Today's Service: 14 November -
Remembrance Sunday
Led by Maranny Jones and Team
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Welcome to our Remembrance Day service
This service is available as a pre-recorded video, from 10:30 on the Sunday, on 
our YouTube channel
Scripture sentences:
Micah 4: 2a - 4:
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
4 but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken
Hymn 600: Christ is the world's light
tune: Christe Sanctorum, with intro.
1. Christ is the world's Light, Christ and no other;
Born in our darkness, he became our Brother.
If we have seen Him, we have seen the Father:
Glory to God on high.
2. Christ is the world's Peace, Christ and none other;
No one can serve him and despise a brother.
Who else unites us, one in God the Father?
Glory to God on high.
3. Christ is the world's Life, Christ and none other;
sold once for silver, murdered here, our Brother -
He, who redeems us, reigns with God the Father:
Glory to God on high.
4. Give God the glory, God and none other;
Give God the glory, Spirit, Son and Father;
Give God the glory, God in Man my brother:
Glory to God on high.
F. Pratt-Green (1903 - 2000)
Opening Prayer
O God,
you are almighty and everlasting,
yet compassionate and ever-loving;
be with us as we gather before you today
to remember those we have loved,
those we admire,
those we have never known
whose sacrifice ensured that we enjoy freedom
from tyranny and fear.
Amen
Lord's Prayer
OUR FATHER who art in Heaven hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory For ever and ever Amen
Reflection
Do you think that those who signed the Armistice in 1918, in a railway carriage in a French forest, could possibly have imagined the development of such a significant annual and global act of remembrance?
After all, the colossal loss of life led many to believe that the Great War would be the war to end them all.
But sadly we didn't listen. Tragically history has kept repeating itself.
So today we tend to remember not just those who died in that war but in all other conflicts since.
And, for many, these occasions go beyond remembering the generous sacrifice of armed forces. For our own mortality is captured by them, those we have loved and let go are recognised, the dashed hopes and shattered dreams we once entertained are recalled.
So the two minute silence is about more than the horrors of war and the ultimate price for freedom. This pause in a hectic world is a symbol of our spiritual need to be still; the formal silence, a prompt to the memory which helps us mourn our losses; and the poppy we wear, among other things, an acknowledgement of the limitations of human existence. We understand that simply to recall the past is not necessarily to deal with it. Things need to change. The world is still not free of tyrants and despots, our lives are still broken. And we ache for the day when God’s new day will dawn.
So we reach out beyond our human horizons to connect with the God whose everlasting Kingdom of justice and peace will come. We, whose days are like the momentary splendour of a flower, are invited to know the God who is the eternal home of all those who trust Him.
ACT OF REMEMBRANCE
They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
We will remember them
To view a video of the Last Post, 2-minute silence and Reveille, click here (opens in new Tab)
Jesus said, 'No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.'
John 15: 13
Reading: Luke 21: 6 - 19 (NIV)
6 "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."
7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life. the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hymn 543: Lead us Heavenly Father lead us
tune: Mannheim, with intro.
1. Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
o'er the world's tempestuous sea;
guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us
for we have no help but thee;
yet possessing every blessing,
if our God our Father be.
2. Saviour, breathe forgiveness o'er us;
all our weakness thou dost know;
thou didst tread this earth before us,
thou didst feel its keenest woe;
lone and dreary, faint and weary,
through the desert thou didst go.
3. Spirit of our God, descending,
fill our hearts with heavenly joy,
love with every passion blending,
pleasure that can never cloy:
thus provided, pardoned, guided,
nothing can our peace destroy.
James Edmeston (1791-1867)
Poem: We lay a Poppy
We lay a poppy
in remembrance,
of service folk who left, never to return,
falling in battle,
buried at sea,
or some corner of a foreign field,
who gave what they had,
and still do.
For those conflicts of our past,
and present,
may the poppies grow,
not just for their sake,
but for ours too.
We lay a poppy
in remembrance,
of those left now only with memories,
of a telegram,
a letter,
of an image,
a photograph,
a story,
who gave what they had,
and still do,
for the conflict that is not over.
