Remembrance Day Prayer Service

Holy Trinity Anglican Church and Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, neighbouring churches in Old Strathcona, Edmonton, were joined by the Rt. Rev. Stephen London, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton; members of the South Alberta Light Horse (SALH) Regiment, and federal, provincial and municipal government representatives for a Remembrance Day Prayer Service on November 11, 2021. 

Bishop Steve honoured and remembered the soldiers who served their country, some of whom were wounded and killed, and expressed his appreciation of all veterans and soldiers who serve today in the Armed Forces.

He reflected on the vision, the struggle, and the discipline of peace. “We know that peace does not happen just because the guns fall silent. Peace is a whole way of life for the dignity and flourishing of all people. It is a lifelong commitment to the way of Jesus,” he said. 

“I believe the struggle to be a people of peace is the purpose and meaning of our lives. We see this in the scripture reading from Micah (4:1-5, read by Edmonton-Strathcona MP Heather McPherson). It is a vision that people of faith have held onto for generations and centuries because the words are so poetic, and speak deeply to the human soul. It gives them a beautiful vision of shalom: a world where people are not afraid. And, of, course, peace in the Old Testament vision is not just the absence of war, it’s something richer and fuller. This idea of human-flourishing and not just for a few but spread out across many peoples. It’s important to remember this is our ideal. And as humans, we strive to live by our highest standards of whom we are and these people of shalom that exist. And even if somebody like myself, a person of faith, looks to God to achieve this ultimately, in what Jesus called the kingdom of God, I will still commit to walking in this way of peace. It is who we are.”

“Let us remember before God, and commend to God’s safekeeping, those who have died for their country in war; and all who have lived and died in the service of the peoples of the world,” said Lieutenant Lawrence (SALH Regiment), in The Prayers of Remembrance. 

“Let us individually and together, commit ourselves to the cause of reconciliation and peace,” said the Rev. Danielle Key, rector of Holy Trinity Anglican Church and padre of SALH Regiment. “As we remember all who have fallen in war, the innocents who have died, and those who cry out in grief, we remember humanity’s power to heal and save. Amen.”

Following the Blessing and Dismissal, the congregation walked to Light Horse Park for Remembrance Day ceremonies led by the SALH Regiment.