Seek Higher things

RAF College Cranwell 100 Remembrance Day BBC Sunday Service Script
Contributors (in order of appearance)Padre - Rev (Wg Cdr) David Norfield, The College ChaplainFlt Lt Charlie Coomber – RAF NurseStn Cdr – Gp Capt Gordon BettingtonSermon - The Venerable (Air Vice Marshal) John Ellis, Chaplain in Chief of the RAFFlt Lt Helen Kingswood – RAF Cranwell HQPrayers - Rev (Sqn Ldr) Phillip Wilson, RAF Cranwell Chaplain

Padre Good morning and welcome to the RAF College Chapel of St Michael and All Angels this Remembrance Sunday.
We are here at the world’s oldest military air academy, in this 100th anniversary year of its founding and the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, to remember those who have given their lives in the past in the service of the Crown and to give thanks for those who serve today. This year, of all years, we also remember those who serve our nation in different ways - in our health service, in our emergency services and in our own communities.
We are reminded in our opening hymn that throughout history God is our strength and refuge.

Hymn God is Strength and Refuge Daily Service Singers [BBC Recording]
Padre Grace mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you…
Let us confess to God the sins and shortcomings of the world: its pride, its selfishness; its greed; its evil divisions and its hatreds. In a moment’s quiet let us call to mind what is wrong, and our failure to seek and establish that peace which God wills for his people.Almighty God, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.Our confession reminds us that we all fall short of God’s expectations of, and hopes for, our lives, but on this Remembrance Sunday we remember those who have stood up and have not fallen short; those who have, and do, serve their country and other people. Our next hymn reminds us of the cost of serving our nation but it also speaks of the promise of God’s Kingdom. 

Hymn Holst I Vow to Thee my Country Laura Wright (soprano) The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra Decca 4764879 T.9
Padre Flt Lt Charlie Coomber is a serving nursing officer working here at RAF Cranwell in our Cadet welfare Sqn, but she recently stepped out of that role to offer extra support to the NHS … 
Charlie Coomber Interview [Ennio Morricone ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ from The Mission Helen Bailey (oboe) Band of the RAF College 2013 Sqn Ldr Chris Weldon (conductor) RAF Music RAFMRL006]
The first lesson is from the Prophet Isaiah Chapter 55, beginning at the 6th verse.Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your waysand my thoughts than your thoughts…You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”This is the Word of the Lord

