大象传媒

Please note:

This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

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Radio 4 Opening Announcement:听
大象传媒 Radio 4. Terry Waite CBE is the preacher for this morning鈥檚 Sunday Worship to mark VJ Day, which comes direct from Lichfield Cathedral and is led by the Dean, The Very Rev鈥檇 Adrian Dorber.

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THE DEAN:听
Good morning. This weekend, the nation marks the 70th anniversary of VJ Day: the end of World War 2. Yesterday, this Cathedral hosted a national service for the Children and Families of Far East Prisoners of War. In today鈥檚 worship, we continue to remember prisoners of war who suffered and died at the hands of their cruel captors, but also the ordinary citizens of Japan who died in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki before their rulers surrendered. We remember too the so-called 鈥楩orgotten Army鈥� 鈥� the members of our armed forces serving in the Far Eastern theatre of war, who felt anger and desolation at being overlooked and abandoned after the great rush to celebrate the Victory in Europe in May 1945 鈥� and who, even after the Victory in Japan, still had months 鈥� sometimes years - of waiting before they could return home.

Our speaker this morning, Terry Waite, is a distinguished patron of 鈥楥hildren and Families of Far East Prisoners of War鈥�, which represents the families of all those (military and civilian) who were affected by the conflict in the Far East. We begin our worship with a prayer written by 鈥� and for - Far Eastern Prisoners of War:

THE DEAN: (FEPOW Prayer) 听

And we that are left grow old with the years,
Remembering the heartache, the pain and tears;
Hoping and praying that never again,
Man will sink to such sorrow and shame.
The price that was paid we will always remember,
Every day, every month, not just in November.

All respond:听 We will remember them.

THE DEAN:听
This Holy House was founded at the turn of the eighth century as a shrine to our Patron, St Chad, who was a Bishop during the turbulent Anglo-Saxon period. It continues to be a place of pilgrimage, of healing and of hope鈥μ� And our first hymn in this service of Hopeful Remembering reminds us that in a dark world, it is our Saviour Jesus Christ who is the place of our rest, the life-giving stream and the light of our life.

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HYMN: I heard the voice of Jesus say (Kingsfold)

Horatius Bonar 1808-1889

THE DEAN:听
Lichfield is a beautiful, modestly-sized city a little north-east of Birmingham and only seven miles from the National Memorial Arboretum:听 the United Kingdom鈥檚 living centre of remembrance. Tens of thousands of visitors come from across the world - often to visit both the Arboretum and the Cathedral: many comment on the powerful emotional experience of seeing the many memorials to those who have died in the service of their country and then encountering the peace and tranquillity of the sacred space of this great Gothic cathedral. Those who have walked quietly through beautiful trees in one place come to light candles and say prayers in the other, a two-fold experience of commemoration and faith.听 Among the memorials, are original artefacts from the Far Eastern conflict: a section of track from the Thai-Burma and Sumatra Railways 鈥� and the lych gate from the Cemetery at Singapore鈥檚 infamous Changi Gaol, built by prisoners as a memorial to their comrades who died.听 And it鈥檚 from there that our first reading from Holy Scripture was read by the Founder of the National Memorial Arboretum, Commander David Childs鈥�

PRE-REC - READING听
(David Childs, Founder of the National Memorial Arboretum)听
In:听 A reading from the Book of Wisdom鈥�
Out: 鈥�he watches over his elect.
Dur:听
A reading from the book of Wisdom.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.听
In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.
For though in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.

Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt-offering he accepted them. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.听 They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he watches over his elect.

CHOIR:听听 So they gave their bodies (Aston)听

THE DEAN:
Terry Waite is going to deliver the first of his three short addresses. In 1987, when negotiating for the release of hostages in Lebanon, as the then Archbishop of Canterbury鈥檚 Envoy to the Middle East, he was himself taken hostage, and spent much of the next five years in solitary confinement.

PRE-REC - FIRST ADDRESS - COMMEMORATION: Terry Waite听
In: VJ Day saw the liberation鈥�
Out: 鈥�for our divided world.
Dur: 2鈥�04鈥�
VJ Day saw the liberation of the many who had been incarcerated in horrific circumstances in prison camps in the Far East.听 In our own country, we especially bring to mind the Far Eastern prisoners of war: FEPOW鈥檚 as they are known.听 Although it鈥檚 70 years since the liberation took place, there are still some former prisoners with us today.听 They are men who experienced and witnessed starvation, torture, death and cruelty and a disregard for human rights and dignity that left many who survived with physical and emotional scars, at a time when our understanding of such trauma was much less developed than now.
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Commemoration can be used in many different ways:听

-听 It can be used politically to justify warfare which in itself is destructive and horrible

-听 It can be used as an act of remembrance to bring to mind those who suffered and died in conflict, as well as enabling current serving personnel to have a sense of their place in history and the high calling of serving Queen and country.

