Part I: Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, Remembrance Sunday, 09 November 2025, by Major Michael Ramsay, Royal Canadian Legion Chaplain (Padre), Branch 293. And to Harvest Community, 08 November 2026
Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.
INVOCATION: Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God. Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth forever more.
Today as at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, time stands still for a moment; and we remember those who died, not for war, but for a world that would be free and at peace.
Those who lay down their lives in battle are almost never those who put their lives at risk by declaring war. Those who choose to fight a war are rarely those who fight in that war. Those who tell us why they send people to fight rarely stop and ask the person on the front why they are in the fight. Those who decide that soldiers will die at war almost never themselves die at war.
Remembrance Day is a lamentation. It is when we remember our family members, community members, loved ones and others who are no more because they died, and were in a position to die, before peace could be obtained in a quarrel they did not pick. We will remember them.
Psalm 116:3-4:
The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
Isaiah 2:4:
He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
PRAYER: Almighty God. You are our refuge and strength; we humble ourselves in Your presence, and, remembering the great things you have done for us, we lift up our hearts in adoration and praise. As you have gathered us together this day, we give You thanks for all who served in time of trial.
In remembrance of those who made the supreme sacrifice, make us better men and women, and give us peace in our time, O Lord.
Last Post, 2min. Silence, Reveille, Piper’s Lament
Act of Remembrance
Laying of the poppies
BENEDICTION: Almighty God, as You have gathered your people together this day in hallowed remembrance, we give You thanks for all who laid down their lives for our sake, and whom You have gathered from the storm of war into the peace of Your presence. Let the memory of their devotion ever be an example to us, that we at the last. Being faithful unto death, may receive with them the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Devotion 2.29/81: John 15:13: Life
PART II: Presented to River Street Cafe, 11 November 2016 and Harvest Community (plus extemporary additions), 08 November 2026
Read John 15:12-15
John 15:12-15: 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends, John 15:13.
On November 11, 1918, the armistice was signed to end the Great War, the war to end all wars – the First World War. Canadians, our friends and our family, in service to God, King, and country, marched overseas to lay down their lives for our friends.
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.
On November 11, 1813, 200+ years ago, Canadians repulsed an horrific enemy invasion, with the help of our friends, the British and the First Nations. We laid down our life for our family. They laid down their life for us, their friends.
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.
On November 11, we remember also our friends and families who headed overseas for World War II, in service to God, King, and country to lay down their lives for their friends.
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.
In the Cold War that followed, again Canadians headed overseas – this time to Korea – to offer our lives on behalf of our allies and to lay down our lives for our friends.
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.
As the cold war progressed, Canadians donned blue berets for the first time protecting and reconciling populations, and still offering our lives for our friends.
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.
2000 years ago, Jesus died on the cross so that we all may live.
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.
Through the real horrors of the wars a great thing happened: Canada’s primary foes during 1814, 1914, and 1944 are now some of our closest allies. Our soldiers laid down their lives for us, their friends. And they laid down their lives so that we could be reconciled to our brothers. Canada is reconciled to her old foes and united with them more than ever because of the sacrifice of friends, siblings, parents, grandparents, our veterans.
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.
And it was through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we all may experience this same reconciliation with God.
Jesus laid down his life for us, his friends.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace and today we are still fighting for peace as our soldiers are still laying down their lives so that one day the dreams of World War I can be realized; one day ‘the war to end all wars’ will finally have been fought and then their deaths will not have been in vain for their will be no more need for tears or for brave young men and women lay down their lives for their friends.
Today as we remember those who have laid down their lives for us, their friends, so that we could be reconciled with our old foes, let us us – as veterans do every year – remember that Christ laid down his life for us, his friends so that we could be reconciled to God.
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