As the poppies grow, may healing also,
not just for their sake,
but for ours too.
We lay a poppy
in remembrance,
of the cost a conflict brings
to those without homes,
whose men and womenfolk are taken,
where children become fighters,
and family and security are shattered,
broken so often there is little else to break,
for those who were taken before they could give,
and still do (for such are the ways of this world).
As the poppies grow, may hope also,
not just for their sake,
but for ours too.
We lay a poppy
in remembrance,
of those whose lives are haunted by death:
the suffering all conflict brings,
of destruction of all that is familiar,
all that once could be trusted,
of neighbourhoods destroyed,
of collateral damage
being an acceptable euphemism
for the death of humanity,
those who gave without a choice,
and still do,
in a world that chooses conflict.
Hymn 262: Crown him with many crowns
tune: Diademata, with full verse intro.
1. Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne;
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own:
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless King
through all eternity.
2. Crown him the Son of God
before the worlds began;
and you who tread where he has trod
crown him the son of Man,
who every grief has known
that wrings the human breast,
and takes and bears them for his own
that all in him may rest.
3. Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o'er the grave,
who rose victorious in the strife,
for those he came to save:
his glories now we sing,
who died and rose on high,
who died eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.
4. Crown him, the Lord of Love!
Behold his hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above
In beauty glorified
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For thou hast died for me:
Thy praise shall never, never fail
Throughout eternity.
Matthew Bridges (1800-94), Alt. text Godfrey Thring (1823-1903)
Reflection
Our Gospel passage this morning teaches us that Jesus knew wars and insurrections would take place: nation against nation, territory against territory, alliance against alliance. War will happen, for war is sin, but to reduce suffering, to break the yoke of sin, to encourage peace – is that not the call of the Gospel?
In 2009, a London newspaper reflected on the recent news that Harry Patch aged 111 and Henry Allingham aged 113 had died, the final British veterans of the First World War.
Before turning 100, neither men spoke of their experiences but following gentle encouragement they spoke. Mr Allingham remarked, with his small supply of breath, “War’s stupid. Nobody wins. You might as well talk first, you have to talk last anyway”.
Nobody wins. The veterans remind us that if we look back at the conflicts the UK has been engaged in with thanksgiving, it cannot be a thanksgiving for glorious victory, there is nothing so whitewashed – but rather thanksgiving the battle has ended. The tide of violence has been stemmed for a time, and peace is known once more. In those moments we pray God may grant rest to both the living and the dead. The cry is heard: Let us NEVER AGAIN descend into the horrors of war.
A few years ago when I had a friend in the Territorial Army he shared his disquiet with me He lamented that when the men were coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan, they would not be given enough space to decompress and adequately process the behavioural changes required from being in theatre, to being back in ordinary life.
I asked if he might share with me an example, and he told me this:
"Armoured vehicle drivers are trained that on driving down a residential street, where children might be out playing, they are to be mindful of what’s going on around them. If a ball should roll out into the road, they must quickly accelerate. Even if they see a child run out after it, they are not to stop, swerve or avoid. The risk of that child or that ball being a suicide bomb or decoy is too great."
A few weeks later, that same man or woman, might be driving on the streets in the UK. The same ball rolls out into the road, and the same child comes rushing after it. This is a small part of the reality of warfare. Children become bombs, and careful drivers have to suspend their compassionate instincts. Nobody wins.
Where do we go from here? Our hearts must break. We must cry and mourn, for those whose faces have become disfigured by war. Brothers and sisters of this nation and all nations; though frequently brave and courageous, for their sake we must find ways to say – NEVER AGAIN.
Every occasion we enter church, we do so to bring ourselves and our experiences: of life, birth, death, marriage, and our relationships with one another — indeed our whole lives, to “be deepened and directed by the Spirit of Christ” as Archbishop Runcie once put it.
In Conclusion:
Wars cannot bring lasting peace. But God can and ultimately will. And for this we pray, 'Thy Kingdom come O God, Thy rule on earth begin.' But it begins with you and me.
I end with a quote by the current Dalai Lama:
"Peace starts within each one of us. When
we have inner peace, we can be at peace
with those around us.
