Revd Janet Allan 於二〇二六年十一月八日在聖馬田堂之講道
經課：所羅門智訓 6:12–16；帖撒羅尼迦前書 4:13–18；馬太福音 1: 13
A Sermon preached at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 8 November 2026 by Revd Janet Allan
Readings: Wisdom 6: 12 – 16; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13 – end; Matthew 25: 1 – 13
大約三十年前，我有一位朋友喺呢度附近一間學校教歷史。有個學生問佢：「你一直講第二次世界大戰——咁即係話，原來仲有第一次世界大戰㗎？」
記念喺戰爭中失去生命嘅人非常重要，因為我哋要將人類喺最可怕嘅歲月中學到嘅智慧傳畀下一代，幫助佢哋為和平努力。我哋今日聚首一堂，記念喺兩次世界大戰，以及其後各場衝突中奮戰同付出犧牲嘅人。我哋記念嗰啲被派往戰場、最終獻出生命嘅人；記念嗰啲帶住嚴重傷患返嚟、希望同夢想破滅嘅人；亦記念嗰啲經歷炮火轟炸、囚禁，或者好似香港當年咁遭受敵軍佔領嘅人。
我哋記念，因為每一個失去生命嘅人，都係上帝所愛、獨一無二嘅人。
我哋記念，因為我哋盼望所有戰爭終有一日止息，並且建立真正而持久嘅和平，讓每一個人都可以擺脫暴政同不公，活出豐盛嘅生命。
剛剛過去嘅星期一，基督教援助會（Christian Aid）喺呢度舉行咗一場講座。講者 Thant Myint-U 嘅祖父吳丹（U Thant），曾經擔任聯合國第三任秘書長。佢向我哋生動地講述第二次世界大戰之後，聯合國成立嘅經過。雖然當時各國嘅意識形態唔同，但大家都希望搵到一個方法，可以攜手為和平努力，避免日後再有咁多人失去生命。呢個正正係成立聯合國嘅主要動力，亦係聯合國工作嘅核心目標。吳丹係一位緬甸外交官，來自當時新近獨立嘅成員國之一。佢最初只係暫代秘書長一職，接替喺一場疑點重重嘅空難中突然身亡嘅前任秘書長哈馬紹（Dag Hammarskjöld）。吳丹似乎特別善於調解衝突，後來更擔任咗兩屆完整任期嘅秘書長。1962年古巴導彈危機期間，佢亦發揮咗重要作用，協助緩和局勢，並促成蘇聯同美國雙方都能接受嘅妥協方案。
締造和平唔係被動等待，而係需要積極行動：需要智慧、周詳嘅準備，亦需要懂得聆聽，並鼓勵其他人彼此聆聽。我哋今日第一篇讀經提醒我哋，要主動尋求智慧，時刻保持警醒。福音同樣講到智慧嘅重要，亦提醒我哋，缺乏準備可以帶來嚴重嘅後果。就好似比喻中嘅十個童女，我哋唔知道新郎幾時會嚟，亦唔知道要喺邊一日、邊一個時辰做好準備；但我哋可以由今日開始裝備自己。
今日，隨住世界強國嘅勢力不斷轉變，科技亦持續發展，包括人工智能在內嘅新技術，都可能衝擊現有嘅安全保障；戰爭嘅威脅亦以唔同形式出現。每逢星期三，聖馬田教堂都會舉行「靜默一小時」（Silent Hour）。我哋一齊為世界和平祈禱，亦點燃蠟燭，作為禱告嘅記號。呢啲聚會讓我哋有機會敞開心靈，讓聖靈引導我哋走向智慧，亦讓我哋感受到同心祈禱嘅力量。
我曾經翻查香港義勇軍/皇家香港軍團（Hong Kong Regiment）嘅歷史。佢哋當年同英軍並肩作戰，保衛香港，傷亡非常慘重。喺2,200名官兵當中，有289人陣亡、受傷或失蹤；而佢哋亦獲頒37項英勇獎章。部分倖存者後來更前往緬甸提供支援。
今日我哋每一個人嚟到呢個記念嘅時刻，都帶住屬於自己世代、族群、文化、家庭同朋友嘅集體記憶。稍後領聖餐之前，我哋會一同靜默。喺靜默之中，失去嘅一切可能會令我哋格外心痛；有時痛得咁深，甚至令我哋忍唔住問：喺嗰啲血腥同浩劫之中，上帝究竟喺邊度？
然而，我哋知道，上帝當時喺度……今日仍然喺度……將來亦永遠都會喺度……即使人類嘅失敗令世界變得如此混亂，上帝仍然與我哋同在。上帝愛世人，甚至親自降生喺我哋中間，承受人類彼此傷害所帶來最殘酷嘅苦難。耶穌基督喺十字架上受盡羞辱同痛苦而死，但藉住佢嘅復活，向我哋顯明：愛比死亡更有力量。無論處境幾咁破碎，都冇任何事係上帝無法救贖嘅。正如聖保羅所寫，上帝必藉住耶穌，將嗰啲已經離世嘅人同佢一同帶來。
所以，當我哋見到世界各地仍然有暴力同衝突，不公同殘酷似乎佔咗上風，甚至令我哋幾乎陷入絕望嘅時候，要記住：上帝分擔我哋嘅痛苦，與我哋一同受苦，亦透過我哋嘅行動，讓佢嘅國度來臨。無論係我哋個人，定係整個教會群體，每一步向世界彰顯上帝之愛嘅行動，都有意義，亦會帶來豐盛嘅回報。讓我哋祈求，願我哋永遠記住逝者嘅犧牲；亦願喺上帝嘅幫助下，佢哋留畀我哋嘅精神，最終化成持久嘅和平。
我哋一齊祈禱：
主啊，喺呢個和平紀念日，我哋懷住感恩嘅心嚟到祢面前：感謝嗰啲為咗讓我哋得以存活而獻出生命嘅人；感謝嗰啲為咗讓我哋得享喜樂而忍受痛苦嘅人；感謝嗰啲為咗讓我哋得享自由而承受囚禁之苦嘅人。既然有人為和平而犧牲，願我哋亦為和平而活，為咗和平之君、我哋嘅主耶穌基督嘅緣故。阿們。
（改編自 Leslie D. Weatherhead〔1883–1975〕的祈禱文；原稿註：SPCK 1075，JRA 修訂）
About thirty years ago, a friend was teaching History in a school not far from here, and a student said, “You have been talking about the Second World War – does that mean that there was a First World War?”
