Armistice Day & Remembrance Sunday
Each year the village remembers those through:
- a service in the square on Armistice Day
- a service in the square on Remembrance Sunday followed by service in St Mary's Church
In 2011 the following sermon was given by out vicar Tim Mills:
Sacrifice
Today is the first Remembrance Sunday without Andrew Brown the Legions previous President and so we give thanks for his life and all he did for the Royal British Legion and we remember his wife Mary and the family
Let me pray before my address
Well we come here today to remember.
I want us to remember especially the word Sacrifice
About 7 weeks ago this word was put into my heart for today
A word you warm to or not?
Sacrifice is giving up something for the sake of something else
The Sacrifice of our Soldiers
The sacrifice of all those in the armed forces.
For Lieutenant Michael Altenhoven from Stonegate as he recalled his time in Afghanistan it was the positive aspects that came to the fore as he spoke at the Bell about his tour of duty.
Building defensive turrets called ‘Sangas’
Interacting with the locals cups of chi and jokes with children
Pushing out into the area around the camp with heavy kit and body armour
The comradeship, the jokes.
You sensed it was a much understated review of his time leading his platoon in Afghanistan
You sensed there was sacrifice there, the leaving of home family and friends.
The almost constant threat of danger
He joked that if you see goats around then you’re Ok there will be no IED’s Improvised explosive devices.
He Just briefly mentioned a female medic who was blown up by an IED suffering damage to her hearing but came back on duty with them.
Michaels platoon came home unscathed even the dog they adopted was secretly left for the incoming platoon.
Michaels battalion I’m told suffered two fatalities.
It’s not only the individuals their sacrifice but it’s the families the mothers the girlfriends, wives children parents who are part of this sacrifice.
They give up their father, mother, boyfriend husband child for the period of duty hoping they will come back unscathed.
It’s not just the number of deaths, soldiers literally laying down their lives but also the tragic injuries.
For the period 1 January 2006 to 15 October 2011:
Centrally available records show that:
- 1,808 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals and categorised as Wounded in Action.
- 3,504 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals for disease or non-battle injuries.
- 258 UK personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
- 272 UK personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
- 5,113 aeromedical evacuations have taken place for UK military and civilian personnel injured or ill in Afghanistan.
This was brought home to me during the summer as my back played up while on holiday.
Fortunately near to us where we were camping was an army physio and he came across to help me get back on my feet.
He had seen tours of duty in Afghanistan and worked at Headley court.
One morning after helping me he said as an aside it’s great to be helping someone with legs.
Sacrifice is part of the Soldiers vocabulary part of all those who are part of the armed forces.
WE may be prone to relegate the word Sacrifice in our lives to a third division word.
For us here today – where does sacrifice rate in our importance?
Is it a 1st division word or is it something that individually, community wise and nation wise we are trying to obliterate.
It is such a noble attribute
It is such a powerful proposition in life.
We do well to observe the sacrifice made by those who serve in our armed forces:
As you see them in action what would you put as the key things to learn from them?
Here are my three key things I observe:
1. To serve ourcountry
2. To be prepared at times to sacrifice ourselves for our family and friends
3. To sacrifice ourselves so that others may have a better life
In the bible it gives us two key things that Jesus did for us:
1. He came to serve
2. He sacrificed his life to be the sacrifice to set us free from our sins
Mk 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many
Mk 10:45 Even the Son of Man did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free.”
1Jn 4:10 What is love? It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins.
1Jn 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
In the communion service as we take the bread and the wine we see our Lords total sacrifice for us.
HOLD up plate and cup
His body broken
His blood shed
He laid down his life for us so we might have life in all its fullness.
So that he became an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
So we might have a relationship of love with Jesus
AS we come here on this special day let us honour in our hearts and in our lives this special word
SACRIFICE
Let’s not relegate it to a third division word and action
Wow betide anyone who belittles the sacrifice made by our armed forces
Wow betide anyone who belittles the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross – laying down his life for us.
WE seek to offer our souls and bodies as a living sacrifice