Reading, Sermon and Prayers for 19 September 2021

READING Mark ch 9 v 30 – 37

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

SERMON

This morning I wish to tell you a story. A true story, a story of deering do. The beginning of the story goes like this……

30 June 1940 The order is given by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göering, head of the Luftwaffe, to draw the RAF into battle. Attacks are to be focused on coastal convoys, radar stations along the south coast, aircraft factories and RAF airfields. A tactic that succeeded in drawing in the RAF but which failed in its outcome.

10 July: The German air force began running fights over convoys in the Channel, occasionally dive‐bombing cargo ships.

13 July: The Luftwaffe began laying mines around Britain.

12 August: Germany began their main raids across Britain, this was a systematic assault on radar stations and forward fighter airfields.

15 August: Otherwise known as ‘Black Thursday’ for the Luftwaffe. The RAF flew a total of 974 sorties and the Luftwaffe 1,786. Germany lost 75 planes to the RAF’s 30.

18 August: Both sides saw their greatest losses of the Battle of Britain: for that, this day became known as ‘The Hardest Day’. The losses of the Germans’ Junkers 87 ‘Stuka’ – the main Luftwaffe precision‐bombing weapon – were so severe that Göring withdrew them from the battle. Between August 8 and the 18 the RAF had lost 175 aircraft, and the Luftwaffe 332.

19 August: Attacks began in earnest on aircraft factories.

20 August: Churchill made his famous speech to Parliament: ‘never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.’

23 August: Attacks began on RAF airfields, the heaviest damage happening on 31st August.

23/24 August: Bombs were dropped over residential areas of London – Heavy night time bombing raids continued until 15 September and to a lesser extent for further months.

31 August: Fighter Command suffered its heaviest losses to date: Debden airfield was hit by 100 bombs. Six out of the seven main bases in South‐East England had been heavily damaged, in some cases badly enough to severely restrict efficiency.

7 September: The assault was switched to massed attacks on London, major cities, aircraft factories and other strategic targets. Nearly 400 bombers and more than 600 fighters targeted the docks in the East End of London, day and night. The Luftwaffe switched to night bombing to avoid the large numbers of fighters countering day raids.

15 September: A massive attack on London saw inaccurate bombing due to the determined defence put up by RAF fighters – every single aircraft of 11 Group was used. The Germans suffered their highest losses since 18 August, forcing a reconsideration of tactics. From this point the Luftwaffe were forced to gradually scale down their attacks.

17 September: The German land invasion was called off until further notice, never to take place. Bombing raids continued until 31 October: but petered out as the weather worsened. Although bombing of London continued for several years, this day is generally regarded as the final day of the Battle of Britain, and October the month in which regular bombing of Britain ceased.

All this took just a little over 3½ months.

So what day is today? The Sunday closest to September 15th is traditionally known as Battle of Britain Sunday.

Today we remember a small group of aircrew who have become collectively known as “The Few”, from the famous tribute of Winston Churchill, that “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”. Who were “the few”? They were, for the most part, young men. In the old black and white photographs, they look very young indeed, confident in their strength and sense of invulnerability, as young men are. They came from Britain, her commonwealth countries and from occupied Europe not forgetting those who came from America.

Over the space of one summer, a time of year and a time of life when they should have been dating, riding motorcycles, playing sports enjoying things that young men do but instead these young men fought to the death against an experienced and well trained German air force.

Flying as many as four to five sorties a day, pushed to the limits of exhaustion, they held the line in the air, and saved the British nation from a terrible slavery. Had they failed, it’s difficult to imagine how freedom and democracy could ever have been restored to the peoples of Europe. If ever a battle saved the world, this battle was it.
These young aircrew paid a great price in their own battle, paying a physical and psychological cost.

One father remembered how his pilot son was consumed in body and spirit by the fighting: He was a changed lad, time took care of that taking him from a young man with a bright future before the war to a man that seemed full of hatred, he said that he felt as if he was a human killing machine and said that if he ever dies, then put on his headstone “Here Lies Another Human Killing Machine”. On leave he could not sleep, or he would scream out in the night. How he died we will never know, he went out on a mission, and never came back, and that’s the sad part, we do not even have a grave where we know that he is at last resting in peace.

Within Bible scripture reading, we can find our Lord say that “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”

This handful of aircrew flew for the sake of many – the people of Britain and of the occupied countries waiting to be freed. But they could not fly without the support of many others. When we think of “The Few” we must also remember armourers, refuellers, engineers, fitters, mechanics, ground crews, radar operators, plotters, wireless operators, members of the Observer Corps, anti-aircraft gunners, barrage balloon operators, civilian utility workers, many of whom worked and died at their trades as the bombs fell on their airfields. These men and women knew how to work together and depend on one another, just like we do as Christians.

This morning I would like us to remember these examples of courage and self-sacrifice. But let us also remember that we too are called in our own time to stand as the few against forces of darkness and evil. Just as those young men flew against the darkness of Nazi tyranny to preserve peace, so we also have to play our own part against terror and chaos created by the devil.

As we think of sacrifice it is common to have read Jesus’ famous words that greater love hath no man than he lay down his life for his friends. This does help us
reflect on the sacrifice of those who died for peace, but should also remind us that there is another who sacrificed his life for us.

For Jesus, words were not simply a high ethical ideal but it was something that he was about to put into practice. He was to serve us by dying for us.

As we hold this service today we do so in the shadow of the cross where we are reminded of Jesus sacrifice who died that we might live. Jesus death is not a pious example but it is something that was done for us, a victory won for us.

Much could and perhaps should be said about Jesus death and resurrection but he tells us that this was so that we could have life and have it abundantly and have peace.

This is true because in this act we see the love and power of God, we see that he is on our side, for us not against us. We see that there is hope beyond death and ultimately that God’s kingdom will one day triumph, his will will be done on earth as it is heaven.

This was done for us, and just as we are grateful for those who served in the past and also in the present we should be grateful for what Jesus has done for us. It is knowledge of this God and his love and grace that even in a world often marked by conflict and disappointment he will renew our strength and give us wings like eagles.

Further words from today’s reading; ‘Let us now sing the praises of famous men ….some there are who have left a name behind them to be commemorated in the story. There are others who are un-remembered – they are dead, their bodies are buried in peace.’

War is never glorious. It can only be the lesser of two evils.

However the spirit of those among our forces and those at home was truly remarkable, and all these years later we know the sacrifice was worth the outcome. ‘Some left a name behind them to be commemorated in the story. There are others who are unremembered – they died. Their bodies are buried in peace. But the Spirit of them lives on.’

If only we could all understand and take to heart the words of St Paul;

‘A body is a single organ. The eye cannot say to the hand “I do not need you”, nor the head to the feet. God has combined the various parts of the body that there may be no sense of division in the body. If one part suffers, all suffer. If one flourishes, they all rejoice together.’ Paul ends that passage by writing ‘Now YOU are Christ’s body.’

The same spirit was there in the Battle of Britain. The pilot could not say to the Navigator, ‘I don’t need you’. The pilot could not say to the Ground Crew, ‘I don’t need you’. They each and all depend upon each other.

The world is made up of many nations, many different faiths and cultures. We shall not have peace until we all learn to value each other and realise, in so many different ways, that we are all children of God, part of the human body He created.

However, there is another battle to be fought, but not with the weapons of war, but with the love of God in Christ. No planes, no bombs, no radar, not even human insight.

Where is this battle fought and won? …. On a cross…. God’s sacrifice and bravery in Jesus.

So in conclusion; let us remember those who saved our nation, but has we come to church to worship let us remember and continue to marvel at the sacrifice which can save the whole of mankind. And that victory is eternal.

‘They are dead and are buried in peace, their spirit lives on’. But Jesus Christ is alive and risen and grants us His Spirit.

That’s the good news we should proclaim and live … and for that ‘Thanks be to God’.

So, today, as we thank God for the courage and will to resist the attack on the liberty in those dark days of 1940, we are challenged to commit ourselves to the ways of peace.

Peace in the world through wise and resilient politics; peace in our relationships through loving our neighbours as ourselves; and peace within by dealing with anxiety caused by stress and threat through prayer and supplication.

In doing this we will know inner peace, be blessed as peacemakers and have the right to be called children of God. Amen

PRAYERS

Let us pray for the Church of Christ and for his reign over all the world.

Confirm your faithful people in the peace and harmony that is your will for them. May the Church never fail to proclaim the Cross of Christ, the salvation of the world.