Remembering wars – or preparing for them?

Last week the UK unveiled a new national armed forces memorial –commemorating the armed forces dead since the second world war – 16,000 names.

What surprised me more was that there was space for another 15,000.

The thought that we have to prepare this amount of space for this amount of names scares me. What are we really remembering? What have we learnt?

I pray that the Churches in the UK may speak out for peace and against wrong wars – where the futile loss of life over rumours may end. That the Churches may speak of another list of names recorded – the names of those on the book of life (see the book of Revelation) – not death – of people who follow the Prince of Peace – working and living to see God’s Kingdom of peace on this earth.