REMEMBRANCE

Lake County Mail, Issue 25, 12 November 1947, Page 3

REMEMBRANCE

0 Valiant hearts, who to your glory came Through dust of conflict and through battle flame; Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved. Your memory- hallowed in the laud you loved. Throughout the Empire, Armistice Day has been replaced by Remembrance Sunday which was observed last Sunday. Armistice is really only a temporary matter, the cessation of hostilities, but Remembrance Sunday has a wider scope and a wider recollection. For one thing we remember those who paid the supreme sacrifice in two world wars; for another, our thoughts should be directed from their sacrifice to the hope that was in them — the hope of peace, which is something less transient than armistice. Remembrance Sunday, therefore, speaks to us of sacrifice. Sacrifice means offering rather than death. These we particularly remember, offered there lives, and they were taken—others have offered their lives which were not taken Enough perhaps marred or distorted. Victory meant sacrifice, peace also means sacrifice. Perhaps we are rather tired of hearing people say “ We’ve won the war, now we must win the peace ” but whether we are tired -of it or not, it is very definitely true, and it demands 'even greater sacrifice on our part to fulfil the hopes of those who laid down their lives that we. might live. Life lived selfishly and thoughtlessly is no life at all. Sacrifice speaks to us of love love of one’s neighbour and one’s relatives, love of one’s country. Sacrifice is self-denying love. We give because wc love, vve have joy, peace and happiness because we give. “Greater love bath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Lot us get back to essentials. God created the world and the human beings in the world because He is love. He wanted His creatures to love Him, not by compulsion but by their own free will. He gave us free will, and took the risk of us not loving Him. God gave us laws to keep, for the better ordering of our lives, so that we might love Him better. “If ye love Me, ye will keep my commandmfcnts.” But men failed in the keeping of His commandments so God gave His own Son to show mankind how to live and love God. He allied Himself with humanity, and showed us the way of love, love through sacrifice. The men who perished on Flanders’ fields or the deserts of Africa or the islands of the were' following His example. The world has gone wrong, it needs re-creating, only He who first created it can re-create it, by coming into our lives as He came into the lives of so many during the past centuries. As He allied Himself with humanity, so humanity A must ally itself with Him “I in them and. they in Me ” as our Lord said. “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Who, by His life and His love is definitelytrying, hot only to obey the commandmonte of God, but to live unto God? Christ came and gave us the peace of God which passeth all understanding, but to give us that inward peace it cost the self-sacrificing love of God Himself. To win the victory of war, it ooat many lives, many broken hearts, much suffering and torture; to win the peace it will cost as much, if not more, of suffering and torture, not perhaps to us but to our brothers and sisters in the world —and that demands from mb self-sacrificing love. t started this article by quoting a rune of J. B. Arkwright’s hymn “ Comjxeaioration '* I will conclude by quoting

Long years ago, as earth lay dark and still, Rose a loud cry upon a lonely hill, While in the frailty of our human clay, Christ Our Redeemer passed the selfsame way. * Still stands His Cross from that dread Hour to this, , Like some bright star above the dark abyss, Still through the veil, the Victor’s pitying eyes Look down to bless our lesser Calvaries. These were His servants, in His steps they trod, < Following through death the martyred Son of God; < Victor He rose; victorious too shall rise v They who have drunk His cup of Sacrifice. “We will remember them ” not only passively, but actively striving for the things they fought for, the peace they hoped for, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of their faith.” Philip C, Williams.