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Sermon: The Fourth Sunday in Easter (C) - 25th April 2010
St Alban's Anglican Church Epping 7, 8 & 10 am & ANZAC Day Dawn Service 5:30am Forest Park Epping
Readings: Micah 4:1-4, Psalm 46, Hebrews 10:32-11:1, John 15:9-17
The English poet, lawyer and priest, John Donne, whose dates were, 21 January 1572 – 31 March 1631, wrote this meditation, which he called “Meditation XVII”. I quote it in part:
“ … all mankind is of one author and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated. God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God's hand is in every translation, and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another. As therefore the bell that rings a sermon calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come, so this bell calls us all; … The bell doth toll for him that thinks it doth; and though it intermit again, yet from that minute that that occasion wrought upon him, he is united to God. … No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. … Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. … ”
We are all part of a larger whole. Not one of us lives as an island, remote from the other. As self-sufficient as we may feel we are, as individuals and as a nation, if we believe that we can exist without others we are wrong. The spirit of ANZAC reminds us that our security and that of the rest of the world depends upon individuals standing up for what is right and in the strength of numbers, resist evil and support the rights of the individual. The ANZAC spirit allows for the democratic spirit of difference and freedom of thought to reign in our democracy at all levels.
I have never really liked going to the barbers because I am afraid of how I will look when I leave. I have the fear that my hair will be hacked about. The reason being that as a child my grandfather was always insistent in cutting my hair, although he was not a professional barber. He had served at Gallipoli and France. At Gallipoli, he was one of the last to leave the beach and in France, he suffered injuries inflicted by poisonous gas. He gained his hairdressing skills while he served in those theatres of war. His fellow soldiers, particularly in France, knew that when they were called upon to go over the top and into the battle that they would almost certainly die. They wanted go to their deaths, in the name of King and Country, in a presentable manner and so they asked my grandfather to tidy up their hair so that they would go to their fate proudly and looking respectable.
Jesus said, ”No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. Those men, and the men and women who have fought for our freedom and democracy in all the theatres of action since, have done so and still do wish to represent us and our country in the knowledge that what they are doing is done in honour and with pride. They are risking their lives for the betterment of all Australians: no one is an island.
Today is a special day when we remember all those, whether service personnel or civilians, of every nation, who suffered or continue to suffer through war. In particular, we remember those who served in the Australian defence forces on active service from the Boer War to Afghanistan. We also remember those who continue to suffer through their physical or mental scars, including those next of kin whose grief and sense of loss can never be eased. This is also a day of thanks and quiet reflection upon what a wonderful, lucky nation of which we are a part. It is a time to reflect on Australia's commitment to continue to contribute to peace in other parts of the world. We cannot isolate ourselves and ignore these responsibilities. In a perfect world, there would be no wars, no aggression and no requirement to maintain defence forces. As the prophet Micah said concerning such a perfect world, “… (nations) shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war no more”. Until such a perfect world becomes fact, democracy demands vigilance.
Where necessary, to preserve the peace in our region or elsewhere in the world, we must be prepared to deploy our forces to fight for or protect the rights of our neighbours and our own nation. Our forces have gone where we the country has ordered them to go. They have distinguished themselves in every theatre by their professionalism and their compassion. Every veteran will be the first to say that their greatest wish and most fervent prayer is that their children and this nation may never have to witness the horrors of war again.
Let us be determined to maintain this special day so that we can take a break from our self-centred life to reflect upon how fortunate we are, to enjoy such freedom. To recognise the futility of war, but also to acknowledge that we must be prepared to defend our freedom and those of other nations, as history is replete with peaceful nations being subjected to aggression.
To risk our own lives on behalf of others challenges us to put aside the mere self-interest and ‘me first attitude’ of modern life. It asks us to willingly give, even when we know that we may not get anything in return. It speaks of the possibility of a better way of being men and women in community. It highlights what is good and true and right as we consider the shape of our nation in the years that lay ahead.
We see glimpses of this selflessness all around us. We can see it in the faces of our sailors, soldiers, aircrew and police offices and the like, who currently are on operation overseas and in Australia. We see it in the self-giving and selfless love of those who bind up the wounds in our community.
Brothers and sisters, the ANZAC story invites us to make this rich and bold heritage part of our own story, to add this depth and history of loving and giving to our own lives as we seek to live and work for the common good of our community.
(Added at St Alban’s)
Our Christian faith demands that we follow in Christ’s footsteps and be prepared to give our all for the sake of our brothers and sisters. We are individuals but individuals who only exist in community. We are the body of Christ in the world.
Blessing
God grant to the living, grace; to the departed rest; to Australia and all people, peace and harmony; and to us and all your servants life everlasting; and the blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, be with you all. AMEN