This is a text-only version of an article first published on Wednesday, 13 February 2019. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
TWO services for this commemoration are available and can be used or adapted freely, as long as the copyright details are included.
They are prepared by Joan van Emden, whose 2014 services to commemorate the outbreak of war were widely used.
The new services again include quotations from veterans of the Great War, using the many books on the subject written by Joan's son, military historian Richard van Emden. One service has the theme of Aftermath , looking at the short and long-term effects of war, 100 years ago and today; we ask God for forgiveness for the violence in the world then and now, and also thank him for the good that he has brought out of evil. The second service has the theme of Reconciliation , with examples of some of the differing needs for reconciliation, between soldiers, their families, those who survived and the memories of the dead.
Again, the theme is linked to our similar needs today. Both services conclude with a dedication to the cause of peace which the congregation is asked to make their own. Although these services have been envisaged as evening worship, they can easily be adapted for use at any time of day.