- It can be used as a corporate act of contrition when determination is expressed not to repeat past horrors.

- It can be used as an act of public mourning when we grieve together and gain strength from our solidarity.听听

Many public commemorations are a complex mixture of all the above elements and more besides.

There are times in the human experience when, as the Bible puts it, we need to sit by the waters of Babylon and weep.听 Today we weep for the many, on both sides of the conflict, who fell victim to warfare.听 However we weep not only for those who suffered or died.听
We weep as we remember our own divided nature and, by remembering, we renew our determination to continue to seek healing for ourselves and for our divided world.

READING: Romans 5:1-11听
PAT:
A reading from Paul鈥檚 Epistle to the Romans Chapter 5.
Therefore, since we are justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand;
and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us,
because God鈥檚 love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person鈥�
though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.听 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.听 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

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THE DEAN:听
The Japanese are the only nation to have known the horrors of nuclear weapons used against them.听 As we mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, we also remember the civilian victims in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. [The first atomic bomb (deceptively code-named 鈥楲ittle Boy鈥�) was dropped on Hiroshima on the sixth of August 1945, instantly killing about 80,000 people. Three days later, as a cloud obscured the intended target city of Kokura 鈥� the city of Nagasaki was chosen instead, and there, 70,000 people died immediately. Tens of thousands more subsequently died of terrible injuries and radiation.]

The Cathedral鈥檚 Chamber Choir in a moment will sing a setting by the contemporary Japanese composer, Ko Matsushita, of 鈥楿bi Caritas鈥� 鈥� 鈥榃here there is charity and love, God is there. Christ's love has gathered us into one.鈥櫶� 鈥�but first, a translation of Saga Nobuyuki鈥檚 poem, 鈥楾he Myth of Hiroshima鈥�, describing the experience of the atomic bomb attack from the point of view of鈥� the dead鈥�

POEM听
ANTHONY:
Translated from the Japanese by Hajime Kajima

(omitted from transcript for copyright reasons)

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CHOIR:听 Ubi Caritas (Matsushita)听听听听听听听听听听 听

PRE-REC - SECOND ADDRESS - RECONCILIATION: Terry Waite听
In:听 This day, we remember鈥�
Out:听 鈥�until in the last of days, we rest in peace.
Dur:听 2鈥�13鈥� (long)听 OR 1鈥�44鈥� (short)
This day, we remember a terrible war finally brought to an end by terrible means - the explosion of a nuclear device which killed thousands of men, women and children in Japan. In 1982 the Japanese Government issued an ordinance declaring that the day should be designated 'the day for mourning of war dead and praying for peace.'

Deep in the hearts of men and women there lies a desire to experience peace and reconciliation but as bitter experience tells us this desire is far from easy to be realised.

[The First World War was described as 'A war to end all wars'.听 That laudable sentiment was soon forgotten as 21 years later the Second World War broke out. Since 1945 there has been warfare in some part of the world or other and it could be argued that today we are experiencing a Third World War, albeit fought in a very different way, when acts of violent aggression occur in all parts of the globe.]

The desire to be reconciled is often in conflict with other powerful forces.听 The desire to conquer and destroy.听 The desire to be superior and express that superiority over others.听 The desire to survive at all costs. Corporately and individually, we are a complex species.听
At war within and at war without.

I find the peace we desire may perhaps be best described in a poem that I wrote:

Peace is the fragile meeting
Of two souls in harmony.

Peace is an embrace
That protects and heals.

Peace is a reconciling
Of opposites.
Peace is rooted in love,
It lies in the heart,
Waiting to be nourished,
Blossom
And flourish,
Until it embraces the world.

May we know the harmony of peace,
May we sing the harmony of peace,
Until in the last of days,
We rest in peace
听漏听 Terry Waite CBE (with kind permission)听

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HYMN: In Christ there is no east or west (St Stephen)

William Arthur Dunkerley

READING: John 6:37-40 听
PAT:

A reading from the Gospel according to St John

Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away;
for I have come down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
And this is the will of him who sent me,
that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me,
but raise it up on the last day.
This is indeed the will of my Father,
that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life;
and I will raise them up on the last day.鈥�

PRE-REC - THIRD ADDRESS - VICTORY: Terry Waite听
In:听 A symbol carries within it鈥�
Out:听 鈥�give us strength for the journey.
Dur:听 1鈥�54鈥�
A symbol carries within it a depth of meaning which is not always understood by those who view it.听 One powerful symbol, which stands central in the Christian Faith, is that of the cross:听 a symbol of suffering.

