Remembrance and Reconciliation

Watercolour and gouache of the Cenotaph by Ann Allsop dated 1943

The Jewish artist and refugee, Hans Feibusch fled persecution in Nazi Germany and found a place of refuge in England. Against the shadow of our nation’s shared and shocking experience of war across two generations he wrote in 1944 “The men who come home from the war, and all the rest of us, have seen too much horror and evil; when we close our eyes terrible sights haunt us; the world is seething with bestiality; and it is all man’s doing. Only the most profound, tragic, moving and sublime vision can redeem us. The voice of the Church should be heard loud over the thunderstorm; and the artist should be her mouth piece as of old.”

Feibusch and many other artists working in Britain during this period were seeking to give voice to hope and reconciliation

Sometimes world events can seem overwhelming and filled with evil. It can be difficult to see how we can effect any change and we can feel defeated. And yet it is vital that we strive to work for the common good in love and service to others where we stand. The more of us who set ourselves to this task, wherever we draw our inspiration from, the more we are united like the joining of dots in a dot-to-dot picture of unimaginable scale and we push evil back.

Families, communities and nations are bound together by their common stories both of joys and sorrows. We are a processional nation and one of the central markers of our year is Remembrance.

Standard bearers, Des Knight and Richard Shenton at St Mary’s, Storrington

God willing we will gather peacefully and with reverence at the Cenotaph in London and across the country to once again reflect upon the costs of defending righteousness, freedom and liberty. Giving thanks for our allies we will pray for reconciliation and peace in our time.

In churches across Britain, Europe and America the common story which unites us will be expressed in services of Remembrance and thanksgiving.

These familiar bidding words will be heard:

“We have come to remember before God those who have died for their country in the two world wars and the many conflicts of the years that have followed. Some we knew and loved: we treasure their memory still. Others are unknown to us: to their remembrance too, we give our time…With thanksgiving we recall services offered and sacrifices made…”

I hope that each of us will be able to find time in this Remembrance weekend to reflect, offering thanks and prayers for their courage and sacrifice.

The Nation Remembers

The Revd. Rupert Toovey, Chaplain to the Royal British Legion, Storrington Branch, leading a service of remembrance accompanied by the local Guides

Next week we will once again reflect upon the costs of defending righteousness, freedom and liberty, giving thanks not only for our allies but also for reconciliation and peace.

Across Britain, Europe and America the common story and Christian heritage which unites us will be expressed in services of Remembrance and thanksgiving. In churches and beside War Memorials across Britain these familiar bidding words will be heard:

“We have come to remember before God those who have died for their country in the two world wars and the many conflicts of the years that have followed. Some we knew and loved: we treasure their memory still. Others are unknown to us: to their remembrance too, we give our time…With thanksgiving we recall services offered and sacrifices made…”

In Storrington the Royal British Legion are celebrating their 100th Anniversary and will be leading the local community in acts of remembrance and the Poppy Appeal. Each year poppies are sold to raise vital funds to help today’s Armed Forces community and this year in Storrington the Guides are assisting.

A short act of remembrance will take place on the 11th November at 11.00am in Storrington High Street at the Roll of Honour by The White Horse Inn.

Remembrance Sunday falls on the14th November this year and a service of remembrance and thanksgiving will be held at St Mary’s Parish Church, Storrington at 2.50pm uniting our community across the generations. The standards of the Royal British Legion, the Royal Navy Association and the youth organisations will be on parade as wreaths are laid at the War Memorial and during the service.

The Royal British Legion, Storrington Branch, and Royal Navy Association standard bearers, Des Knight and Richard Shenton

Families, communities and nations are bound together by their shared stories; stories of both joys and sorrows. Where these memories are embraced with open hearts they seed compassion, hope, empathy and a desire to work for the common good – something which our armed forces know intuitively. And our nation is once again united by the evolving story, the shared experience of Covid-19.

I hope that in the coming week of remembrance each of us will be able to find time to reflect, offering thanks and prayers for the courage of successive generations who have been called, and continue to be called, to defend the greater cause of justice and concord.

Our Island Nation United by a Common Story

The Revd. Canon Kathryn Windslow, Rector of Storrington, leading a Service of Remembrance accompanied by the Royal British Legion, Storrington Branch, and Royal Navy Association standard bearers, Des Knight and Richard Shenton.

Last Sunday and this week we once again reflect upon the costs of defending righteousness, freedom and liberty, giving thanks not only for our allies but also for reconciliation and peace.

The poignant image of Her Majesty The Queen laying a wreath based on her wedding bouquet at the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, accompanied by only a handful of people, brought home the loss and separation experienced by families through war.

The Remembrance Sunday service next to the Cenotaph in Whitehall echoed this.

Outside churches across Britain, Europe and America the common story and Christian heritage which unites us was expressed in services of Remembrance and thanksgiving. Beside War Memorials across Britain these familiar bidding words were heard:

“We have come to remember before God those who have died for their country in the two world wars and the many conflicts of the years that have followed. Some we knew and loved: we treasure their memory still. Others are unknown to us: to their remembrance too, we give our time…With thanksgiving we recall services offered and sacrifices made…”

In Storrington Remembrance Sunday has become the largest Civic service of the year uniting our community across the generations. The streets are usually filled with the standards of the Royal British Legion, the Air Training Corps, the Royal Navy Association and the youth organisations as they march to St Mary’s Parish Church for a service of thanksgiving and remembrance. There is a beauty to this shared expression of love united by the common story of our island history. But this year there was a peculiar stillness as we gathered in small numbers around our village war memorial outside the church. And yet we still gathered, united in our common purpose. In the stillness the birds sang, their anthem rose as though in praise as we stood in silence.

Families, communities and nations are bound together by their shared stories; stories of both joys and sorrows. Where these memories are embraced with open hearts they seed compassion, hope, empathy and a desire to work for the common good – something which our armed forces know intuitively. And our nation is once again united by the evolving story, the shared experience of Covid-19 and lockdown.

I hope that in this week of remembrance each of us will be able to find time this week to reflect, offering thanks and prayers for the courage of successive generations who have been called, and continue to be called, to defend the greater cause of justice and concord. A service of Remembrance will be led by The Royal British Legion in Storrington High Street this Wednesday 11th November at 11.00 o’clock.