Hymn Eternal Father Strong to Save Choir of St Martin in the Fields
Padre Our Gospel reading led by the RAF Cranwell Station Commander Gp Capt Gordon Bettington…
The reading is from the 2nd lesson of the Gospel of Mathew chapter 25 beginning at the first verse. "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.'But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.'Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hourThis is the word of the Lord.
Padre I would now ask the Chaplain in Chief of the RAF, the Venerable (Air Vice Marshal) John Ellis to preach for us…
AVM Ellis The Royal Air Force College at Cranwell, the first air academy in the world celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has always recognised diverse talent and sought to develop it. It is from here that together with other members of our armed forces, many have gone on to offer themselves in the service of the nation and for some, gone on to make that ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our nation.Indeed, this year sees us commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, in which many graduates of this college played key roles. Service is in the hearts of those who train here, their potential harnessed, honed and directed. True advocates of the College motto, ‘we seek higher things.’ Across the decades we have witnessed the ongoing sacrifices being made, and even today we witness our service personnel at the heart of the ongoing fight against the pandemic. Service is a value that never goes out of fashion and it naturally creates memories.The personal memories of all involved are so important. Through technology, through encounters, we can share in those often personal memories, of trenches, of tragedies, of dog-fights high above the earth, of lost friends, of bravery, valour, sacrifice and of course the reality of being simply frightened. There are many ways of coping with memories, one way is to remember the good times, whether it be an experience in conflict, our military service or even one of coping with the effects of these things at home. Photos and objects from those times can help us visualise, and better understand those memories. My father was in the RAF and even as a young boy I can recall the pride I felt, as his son with the many stories he would tell. Even now, at 88 years old, he only needs a prompt and another memory comes flooding back. He has the ‘rip cord’ from a parachute given to him as a memento by an American airman during the 1940’s, when he was a young teenager. It reminds him of how he would often watch the bombers going out, and not as many coming back, and more significantly of how he had watched a stricken bomber flying overhead, then seeing the air crew bail out and the aeroplane crash, of how he ran to help one of the men who landed nearby.Memories continue to be formed even today by our personnel and civilian colleagues working in all sorts of situations, our involvement in this years’ pandemic being a prime example. New memories are being formed on a daily basis and each one of them adds to the thousands of memories so many have, but it is important for each of us and later generations to be willing to listen and listen again. It is through this sharing and remembering that if healing is needed it can be found. Of course, we must bear in mind that there are some memories that are never recounted, not because they are forgotten and lie somewhere in the subconscious, no, it is because to put them into words is too difficult. Surely it is only through the power of God that these can be searched out and healed. Whatever the memory, however painful, however hard, Christ is with us and understands – and will not abandon us.Earlier I mentioned the Cranwell college motto, ‘we seek higher things.’ But there is much more than just ambition involved here. This enters into the spiritual, the acknowledgement that some things are indeed higher or better than others. But how do we know what they are? These are the things that lie in the spiritual domain, the very thing that we are pointed towards through our earlier reading from the prophet Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your waysand my thoughts than your thoughts.Understanding these ‘higher’ things helps each of us to build our resilience, particularly our spiritual resilience, that which helps us to understand and make sense of all these new memories, both the experienced and the listened to. As a Christian, I firmly believe that God is always present endeavouring through us to bring light out of darkness and so transform the world. We are challenged continually by God to learn, learn to love, and seek for peace. And part of that challenge, I believe, is for us to learn from the past, whether that be a hundred years ago or two days ago - and part of that learning is to listen to those who have served, military or civilian, and be continually reminded of why they served, of the good times, the humorous times, as well as the sad times and never leaving out the bad times.Conflict, peace, service and sacrifice are all part of the world we live in. Valuing all those who have served and those serving today is so important. A need to echo the value that Our Lord places on each of us as individuals is a good path towards seeking those ‘higher things’, things that we can only attain through His grace.
In a short while, at 11 o’clock we will pause, be silent and remember. But let’s take a moment now to reflect on what and who we want to remember and the significance of that act. And let us also take the opportunity to pray for the peace that we so enjoy to be ever strengthened, and hold up into the light those we know, those we knew, and those we have loved and lost. AMEN
Music Abide With Me Military Wives Choir MWCCD1 T.7
Padre We worship God who is good and just and true, God who created and sustains the world and who loves us though we have failed Him. We remember all who have given their lives in the struggle for justice and peace, all who suffer in war and conflict, and all who live in terror. We ask for God’s guidance and blessing that we may do God’s will and that we may be worthy of the sacrifices of others in the lives that we lead. There has been military flying here at Cranwell since 1916. In the village churchyard there are, sadly, graves from the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force resulting from accidents during those earliest days of aviation. Flt Lt Helen Kingswood, serving here in the College Head Quarters, has her own very personal story of a memorial here at the College….
Helen Kingswood Interview
[John Tavener arr Steven Isserlis Preces and Responses Steven Isserlis (cello), Caroline Dearnley (cello), Chiara Enderle (cello), Matthew Huber (cello), Vashti Hunter (cello), Bartholomew LaFollette (cello), Amy Norrington (cello), David Waterman (cello) Hyperion CDA68246]
Music Lord of the Dance Bach Choir David Willcocks (conductor) Chandos CHAN 6671 T.14
Padre As we come near to the end of our worship, as we look ahead to the national moment of Remembrance later this morning, Padre the Rev (Sqn Ldr) Phillip Wilson, will now lead us in our prayers. 
Flt Lt Wilson: Lord of years past, as we remember this day those from this RAF College at Cranwell, and all those on land, air and sea, who died that we might live, grant us grace to follow their good example and to carry on the work they began. May the offering of their lives not have been made in vain, and may we, and all people, be inspired to seek the higher things, as we respond to your call to nobler living.Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of this generation, we pray for all members of the armed forces – whether serving you at home or deployed overseas. Defend them in danger. Grant them courage to meet all occasions with discipline and loyalty, so may they serve the cause of justice and peace, to the honour of your name.Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord, during this pandemic, we pray for all who serve others, bringing health and well-being to all in their time of need. For scientists and doctors, nurses and care workers, and all on the front line, we pray. Bless the work of their brains, strengthen tired hands, and comfort tender hearts, that in the darkness of disease, there might be the light of your healing.Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of the nations, we pray for all in authority over us. Bless our country and commonwealth. Give wisdom and strength to Elizabeth our Queen, to her ministers and law-makers, and to all those who direct our common life. Grant that together we may fulfil our service for the welfare of the whole people, until that day when disease and war shall be no more, all for your praise and glory.
These prayers we ask in the name of Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven…

Padre Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage; hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the faint hearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honour everyone; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the holy spirit; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the son, and the holy sprit, be among you and remain with you always.

Hymn Guide me O Thou great Jehovah Wallingford Parish Church Choir Decca T.3