Seeker

Today is VJ Day, the day World War 2 officially ended when Japan surrendered 80 years ago. It is a bitter sweet day. Yes, peace came, but at horrendous cost to so many lives. As in all wars, the greatest cost was born by children. I have struggled to find a suitable prayer to use in this post. The end of the war brought joy to some as families were reunited after long separation. For others the remembrance of suffering, loss and death was too great to bear. Perhaps the best thing to do is to light a candle for peace and pray that each of us may become lights in a dark world.

Harmony is the word for Day 12 in the Advent Calendar I am following. And today is polling day in the UK General Election. The various election campaigns have been anything but harmonious. People in the UK are deeply divided on many political issues, not least Brexit. And whatever the final result of this General Election, it will not act like a magic wand to immediately heal divisions and create #harmony between people of widely differing situations and political ideologies. The word harmony makes me think of music. A melody, sung or played by an individual or group in unison, may be beautiful, but for me it is harmony in music that I love most. There is nothing like an orchestra or band with a variety of instruments playing different notes that all work together. Or a choir of different voices singing in harmony of 4 parts or more. That is, of course, if they are all playing or singing their separate parts in tune, on beat and in line with the composer's and conductor'...

I continue to use each daily word from the 2019 Advent Word Calendar as a focus for a brief reflection. This is the 3rd year I have done this during Advent. I have found this discipline helpful. Rather like a daily Bible lectionary reading, it makes me focus on something I might not have chosen myself. That process often leads to creative surprises or challenges. Today's Advent Word is 'Unity'. At a time of considerable political disunity just now in UK politics in the run-up to a General Election in a few days time, the idea of unity among people in the UK seems like a utopian dream. In a democracy, I think it is good to disagree about political policies. The alternative would be a dictatorship - and potentially an evil dictatorship where all dissent is repressed. One of the many problems we have now in the UK is we seem to have forgotten (if we ever knew) how to treat each other with respect, in order to foster good disagreement, to listen to each other as well...

It's Christmas Day and today's #AdventWord2018 is #celebrate. Yes, today is a day to celebrate. The reason for celebration is the birth of Jesus. Christians celebrate because the message of the angels to the shepherds is of good news of great joy to all people. Christians celebrate because we believe that in Jesus, God gave himself to the world, not in overwhelming power or extraordinary ways, but in the vulnerability and weakness of a baby. And that greatest of gifts is the gift of love, something to be shared and celebrated. Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,- Jesu, to thee be glory give'n; word of the Father, now in flesh appearing; O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. If, for whatever reason, you feel you have no reason to celebrate today, may you know peace and discover before too long a reason to be joyful. Image Credit: Pixabay, CC License

Todays #AdventWord in 2018 is #peace. It is also now Christmas Eve in the UK, so Christmas is almost here. One of the main messages of Christmas is 'peace'. Many Christmas cards carry images of a dove of peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He brings, not the sort of peace that is merely absence of war and conflict, but the deep inner peace that "passes understanding." One of the prophecies from Isaiah , often read at Carol Services, speaks of a child born to us, a son given to us, who is named: "Wonderful counsellor, Mighty God,   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) . And on Christmas Day, alongside a gospel account of Jesus' birth, other verses from Isaiah may be read, like these: "How beautiful upon the mountains   are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,   who brings good news,   who announces salvation,   who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns'. " (Isaiah 52: 7) And yet, we have to go...

After seeing over the last few weeks many calls on social media to 'wear your poppy with pride' and noticing the extreme ideologies of some of those who promote this idea, I have to get this off my chest this 11 November:  I don't wear my poppy 'with pride'. I won't wear my poppy 'with pride'. I hope I never will wear my poppy 'with pride'. To be clear, I have no objection to wearing a remembrance poppy on on 11 November and Remembrance Sunday, or even for a few days before in this remembrance season. Every year I buy at least one poppy sold by the Royal British Legion in the good cause of supporting the armed forces community and their families. I don't object to wearing such poppies. And yes, when it is appropriate I do wear one. What I object to is the idea often promoted by far-right nationalist organisations (such as Britain First ) that I should wear my poppy 'with pride'. I don't believe I should ...

