Sermon - Rev. Judith Perry
Rome was walled city with eighteen gates. Much of the wall is still standing and the gates are still in use. It is called the Aurelian Wall and was built from 271 to 274 in response to hostilities.
It seems that throughout human history hostilities come and go, no matter how much we fervently pray for peace.
A couple of years ago I walked into Rome through one of these gates and was surprised to find a small well-ordered cemetery along the inner side of the old wall.
The sign at the front entrance read “Commonwealth War Graves Commission” I walked in, and the first gravestone I saw stopped me in my tracks.
Later I took this picture with my cell phone. “Lieutenant G.F. Archibald, West Nova Scotia Regiment, 20th December 1943, age 28”.
I lived for many years in Annapolis, and the West Novas were “our” regiment.
The West Novas landed in Sicily and worked their way up the boot. They were marching through the Roman gates on June 3, 1944, and Rome was liberated the following day.
I know this because I was born on the 3rd. The entrance into Rome was on the radio, and my grandfather wanted to commemorate the grand entrance by naming me Roma. Fortunately, sanity prevailed.
Some of you are now doing the mathematics.
My mother had gone home to her parents to give birth, because my naval father was usually at sea. As it happened, he was in port and had gone to a dance at the United Church.
He heard that he was a father when it was announced on the loudspeaker.
I suppose that since the party was at the United Church Hall, he was spared from immediately having to buy drinks all around.
Seeing the tombstone and with a vague connexion to the liberation of Rome and knowing how horrific it is was for our Canadians as they made their way up the Italian boot to reach the great city,
So, I took the photo to remember and find out what I could about my soldier.
You can see the ancient Roman wall in the background of the photo.
Now I know that his name was Girvan Fraser Archibald, and he enlisted in Halifax on September 6, 1939, at the very beginning of hostilities. He left behind his parents and his wife living in Pictou.
I suppose in some church or at some memorial, his name is being read out, either today or on Tuesday.
Now I had better preach a sermon.
The reading came from the Second letter to the Thessalonians, a secret church in Thessalonica, now called Thessaloniki, a city in Northen Greece.
This may be the second oldest book in the New Testament, the first book being the first letter to those early followers of the Way.
Preachers avoid this passage, partly because there was an early rumour that Jesus would soon return. And what we shall we do with that?
Paul somewhat implied that the rumour might be a hoax: or maybe not.
He goes on to say that there will be a great turning against God, and the appearance of the one who is a law unto himself. He personifies all that is destined for hell.
Arrogant and charismatic, he will set himself up in opposition to all other religions and faiths, and demand that everyone give their ultimate allegiance and devotion to him alone.
He will claim the place of God and promote himself as the supreme being.
This wasn’t really a foretelling. It had already happened.
The Roman Republic has disintegrated when a strong personality became a dictator.
When he was assassinated, a series of emperors took power and declared themselves Gods and demanded obeisance. Rome never became a republic again.
But we know the pattern. The last century brought us Franco, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler and so on, and invariably their presence and ambition lead to hostilities and war.
This century has brought us Putin.
You can name others who are arrogant and charismatic, and who set themselves up and demand that everyone give their ultimate allegiance and devotion to them alone.
This morning, we heard the names of our own who were slain because some leaders had taken total power onto themselves, and all hell invariably follows.
In the face of these dire threats what did Paul tell the Thessalonians and now tell us?
He writes that we are greatly loved by God.
From the very beginning, God chose us. Our trust enabled God’s Spirit to begin the reconstruction of our lives that will prepare us to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, sisters and brothers, anchor yourselves firmly to the truth.
Now may Jesus Christ and God who conceived us in love and in extravagant generosity gave us gifts of encouragement and hope which never end, give us hope and strength in all we do and say for the cause of good.
Sitting here today you have remembered the horrors of war and the young lives sacrificed to the ambitions of warmongering men.
Those early Christians were faced with martyrdom if their cover was blown to the authorities. Nevertheless, they kept this letter and read it in their secret congregations.
They read that they were conceived in God’s love and given divine hope.
And we read that letter in our sanctuary and know that this is the Divine gift to all of us despite the surrounding horror of war and of our present time.
We are loved. We are God’s people. Lest we forget.
Amen