Psalm 70 & Matthew 25:1-13
On this day, the guns of the Great War fell silent for the last time. It was the end of a conflict that scarred the nations that took part very deeply. It began 112 years ago and ended 108 years ago. The years of remembrance have helped new generations understand more of what their grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great grandparents and maybe even more greats went through.
The hardships they faced, the courage they showed and the faith they shared have become more real to us. With each passing year there are fewer of them. Most of those who fought in World War 2 are now over 100 years old.
The stories become more precious and need to be told and re-told. It would appear that we care about this stuff! Remembrance Sunday captures something in our individual and collective memories, touches a nerve, moves us to give our time, our money.
This year marked:
*110th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme: Began on 1 July 1916 (110 years ago in 2026).
*15th Anniversary of the end of UK involvement in Iraq (Operation TELIC)
*35th Anniversary of the end of 1st Gulf War
*80th Anniversary of the Avro Lancaster’s first flight (9 January 1946) and *90th Anniversary of the Spitfire’s first flight (5 March 1936).
*110th Anniversary of Conscription introduced in the UK (27 January 1916).
Psalm 70 makes me think of those who fought in these battles. This Psalm is an urgent cry for help. The writer, David, is in trouble and needs help now. Hurry up God! It expresses raw, human need and that is absolutely okay to cry out to God at any moment in any situation.
After his opening cry, David asks for his enemies to be punished. We discussed this in our Wednesday Study Group as we asked the question if this was okay to do this. Can we really pray for God to smite our enemies?!
Of course when we are wronged, we want our enemies to be punished, someone needs to be held responsible. We can assume that soldiers on both sides of a war wish the other side to be punished, destroyed. When we are faced with being wronged we can face strong temptation to deliver punishment ourselves. This never ever ends well for anyone.
We see from David in Psalm 70 that we are not the ones to do the punishing! David asks God and it is God who ultimately rewards and punishes. It is also handy to remember that we will be judged one day to the standards we judge others. I suggest we leave it to God to sort out for us. We need to believe that God is our help.
Matthew’s Gospel is an interesting story of ten bridesmaids; five foolish ones and five wise ones. I am not sure about you, but I want to be wiser than I am. I have never found myself praying to be more foolish or do more dumb things. This is not a story about good or bad; it is about thoughtful and prudent over being thoughtless and underprepared.
The bridesmaid had an important job, they were to lead the wedding procession with their lamps of the groom to his home and welcome him. They needed a lot of oil to keep their lamps burning for the whole evening. The lamps brought practical light and a festive glow to the proceedings. Five of the maids were prepared and ready; five were not prepared for the long wait.
Faith involves periods when God seems distant, prayers appear unanswered, and early enthusiasm begins to fade away. We need to be prepared for the long term. Do we have enough oil to keep going?
One example of a man with a lot of oil in his lamp was Major George Howson. He founded the Royal British Legion Poppy Factory after the First World War with five disabled servicemen. Major Howson had been awarded a Military Cross in 1917. When he returned home, George Howson was determined to do something to improve the prospects of the many former soldiers who had returned from the conflict with life-changing injuries – both mental and physical.
The Poppy Factory started in 1922 with a donation of £2k from the British Legion. George was sceptical of it being a success. In a letter to his parents in May 1922, “I have been given a cheque for £2,000 to make poppies with, it is a large responsibility and will be very difficult. If the experiment is successful it will be the start of an industry to employ 150 disabled men. I do not think it can be a great success but it is worth trying.”
In 1928 George put another idea into action. He suggested using land outside Westminster Abbey as a place where anyone could plant a poppy in memory of a loved one. With that same enterprising spirit, the Field of Remembrance was established and another tradition was born.
By 1931 the factory was making nearly 30 million poppies a year. Over 300 men, women and children lived on the estate in Richmond-upon-Thames in rows of purpose-built flats, with a busy social club and regular sporting contests. In a few short years, they had laid the bedrock of a community that still exists today. The Poppy Factory still makes hand-made wreaths for Remembrance Sunday by another generation of injured service personnel.
George Howson saw a need in society and did something to fix it. He was not sure there was enough oil to keep going but he went anyway. He was prepared to roll up his sleeves and with a little faith did an amazing thing. We still wear poppies today.
Unfortunately George Howson died at age 50 of pancreatic cancer in 1936. He worked to the last days of his life. His funeral had a huge crowd at St Mary’s Hambleden and was officiated by his own father. Each year a representative from the Poppy Factory lays a wreath on his grave; it was a privilege to officiate the small service for them.
It is beyond what we can imagine when we have enough oil in our lamps. We will sometimes never know the long-term consequences of our actions. As we remember those who have died in the theatre of war, we can be reassured that because of the resurrection of Jesus, it was not for nothing.
The cost of their service came at a high price; it cost everything. The love, the life, the sharing of burden and suffering, the service required to work together for a greater good is not lost in death. There is more to the story.
So Charlwood, as we meet today to remember those who have died in war and tell their stories and share our many talents, let us do it from a place of love. Leave the judgment to God and work towards peace and respect for all. Ask for more oil when you need it
