My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
– John 15:12-14
On Remembrance Sunday, I had the privilege of leading the service at my church, where I am a deacon. The following revises and abridges my introduction before the act of remembrance and my reflection afterwards.
First, we remember the sacrifice of those who serve. We recall that the pursuit of a just peace sometimes requires lethal force. We insist that even in the application of lethal force, we must uphold mercy and our humanity. We remember our obligations to those who serve, both in committing them to action and after. Our goal is a just and lasting peace in a world without war.
