to think, and pray, over those who are gone and those who remain.
As we enter our season of remembrance just a little earlier than usual with this - make time to pray for the repose of those gone and the presence of God's healing power in those who remain.
not for those who lost children;
not for those who lost family members;
not for those who lost schoolmates and contemporaries and survived that day;
not for those who feel the resonance for themselves in the loss of a child.
not for a community that was irreparably and awfully changed in that moment in time marked today fifty years on.
Today at 9:15 - please stop and spare a moment to think, and pray, over those who are gone and those who remain.
As we enter our season of remembrance just a little earlier than usual with this - make time to pray for the repose of those gone and the presence of God's healing power in those who remain.
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
NUOTC - Poppy
Especially for someone especially special:
 |
| NUOTC |
Northumbrian University Officer Training Corps
Monday, 26 October 2015
More poppy avatars
Today; having been asked to add a few cap badges, I thought I'd better paste them here:
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| Blues and Royals |
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| 11 Hussars (Cherry Pickers) |
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| Ride To The Wall |
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| Devon and Dorsets |
Remembrance: It's that time of year again.
For those of you who have served or have a connection with our UK forces and would like to reflect it in your Facebook, Twitter or other places, can I remind you that there are a fairly large number of poppy avatars, like that below, available on this blog?
If you would like one, all you need to do is go to a search engine and search on:
Vic the Vicar poppy (regiment, service or branch name). That above can be found by entering the search criteria:
Vic the Vicar poppy RAChD
You just choose whatever you want and it should be there - if not, add a comment and I'll create one for you. (once you've found it, right-click and 'save as' - you can use it wherever you wish)
If you would like one, all you need to do is go to a search engine and search on:
Vic the Vicar poppy (regiment, service or branch name). That above can be found by entering the search criteria:
Vic the Vicar poppy RAChD
You just choose whatever you want and it should be there - if not, add a comment and I'll create one for you. (once you've found it, right-click and 'save as' - you can use it wherever you wish)
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
Armistice Day 2014
With today's final acts of remembrance bringing the 2014 season of remembrance to and end I thought it might be the right time to remind everyone that we still have some 208 weeks (1,461 days) left before we can commemorate the centennial end to that conflict.
Can I take the opportunity to point you to the 'Active Service Gospel' produced by SGM
This wonderful facsimile of the book that would have been found in many of the pockets of those who marched away during the WWI conflict is a wonderfully effective means of grounding the Christian faith in the act of active remembrance:
Can I also encourage you to take two minutes wherever you are at 11:00 - and if possible to find a memorial or cenotaph - to remember all who have died as a result of war.
Can I take the opportunity to point you to the 'Active Service Gospel' produced by SGM
This wonderful facsimile of the book that would have been found in many of the pockets of those who marched away during the WWI conflict is a wonderfully effective means of grounding the Christian faith in the act of active remembrance:
Can I also encourage you to take two minutes wherever you are at 11:00 - and if possible to find a memorial or cenotaph - to remember all who have died as a result of war.
Sunday, 9 November 2014
Can't make it to church - November 9
Today the nation stops for two minutes to remember ALL who have lost their lives as a result of war. A day when war is most definitely not glorified, for when we speak of the 'Glorious dead' we refer to those who are in 'Glory'; a day when we remember also all those who have been broken in body, mind or spirit as a result of conflict and commit ourselves to peace.
Traditionally we will find ourselves using one of a select set of readings - the most common being the 'Greater love has no one than to lay down their life for another' as it speaks of the Selfless Commitment that is found in Jesus' journey to the cross and the Values and Standards of the British forces. So let's have a look at it in a bit of detail:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other."
There are a few interesting themes to be found in this passage; the first rather fittingly focuses on the what it means to have a chain of command for Jesus has 'kept His Father's commands and He calls on us to accept those He issues. To remain in relationship with Him (love being that relationship) and from that relationship we have a unity in that we do what is right (God's commands) as the outworking of that love. This is the brotherly live, the camaraderie, that amazing bond of 'brothers in arms' that is part of Christian living and reflected, and celebrated (rightly) as poppies are worn and silence is observed.
