INTRODUCTION
The Deputy Mayor, ambassadors, military guests,
military members on parade, military veterans, ladies and gentlemen. Today we
come to commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country,
those known to us and also those we don't know. Today we remember those who
died in the clashes that occurred right here in Cape Town when the first
settlers from Europe arrived. We remember those who died in the Frontier Wars,
those who gave their lives during the wars between those who moved northwards
from the Cape into the interior, those who died in the Anglo-Boer Wars, the
First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the Border War in Namibia and more
recently those who died on peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic,
in the DRC and in South Sudan. We remember also those innocent people who died
as a result of war, remembering especially those who died in cross fire, those
who died fleeing from war, those who were interred in concentration camps and
especially those who were killed in the death camps of the Second World War.
The red poppy is a stark and powerful symbol of the blood that has been shed
and of the many lives that have been shattered as a result of war.
As we remember those who have died, no matter the side
they fought for, we are reminded that war is a blight on our social order.
Those of us who have witnessed first-hand the horrors of war know that war is
to be avoided at all costs; that even though wars are fought and won, in
reality everyone loses. Wars fought in the name of religions that preach peace
and love are especially heinous. So today we come also to commit ourselves to
finding and working for peace and reconciliation instead of war. Today we come
to stand against the glamorisation of war and to say no to all war talk
rhetoric that we hear from some of our politicians - at home and abroad.
Today also we come to remember those of our own
National Defence Force who are on duty today in peacekeeping missions on the
African continent, those at sea, those deployed along our border line and those
deployed in the Kruger National Park. Today we remember all the innocent
victims of war, especially the wars that continue to ravage our continent.
Hymn: Abide
with me
Input from the Muslim chaplain
READINGMatthew 5
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
PRAYER
O God, forgive us for choosing war instead of peace. O God, forgive us
for glamorising war instead of facing the horrors of it. O God, forgive us for
choosing revenge instead of reconciliation. O God, forgive us for fighting
instead of loving. O God, forgive us for alienating ourselves from one another
instead of finding our common humanity. O God, forgive us for our policies that
divide us instead of uniting us. O God, forgive us for conquering instead of
negotiating. O God, forgive us for wounding instead of healing. O God, forgive
us for choosing war instead of peace.
Today O God, we pray for peace. We pray that you will raise up
peacemakers amongst us that peace may become a permanent reality in our world.
We pray for all our leaders, that you may grant them wisdom, that they may be
guided to find ways of peace and not war. We pray for the victims of war, both
past and present, that they will find healing and wholeness in their suffering.
Today we remember all those who have died in armed conflict, no matter which
side they were on, and pray that you may grant them eternal rest.
Today O God, we pray for peace. We pray that peace will start with us.
We pray that we will find new ways of loving, healing and reconciling.
We pray this in the Name of the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Hymn: I vow
to thee my country
BENEDICTIONMay the blessing of God go before us.
May God’s grace and peace abound.
May God’s spirit live within us,
May God’s love embrace and enfold us.
May God’s blessing remain with us always,
May we walk on holy ground. Amen
