The 11th hour, the 11th day, the 11th month

The First World war ended at 11-00am on November 11th, 1918, 100 years ago on Sunday.
Nov 11th is Remembrance day in Britain every year, but Sunday will be particularly poignant. Many more British soldiers died in WW1 than in WW2.

I am taking the service at my church on Sunday and preaching from James 4:1-3. Trying to strike the right note has been exceedingly difficult; I'll be grateful for people's prayers. In my research, I came across the name of Noel Chevasse, one of only three men to have been awarded the Victoria Cross (Britain's highest award fro bravery) twice. He is a sort of equivalent to Desmond Doss of Hacksaw Ridge fame. You can read his story here Noel G Chavasse VC - victoriacross What that doesn't tell you is that Chevasse was a Christian who wrote to his father in 1914, "I am going to do my best to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ and King George.

But I'm particularly taking with the words of Edith Cavell. She was a Christian nurse in Belgium, who helped more than 200 allied troops escape from the Germans. She wrote on the night before she faced a firing squad, "Standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone."