Peace in our Time

PEACE IN OUR TIME

CONNECT - for mid-week/Home League groups

Service Session - Special Days

11 November: Remembrance Day

Summary

Explore the significance of different coloured poppies
Poppy craft ideas
We are called to be peacemakers, but we can do this with the peace only Jesus can give to us

Check out the British Legion website for background information about Remembrance and for ways to get involved
Find out about the meaning of different colour poppies and prepare a short quiz
Invite members to bring in or show a poppy-based craft
Or plan to share the groups’ crafting skills in a communal project – see Craft activity for more detail
Prepare for a time of reflection using the song ‘Make me a channel of your peace’
Print out the Saint Francis of Assisi prayer for each member (ideally on card so they can keep it) and provide resources for them to colour it in, eg pens, pencils, paint

Online groups

In advance email the link for the Saint Francis of Assisi prayer or give members a print-out, to colour and keep

Be sensitive in case Remembrance Day is a time of particular sadness or anxiety for some members.

Armistice Day, now more commonly known as Remembrance Day, marks when World War I ended – at 11 am on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. A two-minute silence is observed at 11 am to remember all those who have died in wars. During this time we are also encouraged to remember the families of those who died, the contribution of the emergency services and the civilians who have been killed in conflicts or as a result of acts of terror.

Remembrance is not a glorification of war, but rather remembering the cost of war and hoping for a peaceful future. It is an act of unity across faiths and cultures that honours those who work to protect our democratic freedoms.

During this session, we will explore further the meaning and symbolism of Remembrance and consider how we as individuals can be peacemakers in the world today.

QUIZ

We are very familiar with the red poppy as the symbol for Remembrance, but some people choose to wear a poppy in an alternative colour.

Prepare a short quiz for members to learn about the four poppy colours:

Red: Originally to remember those who died in World War I
Purple: To remember animal victims of war
Black: To remember the contribution of those from Asian, black and Caribbean communities
White: To remember those who have died in conflict with a focus on an end to war

ONLINE GROUPS

Share screen any images; read the questions out loud.

DISCUSS

What do members think about the different-coloured poppies? Discuss in small groups or the larger group. Which colour have they worn, or would they like to wear? Or do they prefer not to wear a poppy at all? And why?

Invite members to share their stories of a time in their lives when they have represented the meaning of any of the poppies.

CRAFT

Invite members to show their poppy craft with other members, or work together on your communal poppy craft. Perhaps your group could:

hide painted ‘Peace be with you’ poppy stones within your community
make ‘Wishing you peace’ poppy cards to send to others
do ‘yarn bombing’ in your local area or church building (be inspired by the knitted post-box covers!)

The internet, plus our imagination and creativity, provides hundreds of possibilities from knitted or crocheted poppies, to wreaths – maybe with different-coloured poppies? The possibilities are endless.

I wonder, would Jesus have worn a poppy? And if he had, what colour would he have chosen? A purple one to stand up for his Father’s creation? A black one to align himself with the minorities, the marginalised, the oppressed? A red one as an act of Remembrance for all those who died striving for justice? Or a white one to demonstrate his intention of bringing peace? Or maybe a whole bouquet of poppies because he stood for all these things?

These may feel like silly questions, but what is certain is that Jesus didn’t need to wear certain badges for the people who met him to understand what he represented. In essence, he came to Earth as his Father’s son in human form. God’s representative on Earth, with the purpose of bringing hope, justice, reconciliation and peace to all. He came to fulfil God’s amazing plan and to invite everyone to join in it. How incredible is that!

From the first chapter in Genesis through to Revelation, the Bible is the story of God’s plan for reconciliation and peace. It’s a story of the relationship between God and his people – us – and his desire for us to be at one with each other.

In Micah 4:3 the author paints a picture of what life will be like when God’s Kingdom of righteousness comes, with that well-known verse,

‘They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.’

And in Isaiah 11:6 we can imagine just what reconciliation and peace might look like:

'The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.’

Peace is God’s plan – a peace brought about because of God’s righteousness, justice, creativity, and we are called to join in with the work of being peacemakers. In Matthew 5:9, as a part of the famous Sermon on the Mount he preached, Jesus says,

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’

Peacemakers are called out for a special blessing and reminded of their identity as children of God. Such people probably aren’t members of the United Nations peacekeeping force, but they are those who seek God’s purpose and justice for others and for themselves. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers in the places we live, within our families and within ourselves.

When Jesus was leaving his disciples and they were feeling scared at being without him, Jesus reminded them that the Holy Spirit would come and dwell within them and spoke these words to them:

‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’

(John 14: 27).

We are called to be peacemakers, but we can do this with the peace only Jesus can give to us.

REFLECTION

Reflect on the words of the prayer of St Francis of Assisi – ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace’ – and consider how we can join in with God’s plan for us to be peacemakers in our world today.

Members may like to colour in the prayer as they listen to the music of ‘Make me a channel of your peace.’