November 5 is a British Memorial Day. Each year it falls within a week of November 11, the day that 'remembers' the twentieth century's two World Wars. Our church is no exception to this and we are deeply moved to ponder a sacrifice that is sufficiently recent to connect the older of us to grandparents or even parents affected by the War.
This pursuit of collective memory is not new. Here follows a Prayer for the Daily Office of the national Church for November 5th:
LMIGHTY God, who hast in all ages shewed thy power and mercy in the miraculous and gracious deliverance of thy Church, and in the protection of righteous and religious Kings and States, professing thy holy and eternal truth, from the wicked conspiracies and malicious practices of all the enemies thereof; We yield thee our unfeigned thanks and praise for the wonderful and mighty deliverance of our late gracious Sovereign King James, the Queen, the Prince, and all the Royal Branches, with the Nobility, Clergy, and Commons of England, then assembled in Parliament, by Popish treachery appointed as sheep to the slaughter, in a most barbarous, and savage manner, beyond the examples of former ages. From this unnatural conspiracy, not our merit, but thy mercy; not our foresight, but thy providence, delivered us: And therefore, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us; but unto thy Name be ascribed all honour and glory in all Churches of the saints, from generation to generation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For all the depth of feeling it contains, however, it is no longer said. 1605 is a very long time ago. It is, of course, typical of the modern church to have ditched such politically incorrect referral to popish treachery.
Except that it wasn't the modern church that removed it. It was removed in 1859, not a time conspicuous for the British being warm toward the Roman Church or the Pope. By then 250+ years had done their work and the collective memory had new things to memorialise in liturgy with an Empire encompassing the globe.
This coming Sunday we will share Communion. The Apostle Paul indicated that this 'proclaims the Lord's death until he comes'. We are never to forget the greatest victory, the greatest Saviour and the greatest Salvation of all.
