We will remember them

A Sermon preached at St Martin-in-the-Fields on November 13, 2022 by Revd Richard Carter

Reading for address: Luke 21: 5-19

In the rightful dignity of the memorials that are held across the country today we give thanks for the courage and sacrifice of those who have died in war so that we may know peace and freedom. And at 11.00 am we will keep silence across the nation and remember those who fought so bravely in a war to end all wars. We also sadly lament that war is not a thing of the past. The violence of war continues and with the invasion of Ukraine we are witnessing once again what we hoped would never again be possible- Europe torn apart by the most terrible violence and destruction. So today, as we give thanks for those who in two world wars defended the freedom and brought peace to our nation- we also more than ever poignantly aware of the horror and cost of war.

It is now 10 years since we held Memorial Service at St Martin-in-the-Fields that I will never forget. It was for Marie Colvin the Sunday Times Foreign Correspondent and who was killed while reporting on the war in Syria in February 2012. Her death was made particularly poignant because she had been a person I had been writing to the to take part in our lent lecture series entitled Victim No Resurrection – she had enthusiastically agreed to speak but later had to withdraw because she was going to report in Syria. Marie Colvin wrote:

Covering a war means going into places torn by chaos, destruction, death and pain and trying to bare witness to that. I care about the experience of those most directly affected by war, those asked to fight, and those just trying to survive…. Despite all the videos you see on television from Pentagon or Nato briefings, what’s on the ground has remained remarkably the same for the past 100 years. Craters. Burnt houses. Women weeping for sons and daughters. Suffering. One of the rules I have is don’t be afraid to be afraid.

Two hours before Marie Colvin herself was killed in Homs she had gave her last interview describing her anger and fear when faced with the shelling of civilians in the city, and her heartbreak at watching a baby hit by shrapnel die in a poorly-equipped makeshift medical centre.

Marie Colvin: It’s a very chaotic room. But the baby’s death was just heartbreaking, possibly because he was so quiet. One of the first shocks, of course, was that the grandmother had been helping – completely coincidentally – helping in the emergency room, and just started shouting, ‘That’s my grandson, where did you find him?’ And then the doctor said there’s nothing we can do. We just watched this little boy, his little tummy heaving and heaving as he tried to breathe. It was horrific. My heart broke. There has been constant shelling in the city, so I have to say, it’s just one of many stories. It was just one piece of shrapnel that caught him right in the chest.

She was asked in the interview weather she thought it was right that these horrific images of the violence of the fighting should be shown and remembered and she responded

Marie Colvin: I feel very strongly that they should be shown…for an audience for which the conflict, any conflict, may seem very far away. That’s the reality of war- the real reality. These are 28,000 civilians, men, women and children, hiding, being shelled, defenceless. That little baby was one of two children who died today, one of the children being injured every day. That baby probably will move more people to think, ‘What is going on, and why is no one stopping this murder in Homs that is happening everyday

The building from which Marie Colvin was reporting was deliberately hit two hours later by Syrian Government missiles. Haneen who pulled her dead body from the rubble said: “We cannot count the ones who die in the shelling and are buried under the rubble” Most of those who die will not be remembered

I saw a play entitled The Two World’s of Charlie F. It was a play put together from stories of wounded, injured and British Army Personel who had served in Afghanistan. Many of those who performed were soldiers who had lost limbs or who had been seriously physical and psychologically injured in war. The play told their stories, their reasons for signing up, leaving home, family and friends. Their active service, the moment of the injury, the explosion, the smell, the horror, the medical support, their return, the disorientation, the trauma, the attempts to fit in again and to cope with the ongoing repercussions of their often debilitating injuries and memories. I was struck how seldom we hear the full story of the incredible human cost of war.

Yesterday I spoke with my brother Matthew who has just returned from Ukraine. He is the CEO for Depaul International and has been visiting the projects throughout Ukraine that his charity supports. He will be speaking this week here at St Martin’s on Wednesday at Bread for the World. He too described similar trauma faced by the victims of the war in Ukraine- the Russian tactics learnt in Syria- whole cities pounded. Buildings demolished by shells- cities with no windows as winter approaches. The infra structure of the nation systematically targeted and destroyed- the water, the power supplies, people’s homes, and the bridges, road and rail links which bring in supplies of food. Old people bewildered and unable to understand the violence unleashed upon them: “We have done nothing wrong” they say. Too frightened to leave, to frightened to stay.

