Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

 

 

     The Battle of Groningen took place during the final month of the Second World War, from April 13 to 16, 1945, in the city of Groningen, fought between a mixture of about 7000 German soldiers, Dutch and Belgian SS troops against the entire 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. It was one of the largest urban battles fought by Canadian soldiers during the War. When the battle was over 43 Canadian soldiers had been killed and almost 200 had been either wounded or captured. In terms of the numbers, it wasn’t the costliest battle Canadian troops fought, but it was memorable because it was one of the last battles fought in the campaign to liberate the Netherlands. We all know the poem “In Flanders Fields” written by Col. John McCrae during World War I. The Battle of Groningen led to the writing of another, lesser known poem. It was composed by a man named John Piest, who was a boy in Groningen during the battle. In 2005 Piest wrote a poem commemorating the Canadian sacrifices made in the Battle of Groningen. He entitled it “The Men Of Maple Leaf.”

 

Bold they were, the combatants we knew

How deep our sympathy for them grew

South they came and fought their way

Memory engraved is that glorious day

Lives squandered, precious blood shed

Our want for freedom was finally met

There was scarcely time to fraternize

The battle went on, at high a price

In the actions brave ones would fall

Facing their losses the men stood tall

It took three days to clear the town

Dislodging the enemy beyond our bounds

Stricken by panic some fled to the shore

Deserted or were scattered to the four

Many fighting wearied, surrendered fast

Our war torn hometown was freed at last

Smouldering ruins were marking the place

Where battering damaged her ancient face

Peace returned, the yoke of war was gone

Thanks to the Canadians, a tough task done

To commemorate them we dedicate a forest yet

Maple leaves fell for us, lest we forget.

 

    One of the reasons that Canadian casualties were as high as they were is because the Canadian commanders decided to make a deliberate sacrifice. Knowing that it would extend the battle and lead to even more dead and wounded troops, they ordered the Second Infantry not to use artillery support - because using artillery in an urban setting would have perhaps saved Canadian lives, but it would have led to significant civilian casualties. When I read that story, I immediately thought of the sacrifice of Jesus that Paul spoke of in this morning’s reading from 1 Corinthians: “... Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”

 

     Different people understand the sacrifice of the cross in different ways, of course. Some see it as a blood sacrifice - the end of the system of animal sacrifices of the Old Testament; others (myself included) see it more as a sacrifice of Jesus’ divine privilege and an act of divine solidarity with human beings, as God (in Jesus) chooses to experience a gruesome death. I hesitated to draw too much of a linkage between the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the sacrifices of soldiers on a battlefield, bcause Jesus was, after all, the one who told His followers not to take up their swords to defend Him. And yet, this is Remembrance Day, and it seems to me that what the two have in common is important. Basically, they both have in mind the welfare of others over and above the welfare of one’s self. Whether it’s Jesus dying on a cross to demonstrate God’s love for the world, or whether you’re Canadian troops dying on a battlefield in part because of a decision to protect civilians, this is what counts. This is what faith is about. This is what a nation is about. This is what church is about. It’s about our willingness to give of ourselves for the sake of one another and even for the sake of those beyond our walls. It’s about our willingness to give of ourselves for the world.

 

     A few days ago, in the lead up to the US presidential election, I came across this advice from an American New Testament scholar who was dealing with the question of how Christians should make a decision on who to vote for: “... we vote like a Christian when we vote for the sake of our neighbors and those the world and politicians are most likely to neglect. In doing so, we love God most deeply.” But it goes beyond voting. I would rephrase that to say this: “we [live] like a Christian when we [live] for the sake of our neighbors and those the world ... are most likely to neglect. In doing so, we love God most deeply."

 

     Whether voters in a voting booth, or soldiers on a battlefield, or Jesus on the cross - that’s surely what it’s about. Let’s give thanks for all who have sacrificed for our sakes, and let’s be willing to sacrifice for the sake of our neighbours.