For the last three years I have been privileged to lead the National Police Remembrance Day services for the western region of Victoria. It is no small event, and no small thing that I do get to do as a minister. There are other remembrance day services around the nation as well, including the Victorian State service which is held at the Shrine of Remembrance.
Part of my role in leading this service at Sunshine, is to conclude with a helpful reflection for those present. What follows is the reflection I shared on September 26th.
“Not much is sacred in our world anymore. The turmoil at the Shrine of Remembrance back in September 2021 when anti-Vax protesters desecrated that sacred place, deeply offended me – and many other Victorians, too. Urinating on that sacred site was a shocking thing to see. Whatever one’s view on vaccination – to be, or not to be vaccinated - is a person’s basic human right to choose and I, for one, uphold that right to choose. But to urinate on the memories of those who had made the ultimate sacrifice, including my own grandfather, as some entitled act of protest? That deeply offended me. It was a national disgrace.
The right to protest is an essential element of free speech for which those men and women fought and died. But they did not shed their blood for some perceived right or entitlement to desecrate that which is sacred to everyone else.
There are very few sacred things left in our culture today. Many sacred things, moments, events, days – so much has fallen off the radar screen of what our culture feels is truly important. There are very few sacred places, sacred spaces, sacred moments left to us now. We’re so busy, so frantic in our living, that we, almost – almost – have no time for the sacred at all. But there are, thankfully, some things we still hold sacred - and we must never let go of them. The birth of a new baby; for example, to witness that, is a deeply sacred experience where a new life given by God is just beginning. The marriage of a young couple, standing on the threshold of a whole new destiny together is, indeed, a most sacred thing - one I have had the privilege of witnessing dozens of times now as a minister and as a Police Chaplain.
The coming home of a son or daughter who has been away for more than a year is a sacred experience for any parent – it is so much more than geography, aircrafts, time and travel. This son, or daughter is back, safe … and with us ... again. The retirement of a long-term employee who has served so well and is honoured generously and appreciatively by colleagues who esteem them properly, is another sacred moment. Nearly all our sacred moments involve people … ever noticed that?
I sat with a friend a few years ago through that long night as he lay dying – he had just hours left. He shared with me the deepest things in his heart – things he had never shared with anyone, not even his wife. Not ever. And, just as the new day was dawning, he opened his eyes one last time, and said, “I love you so much, old friend. Please take care of my family.” That was a very, very sacred moment, and I will never forget it.
Moments like these give us glimpses of the sheer intensity of the light and spirit of the human soul and its enduring sacredness - its sheer value and richness far above the natural order of other lesser, or mundane things. That enduring thing is itself the very God-given substance of who we are – we are valued, we have identity, we’re precious, we mean something so important to someone else, and they to us ... and we are precious in the sight of God. And so, when this one whom we have loved is suddenly gone from our midst … we hurt deeply and still grieve over them years later. This is because none of us lives to ourselves alone; we are all part of something far greater which God has created. The apostle Paul wrote in one of his New Testament letters:
Romans 14:7 (NIV) “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.”
We are all connected by the very breath of God in us, His light in us …
Today is such a sacred occasion for all of us here …
And when we grieve, and when we remember the light of those lives that touched us, enriched us, warmed us, loved us, blessed us - but who are no longer amongst us - we connect deeply with that great collective sacredness of life that is the very fabric of God’s created order. It is the bedrock of our shared humanity, and we experience something of its richness and beauty … and, of course, the pain of its loss ...
Today is much more than a “remembrance ceremony” … it’s an experience together of the sacredness of life and our mutual connectedness. As we remember the precious lives no longer here, this act of remembering today helps keeps the sacredness of that connection mutually pure amidst a world that seems to want to sully everything. Remembering is about honouring those we loved and esteemed, and who served us, and who bequeathed to us something of their light to us through their relationships with us – their love to us. In doing so, we also reconnect with each other in deeper ways than just sharing a day-to-day workspace.
Those who have gone before us, would want us to remember them. Their loved ones who still feel the pain of that loss, need us to remember with them. And we need to remember for our own sakes, too – because if we stop doing this, if we stop remembering, properly remembering, we lose another sacred thing that defines our very humanity.
There is so much in our world right now that is profane, callous, crass, rude, so disrespectful and cheap …
And so, in this solemn, though brief, act of remembrance today, we get to pause, reflect and momentarily value afresh the sacred deposit these ones now departed have left in our hearts. And in that process, we get in touch with our humanity again … just a bit, and we are enriched, blessed … just a bit and, perhaps, renewed … just a bit. Take your time with that; it’s worth it.
We will always be proud of our fallen. We’ll tell their stories because we keep remembering. And we are the better for it … we are! To remember is a sacred responsibility that all of us carry, and we must never relinquish it, or let the profane and crass overwhelm it.
As you go from here, today, may God go with you to guide you, to guard you, to strengthen and support you. May God be your light in times of darkness, your protection in times of danger, and your comfort in times of stress and sorrow.
May you know because of today that you are never alone. That you, and the light of life that is in you, is sacred to everyone else around you. Steward that light well, while you can, share it generously and warmly with all whom you meet … while you can.
This prayer and blessing is released over you today in the Name of Jesus Christ. May God bless you and remain with you today and in the days that are ahead. You are loved.”
Pray for our police members who serve us each day, and who so often place themselves in harm’s way for our sakes. Remember those who have given their lives in the line of duty.
Milton Oliver