Neighbours and parishioners toll bell on Centenary of Armistice
At sunset on Sunday, 11 November bell tolls 100 times
Neighbourhood families gather with parishioners to toll church bell 100 times marking each year since end of World War 1
Neighbourhood families and parishioners gathered before sunset on Sunday 11 November for the tolling of the church bell at St Matthew - St Aidan to mark the Centenary of the end of World War 1. Of the 19 people who attended, one-third were neighbours and friends of the parish. Kaiden and Zoey, two young friends who live nearby, each took a turn at their shares of the 100 tolls.
The tolling of the bell began at sunset (4:50 pm) after a special prayer. Following the 100 bell tolls, a passage was read from the Prophet Micah which included the often quoted words:
"They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more."
Actual sound clip of the moment when the guns fell silent to end The Great War at 1100 hours 11 November 1918
(eleventh hour, eleventh day, eleventh month)
A prayer of remembrance and thankfulness in the continuing quest for Peace
O Lord, this day, at the 11th hourly on the 11th day of the 11th month, we remembered. We remembered this morning those who gave their lives in service to their country.
We remember… not to glorify war but to strive always to learn from the the pain, ravage, and waste that war brings. We have much, much still to learn.
At the going down of the sun, we remember once again.
We remember now especially those who served and those who gave their lives in the Great War, World War I. We remember now again at sunset, one hundred years after the signing of the Armistice at 11 o’clock on the 11th day in the 11th month in the year 1918 when the guns finally fell silent -- for a time.
May we always be seeking peace through our remembering and through our learning. May the tolls of this bell resound in our hearts that our solemn act of remembrance may urge each of us, in our own way, to engage in the quest for peace. We have much to learn through our remembering.
At the going down of the sun, we remember them and we pray for Peace. Help us, O Lord, in our remembering to seek Peace.
Amen.
A reading from the Prophet Micah
4 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it,
2 and many nations shall come and say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
4 but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
Amen
I regret that I wasn’t well enough to attend but I’m so glad our little church took part.
Hi Nancy,
We missed you on Sunday. I hope you are feeling better and that the article gave you a sense of what it was like to be there. I’m glad we participated in this cross-country observance. It was significant. Many of those who served in WW1 would have come from small towns such as ours. So, it was very fitting that our small group gathered to pay tribute.
Glenn