The 'you are my friends if you do what I command', in this context, is not some Elizabeth Violet Bott* toe-pointing, breath-holding, petulance but a statement of relationship and unity. If we were to rephrase it as:
"We are brothers in arms if we live within the same chain of command - you're not servants but part of the same body, we all obey that which comes from above, we all hear from the one above and make it known to those who we lead - and they in turn pass this to those who lead."
Remembrance is about remembering, that's simple innit?
Remembrance is about reflecting on the past and determining not to repeat it.
It is about remembering, and celebrating (and that's the right word), acts of courage and rightly placed response to wrong that causes people to make a stand and 'take up arms' with proportionality and the requirements of Micah 6 (humility, justice and mercy) a forethought.
It is about honest reflection - eschewing jingoistic rhetoric, blind praise and the bitterness of those who have lost loved ones or been themselves wounded and broken by conflict - for are not those who have lost loved ones also 'victims of war'?
War is never great and yet when politics and diplomacy fail; when genocide and oppression of the weak, marginalised and vulnerable is obvious and unchallenged - it is also inevitable (and right). Recently I had a rather heated discussion (well they were heated) over the situation in Syria and Iraq. The person I was speaking to wanted 'us' to stand aside and avoid 'getting involved' in anything military because they were 'pacifists' - which in this context meant leaving those who are acting wrongly to continue to do so because 'it isn't our business'.
When asked what we should be doing the only solution they offered was to mumble about sanctions and peace accords and diplomacy and how the loss of life was 'unfortunate' but didn't warrant others 'meddling' in their situation. The 'Christian' response was to pray from peace and call on the governments of the world to put sanctions and embargoes in place ad to hope for an end to the murders - "This is what is right, this is what is Christian," they said.
Meanwhile Psalm 82 calls us to reflect thus:
“How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
And this is why today we remember those who marched away never to return and, until the return of Jesus, the Christ, will continue to need to take up arms at times. This is why we utter the words 'Never Again' and pray they will hold true. This is why the words from Binyon's poem 'For the fallen' echo true as we remember:
Traditionally we will find ourselves using one of a select set of readings - the most common being the 'Greater love has no one than to lay down their life for another' as it speaks of the Selfless Commitment that is found in Jesus' journey to the cross and the Values and Standards of the British forces. So let's have a look at it in a bit of detail:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other."
There are a few interesting themes to be found in this passage; the first rather fittingly focuses on the what it means to have a chain of command for Jesus has 'kept His Father's commands and He calls on us to accept those He issues. To remain in relationship with Him (love being that relationship) and from that relationship we have a unity in that we do what is right (God's commands) as the outworking of that love. This is the brotherly live, the camaraderie, that amazing bond of 'brothers in arms' that is part of Christian living and reflected, and celebrated (rightly) as poppies are worn and silence is observed.
The 'you are my friends if you do what I command', in this context, is not some Elizabeth Violet Bott* toe-pointing, breath-holding, petulance but a statement of relationship and unity. If we were to rephrase it as:
"We are brothers in arms if we live within the same chain of command - you're not servants but part of the same body, we all obey that which comes from above, we all hear from the one above and make it known to those who we lead - and they in turn pass this to those who lead."
Remembrance is about remembering, that's simple innit?
Remembrance is about reflecting on the past and determining not to repeat it.
It is about remembering, and celebrating (and that's the right word), acts of courage and rightly placed response to wrong that causes people to make a stand and 'take up arms' with proportionality and the requirements of Micah 6 (humility, justice and mercy) a forethought.
It is about honest reflection - eschewing jingoistic rhetoric, blind praise and the bitterness of those who have lost loved ones or been themselves wounded and broken by conflict - for are not those who have lost loved ones also 'victims of war'?
