World War I – Stephen Thorp

No Greater Love Than This …..

The First World War (1914-18) has often been described as ‘The Great War’ and ‘the war to end all wars.’ It is given such accolades because despite the many brave and heroic actions that took place, it’s also recognised as being one of the most tragically painful episodes of human history with immense suffering, as no-one can be certain how many lives were actually lost on the battlefield. Historians estimate that it may be as many as 10 million people killed with another 20 million people wounded. It was therefore hoped that the world would never see such a conflict again, but sadly within a few short years not only did we have the Second World War but there have been many other conflicts since. It’s no wonder that the Christian poet, Steve Turner, was inspired to write ‘History repeats itself. It has to – no one listens.’

To those of us who have, thankfully, only ever known peace, the current war in Ukraine with all its evidence of mass graves, torture chambers and deportations reminds us of just how dirty, depraved, and brutal war can be, causing much damage to people’s lives, infrastructure and society. We can therefore only hope and pray that the innocent will find peace; the good will prevail; and that the wicked will be brought both to heel and to justice.

In such circumstances, many of us will remember the biblical verse, “Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15.13), often quoted on Remembrance Sunday. It’s true, there is no greater love than making this ultimate sacrifice. But it also needs to be remembered that that particular verse is set within a passage that not only commands us to be loving in death – but in life! This is my command says Jesus, “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15.12). War sometimes requires us to live and love sacrificially, but that same quality should also be evident in times of peace, as we endeavour to see others the same way that God sees them. Ultimately, it was this same quality of sacrificial love and purpose that drove Jesus to die for us upon the cross, taking upon himself not only the consequences of our fallen nature but offering us the forgiveness of sins when we put our faith and trust in him. The Bible reveals not only how ‘in love’ Jesus lived and died for us, but how as ‘God incarnate’ he rose again. His resurrection therefore (which is promised to all who believe) heralds not only a new way of life, but a new way of living forever as part of God’s new creation which we call heaven, where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” for all that has passed away (Revelation 21.4). How much do we long for that!

Please join us in church this Remembrance Sunday as we commemorate all those who sacrificially gave so much serving our nation in times of war, so that we might be free to live and love in peace.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

1 John 3.16

In Search Of Heroes – Lawrence Of Arabia

T.E._Lawrence_With_Lawrence_in_Arabia

It was 1917 and the horrors of the First World War were truly etched in people’s minds. Initial optimism that the war might be over by Christmas had been well and truly blown away in the dark clouds of 1914. Things if anything were getting worse. The bravery of so many young men who fought for ‘King and Country’ was not in question, but the dreadful stalemate of events on the Western Front had come at a terrible cost. In fact, danger was not so far away for on June 13th 1917, London suffered its highest loss of civilian casualties as German airplanes bombed the city. The Americans had just entered the war and the British were desperately trying to make headway in the muddy fields of Ypres (more commonly known as Passchendaele) but were being repeatedly pushed back by German artillery. In September the British revised their strategy but made slow progress (a mere 1000 yards), but edged ever closer to Passchendaele. What the country needed most of all was hope – and some good news. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, General Edmund Allenby began an attack on Turkish defences which stretched from Gaza to Beersheba in Southern Palestine. The Turks began to retreat towards Jerusalem with the Allies in pursuit. They were aided by a group of Arab fighters led by T.E. Lawrence, an Arab speaking English archaeologist later known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. Lawrence and his guerrilla fighting force had already captured Aquaba on July 6th. So, aided by the photographer Lowell Thomas, Lawrence’s fame began to spread as he was depicted as a hero in gleaming white robes who rode to victory on a camel, a warrior-prince of the desert.

07a02f47ba323563162c16678de55e6f

Lawrence’s courage and resourcefulness were not in doubt but his depiction as a British hero was a real morale boost to all those who had suffered so much back at home. Finally, General Allenby was able to march on foot into Jerusalem thus ending the four century reign of that city by the Turks. The Prime Minister David Lloyd George described the capture as a ‘Christmas present for the British people’. Finally, Passchendaele also fell towards the end of the year.

