Archbishop Peter Jensen has delivered an address at the Remembrance service which ended the Sydney ANZAC Day march, as Anglican churches across Sydney marked the 95th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing.
Some churches played a DVD featuring an address from the Archbishop or an interview with Moore College historian Colin Bale about war graves across the world, while others had local service personnel or veterans as special guests.
Before a crowd at the Hyde Park Memorial, Dr Jensen spoke of visiting the graves of Australian war dead, during a visit to Jerusalem two years ago.
“You may have thought that I would make straight for the sacred sites of the Christian religion. But they were not for me. Instead, I went to the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and visited the graves of our war dead, especially the Light Horsemen who took part in the liberation of Palestine and particularly Jerusalem. I wanted to stand amongst them and remember them.”
“Thank God we are not a war-like nation. Thank God we treasure the things that make for peace. But thank God we are also prepared to sacrifice where necessary even though it leads to loss and grief.” he told the crowd.
“Just down the hill from that cemetery, there was once another grave. We even think we know the spot where it was. Into this grave went the corpse of a man who died as a result of violence. Another victory for death and evil. But, in a stupendous act of God, the process of death and judgment was reversed and he was resurrected from this grave. Jesus Christ rose from the dead by the power of God and unlike all the other graves around him, his grave is empty. He is not here, he is risen.” said Dr Jensen.
Below: Video featuring Archbishop Peter Jensen speaking to historian Dr Colin Bales about WWI and what we can learn about those who fought from the inscriptions on their graves.
The Archbishop spoke just after the crowd had sung the hymn popular on Anzac Day, ‘Abide with Me’.
“We cherish ANZAC because it is our chief opportunity to reflect on the abiding things which make us a people, a nation. But our reflection is shallow if we do not see that the whole thing is part of an even bigger narrative, the narrative of God's warfare on sin and evil and death itself. That is why, to this day when we gather like this, we allow ourselves to ask the biggest question, as so many in of our services would have also: "Where is death's sting? Where grave thy victory?' And like them we answer: "I triumph still if thou abide with me.' “