War is never great and yet when politics and diplomacy fail; when genocide and oppression of the weak, marginalised and vulnerable is obvious and unchallenged - it is also inevitable (and right). Recently I had a rather heated discussion (well they were heated) over the situation in Syria and Iraq. The person I was speaking to wanted 'us' to stand aside and avoid 'getting involved' in anything military because they were 'pacifists' - which in this context meant leaving those who are acting wrongly to continue to do so because 'it isn't our business'.
When asked what we should be doing the only solution they offered was to mumble about sanctions and peace accords and diplomacy and how the loss of life was 'unfortunate' but didn't warrant others 'meddling' in their situation. The 'Christian' response was to pray from peace and call on the governments of the world to put sanctions and embargoes in place ad to hope for an end to the murders - "This is what is right, this is what is Christian," they said.
Meanwhile Psalm 82 calls us to reflect thus:
“How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
"They went with songs to the battle, they were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, they fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them."
I hope, and pray, the words of this reflection touch, help and inform those who read it.
The Collect
Almighty and eternal God, you have kindled the flame of love in the hearts of the saints: grant to us the same faith and power of love, that, as we rejoice in their triumphs, we may be sustained by their example and fellowship; through Jesus Christ your son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever, Amen.
Sunday, 26 October 2014
Poppy Avatars - Updates
I've been asked for a few more poppies which will appear here as they are put together:
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| Staffords |
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Wearing a poppy with pride
It's time for me to point people towards the (ever growing) collection of poppy images that can be used as avatars on Facebook, Twitter and so many other places.
There are all poppies with cap badges, branches and even cadet forces too and by using them during the time when we remember those who have gone. we do this especially through the observance of All Saints, All Souls, Remembrance Sunday, Armistice Day and other events; marking the passing of those who have departed this life and paying our respects to them. It is in the doing of this that we echo Binyon's words 'We Will Remember Them' in a tangible and obvious manner.
So for those who would like a poppy with a badge all you need to do is:
Google Vic the Vicar + Avatar + the name (i.e. Royal Signals or ATC or hussars) and you should find the badge you want.
If you cannot find the badge then add a comment to this blog and I will add it to the collection as quickly as I can.
A new addition to the poppies this year has been one for those who wish to honour the dead (by the way - 'Glorious' means they are in glory - it is not glorifying war) and draw attention to the lives lost through the actions of the Islamic State (IS) - because 'Never Again' means exactly that:
Please wear a poppy to support those who have served the cause of peace and justice throughout the years and have served to protect our land and uphold, and observe, the various conventions that protect the weak and oppressed.
There are all poppies with cap badges, branches and even cadet forces too and by using them during the time when we remember those who have gone. we do this especially through the observance of All Saints, All Souls, Remembrance Sunday, Armistice Day and other events; marking the passing of those who have departed this life and paying our respects to them. It is in the doing of this that we echo Binyon's words 'We Will Remember Them' in a tangible and obvious manner.
So for those who would like a poppy with a badge all you need to do is:
Google Vic the Vicar + Avatar + the name (i.e. Royal Signals or ATC or hussars) and you should find the badge you want.
If you cannot find the badge then add a comment to this blog and I will add it to the collection as quickly as I can.
A new addition to the poppies this year has been one for those who wish to honour the dead (by the way - 'Glorious' means they are in glory - it is not glorifying war) and draw attention to the lives lost through the actions of the Islamic State (IS) - because 'Never Again' means exactly that:
Please wear a poppy to support those who have served the cause of peace and justice throughout the years and have served to protect our land and uphold, and observe, the various conventions that protect the weak and oppressed.
Friday, 6 June 2014
D-Day: Seventy years on
Today, as we mark the seventieth anniversary of D-Day and pay homage to those who gave their lives on land, sea and in the air to bring about the beginning of the end of war in Europe, we pay tribute to all those who took part in that day and remain, proud and standing still.
