Remembrance Day 2022

Prayer For the Fallen & Benediction

PRAYER

With all eyes closed and all heads bowed let us pray!

Lord, we remember the ultimate sacrifice you made upon the cross. to free us form sin and from evil, and have given those in you eternal life, by the laying down of your life. A debt we cannot repay!

You said and lived out these words “No greater love than this, to lay down ones life down for a friend”. In that same vain we acknowledge those brave men and women who have fought the good fight against worldly evil, who have protected us from tyranny by the laying down of their lives, for our freedom.

We cannot ever repay those fallen heros for their ultimate sacrifice, but we pray dear Lord that we will never forget them, nor the ones they left behind and may we honour their memory and legacy. We pray a blessing over all who have fought and are currently fighting for justice, for freedom and for good. We especially pray for the families and friends of our fallen, for their protection, relief from their grief, their sorrow, and the immense loss they feel. For you said to ‘weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn’.

In a world that is still torn and broken we declare that Jesus is Lord. That hope overcomes despair, That joy overcomes sorrow, That peace overcomes hostility, That love overcomes hate. From the tomb, the promise of eternity emerged in a resurrected Christ. Grace was poured into the hearts of all those who suffer, mourn and grieve. Lord, we lift our hearts to you and continue to remember, to hope and to love, which are also displayed in the fallen.

Amen.

BENEDICTION

John 15:9-17 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.... and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”

We are blessed by our miltary who have stood up for our country, and who also stood up to protect other countries from tyranny and evilness. To fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, to bring justice to the marginalized and oppressed, they loved their neighbour by leaving their homes and loved ones to fight the good fight, to fight for their freedom and to look after the vunerable. Those who weighed up the costs and went anyway, becasue of love in their hearts and justice in their veins. They laid down their lives for us.

God will bless us with a time peace that he will usher in, he speaks of this in Micah chapter that Nations “will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”

Until that time, let us be a blessing like t we see in Christ and in our military. Let us bless and love our neighbour by our actions. Let us look out for the marginalized and the vulnerable, let us be a blessing by standing up for justice, peace, harmony and of course freedom. and most importantly Let us love one another, as God loves us.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’”

Amen.