Homily for Remembrance Day, 11 November 2026
John 15:9-17
There was a speech recently given by a British officer to a gathering of his solders that has gone viral, and this is for two reasons. He talks about the manner of war; and that war is changing. Recent developments in weapons technology means, ironically enough, that the actual fighting is going to be less cannons over long distances and more hand-to-hand. This is the first reason for its wide spread– the curious development of the nature of modern war. The second is because of the context into which he is speaking. That is, if you are a young man, native to a Western country, there are a very great number of reasons as to why you would not want to defend a country that has pushed you to the side.
The nations which we fought alongside in the trenches are very different nowadays, as is our own. Men, especially young men, have been pushed to the side so much that even prominent feminists are saying in interviews on television that maybe they went too far.
Combine that with the reality of what war is, especially modern war according to our British officer: vicious hand-to-hand combat against other young men, and you end up with a Remembrance Day where we cannot turn anywhere except to the words of our Lord for reassurance and sanity.
Christ is giving his disciples some final words before his own death. He tells them that his death will be for their good, and will spring out of his love for them. This is a love that is completely different to the “love” that we are being sold; a “love” that points towards ourselves; a “love” that has pushed to the side the same young men that we expect to fight for us.
Christ defines love as it truly is. Love is not hedonistic. Love is not about self-fulfilment, or self-help, or self-anything. Love is about someone else. And love is not about sitting in the pig-sty of light, fluffy feelings. It is a masculine, hairy-knuckled, calloused love that steps up and does something about it.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
The love of Christ is a love that looks out for his mates above his own interests. It is also the love of a Master for his servants. This is another aspect of the masculine beauty of Christ’s love: he is our Lord whom we follow and obey to the very end, no matter what, because there is honour in loyalty, and loyalty to our Lord is above all.
And so let us reclaim our Christian heritage this Remembrance Day. The qualities of honour, sacrifice, loyalty, duty – seek them in the character of Jesus. Look at how he exemplified them, and how he calls us to follow him in the same. And look at those young men who, in spite of how the culture looks down at them, raised their eyes to the high ideals of the Lord Jesus, and are willing to lay down their lives for their friends.