Rememberance Sunday 2007
Introduction
What does this day mean to you. A day when we remember the war dead, especially those who died in the great wars of the last century. Personally I think of my grandfather’s generation, my father’s father lost 4 of his siblings either directly or indirectly as a result of war, my mother’s father was injured in the Somme and as a consequence met my grandmother, a nurse. He carried the scars to his dying day. It is a time too when we remember those who are currently serving in the armed forces at home and abroad. Somehow the fighting never ceases. The queen recently opened a new memorial dedicated to those who have lost their lives in the service of their country – I wonder how much space they have left on it for additional names. Jesus said there would be wars and rumours of war until His return at the end of the age yet he pronounced a particular blessing on peace-makers.
A friend of mine commented to me last week that the new hymn book they were using had watered down all the military imagery in the hymn “For All the Saints” which led me to think about what the Bible says about war and fighting. In Old Testament times there are many stories concerning battles of one sort or another. Almost always these are depicted as being between good and evil, the people of God on the one hand and idol-worshippers on the other. After the reign of Solomon things get a bit more complicated as the kingdom splits in two and eventually both are overcome by the evil oppressors – who nonetheless are seen as instruments of God.
What about in the New Testament? Jesus forbade violent resistance when arrested and appeared to offer a very different vision of emancipation from that espoused by the zealots. However he commended the faith of a centurion and commanded His followers to “Render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasar’s”. This is directly applied to the paying of taxes but could equally well be applied to other forms of civil obedience such as serving in the armed forces or supporting the war effort. In the epistles the imagery of warfare is mostly used to depict spiritual battle eg. “we do not wage war as the world does” 2Cor.10:3, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood .. but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Eph.6:12, “Fight the good fight of the faith” 1Tim.6:12. One of the most striking pictures of what it is like to be a Christian is found in Ephesians 6:10-18 where Paul instructs us to put on the armour of God.This imagery is also found in our baptism service when we declare over the baptised: “Fight valiantly as a disciple of Christ against sin, the world and the devil and remain faithful to Christ until the end of your life”.
So how is the battle going? In one of his books the late John Wimber commented that most Christians seem to think life should be like one long cruise but in reality we should see ourselves being on a battleship, always ready for action.
In the news this week there have been a number of items suggesting that our forces are ill-equipped for their task. The inquest into the death of a soldier in basra finding that a lack of up to date equipment may have contributed to his death. A coalition of former military leaders calling for increased spending on the forces. This has led me to wonder how well-equipped are we in the spiritual battle? What are the weapons and equipment that we need? Just as in the physical battle we are having to adapt to new ways of warfare like suicide bombers, are we having to adapt in the spiritual battle?
Prayer
The first and foremost weapon in the spiritual battle is prayer. The good fight is fought and won or lost primarily in that secret place where we meet with God. The passage in Ephesians 6 concludes: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” Eph.6:18. I am proposing that starting in Advent we should make this the focus for the coming year. As we prepare to celebrate our centenary and continue to work out what it means to serve Christ in the heart of Hanwell I believe it is the right time to be focussing on prayer.
Vigilance
This comes out in the verse just quoted “be alert” and in many of the passages concerning the time between Jesus’ first and second Advent. It fits in well with our current so called war against terror. We remain safe physically by being alert and vigilant, so too in the spiritual battle. It is so easy to become complacent and settle for the good rather than the best.
Perseverance
A number of military battles in the past have gained a name according to how long they lasted – from the seven day war to the hundred year war. The spiritual battle will only come to an end when Jesus returns or we go to be with him – then we can say with the apostle Paul “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 2Tim.4:7 We need to be in it for the long haul.