We reflect upon the actions of all those brave men who piloted gliders into battlefield, jumped from aircraft and ran onto beaches laden with mines and into the face of machine gun fire: Those who ferried them to the conflict in the air and on the sea. We remember the women who were also present and providing medical support not far behind them too.
Today does not glorify war* - but it does remember the courage and sacrifice of many to rescue our island from the threat of conquest and repel the invaders from mainland Europe (something that took another 337 days of conflict) and bring peace. And we must remember that peace is something that rarely comes without a price - and that price was, in this action, over 4,087 allied lives (plus an unknown number of Germans) and more than 10,000 wounded.
Today, as I take part in the commemoration and remembrance of that day seventy years ago I offer a prayer of thanks for those whose selfless commitment, courage (and that's what it takes to run onto any battlefield) and patriotism have given me the freedom I, and all around me, enjoy.
For those who remain, my respect, admiration and thanks are yours.
For those who have gone - on, or from, the field of conflict or subsequently: May you rest in peace and rise again in glory.
And a prayer that was said by the Free French Commandos as they approached the beaches - one which might serve us well each day of our lives:
'Lord, I shall be very busy today. I may forget about You, but do not Thou forget about me.'
*take a look at the Omaha beach scene from 'Saving Private Ryan' to see how awful war is!
Friday, 24 January 2014
Holocaust Memorial Day 2014
Yes, I know the actual day is January 27 (the day Russian troops entered the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in 1945 and liberated those within its fences). But I wanted to lay down a marker so that those who will be in church this weekend make sure that it is remembered in the prayers (or a candle lit or whatever you do where you are) and marked.
Today I find myself talking to people of varying ages over the SHOAH - the Hebrew word for 'desolation' which is preferable to 'holocaust' ('burnt offering') in that those who died under the Nazi German regime. Alongside this will be dealing with the (too) many acts of genocide before and since that awful event and the eight stages of genocide and some 'Journey' stories.
Not too late to do something or get involved - you can visit here
There will be a service or event somewhere near you (we even do one on the Sunday evening service slot at 6pm)
Today I find myself talking to people of varying ages over the SHOAH - the Hebrew word for 'desolation' which is preferable to 'holocaust' ('burnt offering') in that those who died under the Nazi German regime. Alongside this will be dealing with the (too) many acts of genocide before and since that awful event and the eight stages of genocide and some 'Journey' stories.
Not too late to do something or get involved - you can visit here
There will be a service or event somewhere near you (we even do one on the Sunday evening service slot at 6pm)
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Funerals - more than just a 'service'
One of the most important roles we have in our ministerial life is that of funerals. To play a part in the last opportunity people will have to be physically present in the same place as a loved one is a great privilege and a potential nightmare unless care is taken, and thankfully it usually is.
One of the greatest blessings I have heard of was the cleric who received a visit from a family member who come to say that they'd never realised who the deceased really was until they'd heard their life story contextualised by them. How cool is that - and what an example of what it is that we who do funerals should be aiming for.
One of the biggest challenges comes in the form of note-taking and this is not always easy. The prospect of a grieving wife whose sum total of information regarding her lost husband came down to: 'He was my husband!' So what are you going to do with that? After all, the people at the service will be expecting more in any eulogy than, 'Here's nnnn, he was nnnn's husband (and potentially someone's father and grandfather too)!' It's not often that the twenty minutes afforded in a Crematorium is enough to do a life justice is enough but to find it's far too much is an even greater nightmare.
The answer is simple - you play detective. You knock on doors, find workmates, members of the same clubs and you dig. And yes, I know that takes time, but what else do we have but time when it comes to a pastoral need? You take the bob - you do the job - simple, innit?
