In the Imperial War Museum in London there is a series of photographic portraits of young men and women who have recently served in Afghanistan or are at present still serving there. They are all quite striking not least because they are all close-ups of the face with each set of eyes telling their own story. To the left you see Marine John Beesley from 40 Commando, Royal Marines, who served in Afghanistan in Summer 2010. The exhibition is a reminder of the uniqueness of each human life, the courage of those whose lives are endangered in the line of duty and the tragedy when a young life with all its possibilities is extinguished.
It occurred to me as I moved from one portrait to another that this would be a meaningful way to spend part of Remembrance Sunday, just to pause in front of each portrait and to give thanks for each by name and to commend their lives to God. I came away with a deeper sense of all that is demanded by war and a new, more heartfelt prayer for peace.
I’ve come a long way from the day when I wrote ‘Give Peace A Chance’ on the front of a school jotter. It’s all a lot more complicated than that, I tell myself. And yet . . . surely the plea behind these words rises from a heart that is weary of the cost of war and longs for circumstances where the best in human nature can flourish. The prophet Isaiah received a vision of a Day when God would settle all disputes between the nations, when swords would be beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks, when weapons of war would be completely abandoned and no one would see the need even to train for war. (Isaiah 2: 3-5)
I believe that Day will come when Christ will bring His great plan for the Universe to glorious completion and everything that makes us cry will be flushed out of Creation. Until that time those who follow Him are called to work and pray for that peace which can only be found in Him and through Him. I hope that commitment will be renewed in all of us in this season of Remembrance.