Does it not seem shocking that in a world where we have learnt so much- to build skyscrapers, put astronauts on the moon, send spaceships to Mars, split the atom, travel across the world in double-decker jets, communicate with someone on the other side of the world on a mobile phones, send messages and

pictures and sound at the click of a computer key, create vaccines, transplant hearts- does it not seem shocking that all around the world we are still making war- creating bombs to blow peoples limbs off, bullets to tear people open, weapons to inflict the most brutal damage upon the fragile, irreplaceable, flesh and bones of another. Father forgive them they do not know what they are doing.

These words were written by an army chaplain and medic:

As a soldier for 40 years facing both life and death often on a daily basis the need for Jesus Christ and the peace that only he can bring is not a theory- it is a fact which your life depends upon. They often say there are no atheists in a fox hole and I can confirm that’s true. In Iraq in 2003 I lived in a hot sticky box room in Basra airport. We were responsible for controlling the evacuation of injured and wounded personnel from accidents, bomb blasts and enemy fire. It was to this tiny claustrophobic place that I often hid away after dealing with major incidents, when sadly servicemen and women and many Iraqis were wounded or killed. We had to find ways of extracting casualties under enemy fire, putting aircrews, infantry and medical teams into mortal danger. And when things calmed down, my team and I often had to reassure young soldiers post contact, many of them teenagers who had just seen their first dead body or heard the cries of an injured friend or been hit themselves and seen their own body torn open. Afterwards, often after a thirty hour day, lying sweating on a plastic mattress in the dark, I would say over and over again in my mind Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd, therefore can I lack nothing
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
For you are with me
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me

Today we are here to remember. We cannot simply turn away from war. Today is the day to remember the terrible cost of war and to recognise the stories of those who have put their lives at risk in the service of their country. We will remember them because our own lives and stories are inextricably linked with theirs. The longing for peace, for freedom, for justice where there will be no more killing, no more crying, no more pain.

In today’s Gospel Jesus certainly does not promise an easy path for his disciples who follow him- He predicts the destruction of the temple when not one stone will be left upon another, he speaks of the temptation to be led astray by those who teach deception and lies. He tells them to beware of false news and those who pretend and disseminate deception. He tells them and us to be careful not to be led astray. He tells them even in war and insurrection they must not be terrified but stand firm. It is in adversity that we will be tested. He does not promise escape or even protection but what Christ promise is that he will be with them – giving them the words and the wisdom that their enemies cannot contradict. Giving them even in the chaos of conflict the truth by which

they will be saved. He tells them they will not be overcome. They will not perish. By their endurance they will gain their souls.

Alongside the horror of violence there is always another story that emerges. A story that today without avoiding the reality of the suffering we also acknowledge and affirm. It is called resurrection. It is the story of courage and human goodness against all the odds. The story of those who risk their lives, indeed sacrifice for the life of others, will not be cowed by violence but hold fast to all that is right. My brother also brought back from Ukraine the stories of incredible courage kindness and solidarity. Those in Ukraine who turned up on bicycles to peddle food to those across the city most in need. Homeless people who became the care providers for the vulnerable. The courage a refusal of a whole nation to give up or give into the evil of the violence. The vision and the hope that they will overcome and rebuild and be free. In he midst of suffering such resilience, such hope. I asked my brother how he felt when eventually he crossed the border back into Poland. Actually he said I felt I wanted to stay- I had been so moved and affected by those I had visited- so welcomed, so cared for- even in the middle of a nation suffering such brutality I felt I had witnessed the presence of Christ.

Our world is still allowing Christ to be crucified. Today in this Eucharist we will celebrate Christ’s sacrifice for us once and for all– the memory of the one who proclaimed “blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the son’s and daughters of God.” Not a memory of the dead but a re-membering- a making present.. We will re-member a life torn apart by violence, hatred, human prejudice, religious fanaticism and the misuse of power. But we will also remember that this broken body is also the body which gives us life and brings healing. The life and love and light of God cannot be snuffed out We are part of his body, bearing its wounds and brokenness, called to remember each member of that body so that all may share the gift of Christ’s risen life- the gift of justice, mercy and peace.

In the words of Desmond Tutu

Goodness is stronger than evil;
Love is stronger than hate;
Light is stronger than darkness;
Life is stronger than death;
Victory is ours through Him who loves us.