This Remembrance Sunday we will be remembering all those ‘heroes’ who have served their country in times of war and of great need. We will remember those with great stories of their own alongside those whose stories are largely unknown but who suffered much – with many paying the ultimate price. In truth, no act of war can ever be called a ‘good news story’, but we can remember with pride and gratitude all those ordinary men and women, who didn’t think of themselves as remotely heroic, but still gave so much, so that we might be free – whose exploits we gratefully remember and commemorate on Remembrance Sunday.

The Christian will be familiar with another quiet hero who rode into Jerusalem so many years before (not on a camel, but a donkey), who also suffered much and eventually paid the ultimate price by his death upon the cross. At first glance his death seemed to be the epitome of innocent suffering and vanquished hope – but, in reality, his death was the means by which the greatest victory of all was achieved, offering the greatest prize of all, to all those who put their faith and trust in him – life in all its fulness and the forgiveness of sins.

So, please join us this Remembrance Sunday as we commemorate all those who gave up so much for others in the context of the one whose life, death and resurrection brings the greatest hope of all.

“On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us” 2 Corinthians 1.10b

poppy

No Greater Love Than This …..

“Some of us remembered that sunny last evening in June, when we had assembled with such high hopes in the trenches, the day before the Somme offensive began. How we had jested and joked, even collecting pieces of chalk wherewith to label as our trophies the guns we were so sure of taking! Some of us too, remembered the next night, when, with every officer but one a casualty, and our dead hanging thick on the German wire, we had been withdrawn, sweating and shaking and shattered. It took us three months to recover from that blow.” November 1916

These words are taken from Twelve Days on the Somme by Sidney Rogerson, and although they make uncomfortable reading, I think it’s right, upon this 100th anniversary, that we should be reminded of what life was actually like for those soldiers who endured that particular conflict.

The first war, was of course described as ‘The Great War’, the war to end all wars and with 20, 000 British troops dying on the first day of that particular battle, we can see why many thought that they had already paid a sufficiently high price to ensure the nation’s peace and trusted that surely, the world wouldn’t fall into such a sad and terrible situation again – and yet as we all know barely 30 years later the Second World war was upon us, and there have been various other conflicts since.

soldiers-wearehere-somme-reuters

We are mindful of the fact that Jesus said “Greater love has no one, than he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15.13) and its significance for those who have died in conflict defending their country and way of life is obvious. Yet we need to remember that the context of this verse is not war, death or pain – but love, for it immediately follows the command ‘to love one another as I have loved you’ (John 15.12). Military people know the importance of following commands and this is an important one for us all, for we must never allow anger, hatred or pain to define us as human beings. For if we do, then we have allowed these sentiments to rob us of a precious part of our humanity. ‘Loving God and our neighbours as ourselves’ doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t fight for what we know to be right or make sacrifices, but we do so precisely because we wish to preserve all that is right, decent and honourable. This sometimes means that we have to lift ourselves above a basic ‘tit-for-tat’ mentality (which may be no more than a basic desire for revenge) and strive to reach those higher standards and ideals that we cherish and wish all people to live by. The men who died upon the Somme and other such conflicts, ultimately did so because although they hated war, they were striving to preserve our way of life, freedom and peace. They were fighting for something greater than themselves. To this extent, their selfless act echoes the one made by Jesus when he died upon the cross, the one dying for the many, but achieving in his case for each one of us, the forgiveness of sins and salvation. It certainly wasn’t anger, fear or hatred which drove him to the cross but love, which is why we remember him and all those who have died in a similar selfless fashion with the greatest of respect, praise and gratitude. ‘The Great War’ may not have been the war to end all wars, but we value and respect all those whose efforts tried to make it so. Please join us this Remembrance Sunday as together we commemorate all those who have laid down their lives for us.

“Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15.13