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Coventry blitz during the 2nd World War. The following day the Provost of Coventry Cathedral stood in its ruins and spoke 2 words, "Father forgive". These words are now engraved behind the Altar of Reconciliation in the ruins of the old cathedral. Kathryn Fleming, Canon Pastor points out in her blog post 'From Coventry to Paris' those 2 words, "Father forgive" is a sentence with no object so to pray that is to avoid pointing the finger at 'them' but instead to pray for us all: 'It's not "Father forgive THEM" - projecting the violence and hatred out to the other, and thereby justifying acts of reciprocal violence and vengeance...Rather "Father forgive" is a prayer for us all - for the many ways, great and small, in which we wound one another and mar God's image in us day by day. I can't imagine those words were universally popular in the city, as people emerged from air...

'In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row.' Blood red poppies, symbols of lives lost in bloody battle, of bodies disfigured, of families shattered, ... but a sign too of new life in war-ravaged soil. The red dissolves to white as the blood is drained. White poppies rise, symbols of lives lost as a consequence of war, of bodies maimed, of families broken, ...  but a sign too of peace, of hope, of working together across the barriers for justice, forgiveness and reconciliation. ('Meditation: Poppies' by  Gillian Collins ) Image Credit: Geograph, CC License

Ironmongery from WW1 is now arranged artfully in the garden at Hooge Crater and the deep craters themselves turned into lakes in a hotel garden. I took these photos during a visit earlier this year to the Flanders battlefields of World War 1 around the Ypres Salient. There is nothing like being in a place to help understand past events. My overwhelming impressions were twofold: what a waste of resources and lives how young were those men of many nations who died in Flanders fields Tyne Cot Cemetery Langemark Cemetery part of Falls the Shadow sculpture in Passchendaele Museum 2 minutes silence is observed in many parts of the world today to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the guns fell silent at the end of the 'Great War', bringing peace of a sort but certainly not an end to war or the situations and attitudes that lead to war. Sometimes the only appropriate response to such horrors is silence, then pray...

A universal prayer for Remembrance Sunday or any time: Our globe is nothing but a little star in the great universe.   It is our duty to turn this globe into a planet   whose creatures are not tormented by wars,   nor tortured by hunger and fear,   nor torn apart in senseless divisions   according to race, colour or creed.   Give us the courage and foresight,   to begin this work even today,   so that our children and grandchildren   may one day take pride   in being called human. Stephen Vincent Benet, from 'Prayers Encircling the World', SPCK 1998 This is the prayer of the United Nations. Image Credit: Wikimedia Previous Posts for Remembrance Sunday and Remembrance Day: Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday 2013 Remembrance Day 2013

Like many people I feel torn about military action in an attempt to defeat IS. How will that work? where will it end? I'm not a full-blown pacifist though my natural inclination is towards pacifism and peace-making. I prefer words to fights. I do not accept the so-called Christian concept of a 'just war'. I do think that occasionally as a last resort war can be justified as a lesser evil when faced with a greater evil. Some brutal people and ideologies cannot be reasoned with and only understand violence. So I am reluctantly in support of the decision the UK government took yesterday with overwhelming Parliamentary support. The UK is now giving limited air-strike (bombing) support to the mission in which the US is already engaged in Iraq in an attempt to halt IS control of parts of that suffering land. Perhaps it will help, but peace-loving civilians will inevitably die in the process. Where will it end? Does violence ever actually end violence or just serve to bre...

The more I learn about World War I the less I understand it and the harder rituals of commemoration become. I have very mixed feelings about marking today 4 August as the centenary of the day Britain declared war on Germany and dragged the British Empire into the conflict whether its individual colonies and dominions wanted to be part of it or not. Yes on one level I know what led up to that and why Britain joined in to support France against German aggression and to attempt to support Belgium neutrality. But the more I read the more complex the European situation of the time seems.  Certainly the 1914 - 18 war was and continues to be hugely significant. Its affects are still being felt for good and ill. We should remember and we'll be doing a lot of that over the next 4 years. I spent part of this morning watching the televised service from Glasgow Cathedral attended by representatives from all over the Commonwealth. It was emotionally moving. At the same time it felt like an ...

