Our Quarrel with the Foe?

 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

In Flanders Fields -- John McCrae, WW1 Canadian solider & physician 

Our excellent local library is home to an art gallery as well and this year there is a cabinet full of ceramic poppies created by Perry Poupore. They were made as part of a project for the 75th anniversary of D-Day during WW2 in collaboration with Eastminster United Church here in Belleville. The poppy as an improbable symbol of remembrance of those who served and died in world conflicts has endured for more than a century. 

On Remembrance Sunday this moving poem was read or sung in different congregations where I was the pastor. I was always willing to include a time of solemn reflection in the service but I struggled with the phrase "take up our quarrel with the foe." and the notion that if we didn't we would have broken faith with those who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

I suppose, though, we can interpret it not just as a call to arms but as a reminder that even though some conflicts are necessary and even just, wasting the potential of those who go off to war is folly.

We live in an alarming time, one of the most unstable moments since World War Two. Important alliances seem tenuous. Russia's despicable aggression against Ukraine and America's senseless war with Iran are destabilizing the world order. Israel seems to have adopted a warrior mentality against everyone around them. The conflict in Sudan is the forgotten civil war that has killed at least 150,000 and displaced 14.5 million with foreign powers vying for influence. 

Our Canadian government seems intent on greatly expanded military spending and speaks of being prepared for war while reducing international aid for those who need it most. 

How do we absorb and make sense of this ominous global turmoil? Taking up the quarrel with the foe may mean that we respect those who served courageously and still do, while choosing not to engage in hatred. We can acknowledge as well that the world has and will continue to change. Foes of the past become allies, Quarrels end and new alliances are forged. This perspective allows us to be hopeful even though it seems that the storm clouds are gathering. 

As an old man I'm convinced that it is not God's intention for us to be gladiators and warriors, glorifying brutality 

 I hope that the symbol of the poppy and the words of the poem will continue to be meaningful reminders for decades to come of the sacrifices of others while strengthening our resolve to be peace-mongers, in Christ's name.