Remembering those lost in war is vital, so that wisdom gained in the most terrible of times can be passed on and help future generations to work for peace. We gather today to remember the sacrifices made by those who fought in those two world wars, and in conflicts since.
We remember those sent to fight, who made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives; those who returned with devastating injuries and hopes destroyed; those who suffered through bombardment, imprisonment or occupation by enemy forces as in Hong Kong;
We remember, because each life lost was an individual beloved of God.
We remember because we want an end to all wars, and to build true and lasting peace in which all may flourish, free from tyranny and injustice
On Monday, the Christian Aid lecture was held here, and the speaker – Thant Myint-U – whose grandfather, U-Thant, was the Third Secretary General of the United Nations, gave a fascinating account of the formation of the United Nations after the Second World War. Despite differing ideologies, finding a way to work together for peace and avoid such waste of life in future, was the driving force behind the formation of the UN and the main goal of its work.
U-Thant, a Burmese diplomat – hence from one of the newly independent member countries – became Secretary General on a temporary basis initially. He filled the sudden vacancy after the shocking death of his predecessor, Dag Hammarskjöld, in a plane crash in suspicious circumstances. U-Thant seems to have had a gift for reconciliation, and went on to serve two full terms as Secretary General, which included playing a major role to defuse the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and finding a compromise which the Russians and Americans could agree on.
Peacemaking is active work, requiring wisdom, thorough preparation, and an ability to listen and encourage others to listen. Our first reading spoke of the need to actively want to seek Wisdom, and to remain vigilant. Our gospel too speaks of the need for wisdom and of how lack of preparation can have disastrous consequences. Like the bridesmaids in the parable, we cannot know the day or the hour for which we need to be ready, but we can seek to prepare ourselves.
Nowadays the threat of war comes in many different ways as world powers shift, and technologies, including artificial intelligence, can jeopardise existing safeguards. Each Wednesday, there is a Silent Hour here in St Martin’s when we pray for peace in the world and also light a candle as a sign of our prayers. Such gatherings are an opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into wisdom, and also a time when we sense the power of praying together as one.
I looked into the history of the Hong Kong Regiment which fought alongside British forces to defend Hong Kong, and I saw that they suffered horrific casualties. 289 men out of 2,200 were killed, wounded or missing, yet they gained an extraordinary tally of 37 bravery awards, and survivors went on to Burma’s aid.
We each come to our acts of remembrance with the collective memories of our generation, race, culture, family, friends. And in the silence, which we’ll hold today before sharing communion, the poignancy of what was lost may be sharp. Sometimes so sharp that we may wonder where God was in all the carnage.
And yet we know that God was there… is there…will always be there…. in all the mess of human failure. God’s love for the world led him to be born among us and to suffer the worst that human beings can do to each other. Jesus Christ suffered a degrading and agonising death on the cross, but through his resurrection he showed us that love is stronger than death. Nothing is so bad that it cannot be redeemed by God. As St Paul writes: through Jesus God will bring with him those who have died.
So if we are tempted to despair when we see ongoing violent conflict in the world, and if injustice and cruelty seem to prevail, we know that God shares our pain, suffers with us, and works through us to bring in his kingdom.
Each step we take, individually and as a community, to show God’s love in our world will count and will bring rich rewards. So let us pray that we will always remember the sacrifices of those we have lost – and that with God’s help their legacy may be lasting peace.
Let us pray
On this Remembrance Day we come, O Lord, in gratitude for all who have died that we may live, for all who endured pain that we might know joy, for all who suffered imprisonment that we might know freedom. As men and women died for peace, we may live for peace for the sake of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[Leslie D Weatherhead (1883-1975) SPCK 1075 alt by JRA]