A few minutes ago I kept the traditional 2 minute silence for this day Remembrance Day/Armistice Day. The 11th hour of the 11th month of 1918 was the official end of World War 1, the 'war to end all wars'. If only it had. I haven't much that is original to say about this commemoration, but have read some excellent material written by others. As a remembrance round-up here is a taster to share with you: A thoughtful broadca st talk by Dr Sam Edwards is summarised in the BBC News Magazine and asks How should we remember a war?  He writes of how memoria ls are changing and suggests that now the last veteran of World War 1 has died the time is now right to look at that war with new eyes: "The time is right to complicate our traditions of commemoration - not as a means to denigrate or dismiss the sacrifices asked of - and given by - British soldiers, but in order to recast the prism through which these sacrifices are refracted.  For the events of 1914-18 did not j...

On Remembrance Sunday... At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. We will remember them. Thanks to the Royal British Legion poppies continue to be a symbol of lives given, lost or damaged by war and the need for support for those affected. Not all who die or suffer through war are heroes. Many performed heroic acts in service with the armed forces in the wars of the last century. All deserve respect and should be honoured and remembered with thankfulness. But in modern wars and conflicts the majority of casualties  are civilians, including children. You only have to think of places like Syria. We remember them too. What a mess the world is in. We could blame people in power. We could blame uneven distribution of resources. We could ask, why does God allow dreadful things to happen? I wonder - would he ask us the same question? In many Remembrance Sunday services today, these words of Jesus from the Sermon on ...

I'm trying to imagine what it was like in the 1st century A.D. to build roads suitable for keeping an empire under control. The Palestine province of the Roman empire had some rocky hilly places where roads were needed for armies on the march and for traders to travel. A lot of shovels and a lot of hard work by thousands was required.  When roads are built now, there's a lot of work, but bulldozers and huge earth moving machinery can make a big impression in short time. On the 2nd Sunday of Advent the church remembers the message of John the Baptist. I think he was a bit of a human bulldozer. He certainly made an unforgotten impression in a short time, not in a city but in the wilderness, not because he was anybody important, but because God used him to deliver a powerful message about the need to repent and turn back to God. Here is some of what will be read from Luke's gospel today: The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:   'Prepare the way of the ...

Today in praying for next week's General Synod of the Church of England, the focus is peace. It's the 3rd day of the NovemberNovena nine days of prayer for the Church of England General Synod. For an introduction to this see Prayer for General Synod: love and joy .  Let us pray  for peace,   that we may accept Christ's peace   and share it with our brothers and sisters. He breaks down the walls that divide us:   praise Christ who is our peace.    Common Worship Lord Jesus Christ,   who said to your Apostles:   peace I leave you, my peace I give you;   look not on our sins,   but the faith of your Church,   and graciously grant her peace and unity   in accordance with your will.  Amen.  Image Credit: The Dance of Life by d'Image Miner - Lisa, CC License

96 years ago, on the western front during World War 1, Private Cecil Roughton picked a poppy.  He sent it to his parents as a, “Souvenir from a front line trench near Arras, May 1916.” He survived to old age, as did the carefully pressed poppy. Last year his family gave it to the Royal British Legion .  Thanks to that organization, poppies continue to be a symbol of lives given, lost or damaged by war and the need for support for those affected. Today in the UK is Remembrance Sunday . Today we remember the worst people do to each other and the best people do for each other. We remember that “the war to end all wars”  didn’t; that there have been few days of peace since 11 th November 1918; that this year more UK service personnel came home from Afghanistan wounded or dead. And in many places of the world more people will die today as a result of conflicts. More families will grieve. T here’s no war that isn’t horrible. According to UN estimates, around t...