Today we have remembered appalling suffering experienced by many people from different nationalities.听 We live in a world full of suffering and no individual can escape some experience of it during the course of their life.听 Many suffer through no fault of their own and we often puzzle why this should be so.听 It is difficult, if not impossible, to give adequate answers.

One thing can be said with certainty.听 In many cases suffering need not destroy.听 Some of the most creative acts have emerged from situations of terrible suffering.

The symbol of the cross points to this reality.听 Christians look beyond the scaffold to the resurrection.听 The cross is transformed from a symbol of death into a symbol of hope.听 Death has lost its sting.听 The self-sacrifice shown by Christ shows that no self-sacrificing act of love is in vain.听 Victory is not in conquering.听 Victory is experienced in the fullness of love which is truly healing.

Today, when we cast our minds back across the years, we look back not in anger but in sorrow.听 In this great Cathedral, we bow our heads and pray for peace.听 As we leave, to walk freely in the world, we hold our heads high, determined to make peace a reality in our own lives and also in the poor, divided world which we call our home.

May God grant us that vision and give us strength for the journey.
THE DEAN:听
Our thanks to Terry Waite for bringing his experience - both personal and as patron of 鈥楥hildren and Families of Far East Prisoners of War鈥� - to us this morning.
The late Bishop of Thetford, Eric Cordingly, had been an army Padre and a prisoner of war in Changi Prison, and later worked on the notorious 鈥楧eath Railway鈥� beside the River Kwai.听 Throughout his internment, he kept a secret diary which - amongst the many horrors 鈥� also detailed the joys of friendship and faith, usually amongst the prisoners 鈥� but just once, from the enemy, when Eric and another prisoner had been handcuffed together and thrown into a deep air-raid pit:

ANTHONY:听
In the early hours of the morning before it was light, a bamboo ladder was lowered into the pit and down it came a young Japanese soldier, presumably the guard on duty.听 He had with him a container of sweetened tea and two bananas.听
His knowledge of English was as slight as ours of Japanese.听
He indicated that he was a Christian and that he knew I was a Christian priest.听 Trembling and fearful he told us to eat and drink quickly and in a few moments he was gone鈥μ� I did not see the Japanese soldier again鈥�but I know that if he had been discovered by the Guard commander he would have been executed for the action he took in caring for enemy prisoners.听
Throughout our years of captivity we came across very few Japanese Christians and I shall always remember this young Japanese soldier
who wonderfully demonstrated his faith.

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THE DEAN:听
Rare events such as this, plus the everyday comradeship and humour shared with fellow prisoners, and what he described as the short but 鈥榯hrilling鈥� services he led in makeshift chapels, all led Eric Cordingly to be thankful for what he called: 鈥楾he most wonderful time in my life鈥�one saw people as they really were.鈥櫶�

CHOIR: Praise to God in the Highest (Campbell)听听听听听听听听听 听

THE DEAN:
Our prayers are led by Alexandra Metcalf, Maria Bullen-Bell, and Nicola Dallinger:听 three granddaughters of Far East Prisoners of War, as they visited the National Memorial Arboretum鈥�

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PRE-REC - PRAYERS (PRE-RX鈥檇 鈥� same time and place as David Childs)
In:听
Out:
Dur:听

O Lord,听 may we draw strength from those whose lives were rudely cut short, and how they sacrificed their future so that we,
the generations of today,听 can flourish in happiness and success.

And may we learn from those who survived
but still suffered in silence with the memories every single day,
and make it our duty to ensure that this suffering is never forgotten,
that their hardship was never in vain.
Lord in your mercy,
ALL: hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father,
please help us always to hold in our hearts,
the thankfulness we have for their sacrifices.
For generations to come, we will remember them.

Lord in your mercy
ALL: hear our prayer.

THE DEAN:听 鈥�any topical prayer(s) needed 鈥�

The following prayer was used at the Solemn Commemoration on the Centenary of the outbreak of the First World War at Westminster Abbey in August last year, and it serves well today:

听听听听听听 Lord God, you hold both heaven and earth in a single peace.
Let the design of your great love shine
on the waste of our wraths and sorrow,
and give peace to your Church,
听听听听听听听 peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts;
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
ALL:听 Amen.
THE LORD鈥橲 PRAYER听

THE DEAN:听 Let us sum up all our prayers, in the words our Saviour gave us:

ALL:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: Lift high the Cross (Crucifer)听
George William Kitchen 1827-1912 and M R Newbolt 1874-1956

BLESSING听
THE DEAN:

The Lord be with you.
ALL:听 And also with you.

God grant to the living, grace;
to the departed, rest;
to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth,
and all humankind, peace and concord;
and to us and all his servants, life everlasting;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.听
ALL:听听 Amen.

CHOIR: A Gaelic Blessing (Rutter) 听

ORGAN VOLUNTARY -听 J.S. Bach - BWV 545 鈥� in C Major