When our community is
in a state of peace, it can share peace
with neighbouring communities, and so on."
Hymn 477: Let there be love shared among us.
tune: Let there be love, no intro., piano accomp.
Let there be love shared among us,
let there be love in our eyes;
may now Your love sweep this nation,
cause us, O Lord, to arise.
Give us a fresh understanding
of brotherly love that is real;
let there be love shared among us,
let there be love.
Dave Bilbrough
Prayers of Intercession
As we pray today I invite you to hold poppies, either by detaching it or holding them where they are.
If you don't have a poppy with you, please picture one in your mind.
First, we hold one of the petals of the poppy. Father, the red of this petal is like the red of the blood shed by so many in the wars of the last century. We remember members of our family who were directly involved in those wars, some in the armed forces, some left behind. We remember injury, trauma, death, courage and fear - lives changed forever. We give thanks for so many who were prepared to pay the highest price of all.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Now we take hold of another petal on our poppy. In doing so, we hold before God the violence and warfare of our own times - the simmering violence in so many places in our world, the open hostilities, the threat of terrorism faced by many. We pray,
Father, that you will give us politicians and military leaders equal to the huge tasks they face - wise in judgement, calm in spirit, makers of peace.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Now we touch the centre of the poppy, the place where the seeds are kept, ready for new life. Lord, take the seeds of peace which lie in the hearts of your people everywhere, and cast them generously over every continent and nation. Let those seeds germinate, grow and flourish, especially today in Syria, where the conflict has been going so long.
Beat our swords into ploughshares, our spears into pruning hooks and our weapons of mass destruction into technologies for peace.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Now we hold the green leaf (or the green stem) and remember the green and growing hope which comes from faith alone, faith in a God for whom everything is possible, even in the darkest hour.
May hope guide our politics, our nation, our thinking and our lives.
May hope draw us ever nearer to that day when the world shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In your mercy, forgive our foolish ways,
In your mercy, help us to listen before we fight,
In your mercy, hold back the men of war,
In your mercy, save the innocent,
In your mercy, hear us,
In your mercy, Amen
Hymn 629 Make me a Channel of your Peace
tune: Channel of Peace, with intro.
1. Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
and where there's doubt, true faith in you.
Chorus:
Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console
to be understood as to understand
to be loved as to love with all my soul.
2. Make me a channel of your peace
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope
where there is darkness, only light
and where there's sadness, ever joy.
(Chorus)
3. Make me a channel of your peace
for when we give we will ourselves receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
and in dying that we're born to eternal life.
Attr. St. Francis (1182 – 1226) arr. Sebastian Temple (1928-1997)
Sending out and Blessing
Plant seeds of peace wherever your journey takes you
and bless others as you have been blessed.
Speak no words that would wound.
Withhold nothing that can be shared and pray always for peace.
May God the Father be your strength,
Jesus the Son be your inspiration
and the Holy Spirit be your guide
this Remembrance Sunday and always.
Amen.
Next week, the service will be led by Harry Bunting and will be in-person in Elm Ridge Church Hall at 10:45 a.m., as well as here, on the web.
Click here for details of Elm Ridge arrangements.Don't forget the live streamed hymns on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. from Zöe (via the 'Northgate URC Darlington' Facebook page)
These are available to view later as well. (via YouTube, for those without Facebook, and also Facebook)
The streamings are a great success - well done, Zöe!
The recorded streamings are now, thanks to Harry Marshall, available to all on YouTube - search for 'Northgate URC Darlington'.
Ask Harry to invite you to the Northgate Facebook Group 
and you will get a notification of the live stream.
- Or you can just search for 'Northgate URC Darlington' in Facebook.
The URC denominational church audio Services (podcasts) at https://devotions.urc.org.uk/ are excellent, with well-delivered prayers and readings using a selection of voices and well-presented hymns.
Do give these a try - they are excellent.
(Just start the sound playing and scroll down to the written words)
Why not put the time aside for Zoe at 10:45, our preacher's service after that and follow up with the podcast - you will feel as if you had been IN church, as well as WITH church.