The little details are all too often the biggest points on which memories are hung and so nothing is too small or irrelevant. A 'for instance' has to be the passing comment about the wartime church organist and the funny way they played a popular tune as the couple left the church after their marriage. A piece of gold amongst what the family thought of as 'Gran's ramblings' that led to the family leaving to that tune that meant nothing to them and allowed a woman who had been snatched by Alzheimer's to be reached by the service.
Whilst music is on the menu, it's probably worth a mention that regardless of our own preferences, the family's choice is usually what you go with. I know this can be a but dodgy; after all I'm the bloke who found himself standing by a coffin, curtains closing, as a Gangsta rap tune assaulted our ears! Not bad for an eighty something, turned out that the great grandson had changed it because he and the dear departed used to listen to it together - aargh! There are some limits but we advise and comply.
Hopefully those who read this find so etching if value in it and for those I've been discussing the issue of funerals, I hope it draws things together a little more.
One of the greatest blessings I have heard of was the cleric who received a visit from a family member who come to say that they'd never realised who the deceased really was until they'd heard their life story contextualised by them. How cool is that - and what an example of what it is that we who do funerals should be aiming for.
One of the biggest challenges comes in the form of note-taking and this is not always easy. The prospect of a grieving wife whose sum total of information regarding her lost husband came down to: 'He was my husband!' So what are you going to do with that? After all, the people at the service will be expecting more in any eulogy than, 'Here's nnnn, he was nnnn's husband (and potentially someone's father and grandfather too)!' It's not often that the twenty minutes afforded in a Crematorium is enough to do a life justice is enough but to find it's far too much is an even greater nightmare.
The answer is simple - you play detective. You knock on doors, find workmates, members of the same clubs and you dig. And yes, I know that takes time, but what else do we have but time when it comes to a pastoral need? You take the bob - you do the job - simple, innit?
The little details are all too often the biggest points on which memories are hung and so nothing is too small or irrelevant. A 'for instance' has to be the passing comment about the wartime church organist and the funny way they played a popular tune as the couple left the church after their marriage. A piece of gold amongst what the family thought of as 'Gran's ramblings' that led to the family leaving to that tune that meant nothing to them and allowed a woman who had been snatched by Alzheimer's to be reached by the service.
Whilst music is on the menu, it's probably worth a mention that regardless of our own preferences, the family's choice is usually what you go with. I know this can be a but dodgy; after all I'm the bloke who found himself standing by a coffin, curtains closing, as a Gangsta rap tune assaulted our ears! Not bad for an eighty something, turned out that the great grandson had changed it because he and the dear departed used to listen to it together - aargh! There are some limits but we advise and comply.
Hopefully those who read this find so etching if value in it and for those I've been discussing the issue of funerals, I hope it draws things together a little more.
What's the worst / best / weirdest music you've had at a funeral service?
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
We wear our poppies with pride
Wearing our poppies with pride
standing around the cenotaphs
memorials
stained glass windows
statuary
monuments and shrines
Old men with berets
medals
tear-stained cheeks
soup-stained ties
standing to attention
as the bugle plays
as noise is stilled
waiting for reveille
to herald the start of a new day
to welcome in the resurrection of the dead
the dead we honour as we stand
and remember
not glorifying war
but remembering those in glory
remembering conflicts past and present
and longing for a future peace
to become our reality today
And then
we put our poppies away
and leave our remembering of them
those who have gone
for another year
and for another day
Not so
For today
and every day
we will remember them
the fallen
the broken
the bereaved
We will remember them!
standing around the cenotaphs
memorials
stained glass windows
statuary
monuments and shrines
Old men with berets
medals
tear-stained cheeks
soup-stained ties
standing to attention
as the bugle plays
as noise is stilled
waiting for reveille
to herald the start of a new day
to welcome in the resurrection of the dead
the dead we honour as we stand
and remember
not glorifying war
but remembering those in glory
remembering conflicts past and present
and longing for a future peace
to become our reality today
And then
we put our poppies away
and leave our remembering of them
those who have gone
for another year
and for another day
Not so
For today
and every day
we will remember them
the fallen
the broken
the bereaved
We will remember them!
(c) Vic VDB 2013
Monday, 11 November 2013
As Remembrancetide draws to a close ...
I'd like to take the opportunity to say 'Thank You' to all those who have held services, sold poppies, wheeled veterans around the various services of remembrance, made tea, wept with those who mourn and vowed to make the world a better place (in the many acts of commitment).
For those who I spoke to today - proudly wearing their Elizabeth Cross in memory of a life given in service to this nation: Thank You!
For those whom I met with medals proudly pinned to their chests and stories of service (some stretching back to before I was born) - my respect and gratitude are yours (and my prayer is that I might be of service to you in return).
For those who, like us at the National Memorial Arboretum today, braved wind and rain to pay their respects - my respect to you for coming and being part when others might have cried off.
Thank you to the staff, the volunteers and all who helped make today a successful witness of a nation's pride in is servicemen and women.
We have, and will always, remember them
For those who I spoke to today - proudly wearing their Elizabeth Cross in memory of a life given in service to this nation: Thank You!
For those whom I met with medals proudly pinned to their chests and stories of service (some stretching back to before I was born) - my respect and gratitude are yours (and my prayer is that I might be of service to you in return).
Thank you to the staff, the volunteers and all who helped make today a successful witness of a nation's pride in is servicemen and women.
We have, and will always, remember them
Armistice Day - Please Keep it!
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
John McCrae, May 1915
Sunday, 10 November 2013
They shall not grow old ...
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning:
 |
| We Will Remember Them |
Honouring the dead - Not glorifying war
Today I will have occasion to stand in silence with men, women and children as we remember, and give thanks for, those who have given their lives in conflict - peace being the prize they sought and death being the price.
We will remember those who, as civilians, have had lives, homes and lifestyles marred and taken away - and pray that wars will cease and justice, mercy and humility become the prevailing conditions within across this globe.
We will pray for those who have served and for those who serve, remembering those who find themselves on operational tours, those preparing for tours and the families and friends they leave (or will leave) behind.
We will pray for those members of NGOs and other organisations who leave the comfort and security of home to work for a better world; for those who work for peace.
Today is not a day when war becomes glorious - for it never has or will be (as those who promote the myth would know had they had the courage to serve or the integrity to dialogue honestly) - but a day to remember those who have 'gone to glory' (for that is what 'glorious dead' means. Today is a day to commit ourselves to bringing about the peace others have given their lives to win.
Please take a moment today to visit your local cenotaph or war memorial and pay your respects - visit your local church and be one of the many voices that pray for peace, remember the dead and commit to living a just and equitable life.
We will remember those who, as civilians, have had lives, homes and lifestyles marred and taken away - and pray that wars will cease and justice, mercy and humility become the prevailing conditions within across this globe.
We will pray for those who have served and for those who serve, remembering those who find themselves on operational tours, those preparing for tours and the families and friends they leave (or will leave) behind.
We will pray for those members of NGOs and other organisations who leave the comfort and security of home to work for a better world; for those who work for peace.
Today is not a day when war becomes glorious - for it never has or will be (as those who promote the myth would know had they had the courage to serve or the integrity to dialogue honestly) - but a day to remember those who have 'gone to glory' (for that is what 'glorious dead' means. Today is a day to commit ourselves to bringing about the peace others have given their lives to win.
Please take a moment today to visit your local cenotaph or war memorial and pay your respects - visit your local church and be one of the many voices that pray for peace, remember the dead and commit to living a just and equitable life.
Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
The words of John 15 above talk of the reasons we honour the dead and the reason that so many of us do so in the name of a man who did exactly what the verse says for us all.
May we learn to make the peace of the world a reality and may the peace of the risen Christ be with us all today.
May we learn to make the peace of the world a reality and may the peace of the risen Christ be with us all today.
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