Greater Love.

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." The words of our Gospel reading. The words of our anthem.

Let me tell you a story.

Rosemary (my wife's) grandfather fought in the First World War. His name was Frank Arnold, and he was a private in the Royal Fusiliers. All his wife knew was that he was somewhere on the front line. Then one day in 1917 there came the dreaded knock on the door - a telegram. Frank Arnold had regretfully been killed in action.

His wife, and 2 daughters - one of whom was 7 years old, and the other, Rosemary's mother, aged 17- were (like thousands of others) left without a husband and a father.

Some time later a package came - the things removed from Frank Arnold's pockets before he was buried on the battlefield. There was a letter and a postcard, both addressed to Rosemary's mother, and 2 photos of his precious daughters. The postcard said: "Dear Jessie, Am alright. Look after Mum until I come home, love and kisses from Dad".

Passing through both photos is the hole of the bullet which killed Frank Arnold.

Rosemary's grandmother and mother gleaned more information in time. Frank Arnold was fighting with the Royal Fusiliers at Vimy Ridge, northwest of Arras. It was mainly a Canadian division at Vimy, but the Royal Fusiliers had been sent to reinforce them. Apparently Frank Arnold became ill - whether physical illness or shellshock we don't know. He was invalided from the front, and was promised some home leave. But then an all-out push at Vimy Ridge was ordered, and everyone who could stand on two feet was sent back to the front. Frank Arnold's leave was cancelled.

It was as he was carrying supplies to the forward trenches that he was shot. He was buried in an unmarked grave at Vimy Ridge, and his name was recorded with the fallen at the war cemetery in Arras.

All this we knew or found out. But Rosemary wanted to go there, and see where he died. So earlier this year we, and Lynette and Clive, did that - we went to the battlefields of northern France. We stayed at Ypres, and attended the moving "Last Post" ceremony at the Menin Gate. The names of 55,000 British soldiers who died at Ypres are recorded there.

Next day we went to Arras, and saw the row upon row upon row of headstones, and the thousands of names of those British soldiers who have no marked grave. And there, just one among the 35,000 names, was the name of Private Frank Arnold, Royal Fusiliers. And we said a prayer of thanks for him, and the sacrifice he made.

We went to Vimy Ridge - at first glance a beautiful, peaceful ridge, covered with pine trees, and full of birdsong. But when you look more closely the ground is pitted and scarred by the craters of thousands of shells and land mines. It is criss-crossed by the remains of trenches - the opposing sides dug in just yards from one another. Even today you cannot walk off the marked paths, because of the danger of unexploded shells.

It must have been, then, a hell-hole - a nightmare of mud, and flooded trenches, of screaming shells and explosions, of blood and mangled bodies. Over 11,000 died on Vimy Ridge, mainly Canadians, during that Easter push - when snow covered the ground, and cold rain pelted down into the mud and carnage. And just one of those 11,000 was Frank Arnold.

Somewhere in that hell of mud and desolation, where not a tree or bush was left standing, Somewhere in that place where the birds now sing again, and pine trees flourish, and poppies grow, Somewhere lie the remains of Rosemary's granddad.

Going there was an emotional experience, but also a healing one.

Frank Arnold, along with so many others, obeyed orders, fought for his king and country, his friends and his family, - and he laid down his life in the process. It is something that civilians of my generation have never been called on to do - though many soldiers have died in many wars since, and are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

"Greater love" - you can't do more than that. To give your life is the greatest gift you can give. "Lays down" - means gives it, surrenders it, hands it over. For Frank Arnold it meant handing over his hopes and dreams; his home and family, his 7 and 17 year old daughters, his future grandchildren. All laid down for others.

And that is the story that can be told over and over again - by both sides in countless wars.

So, who said those words: "Greater love has no man than this …"? Well it was Jesus of course.

And when and why did He say them? According to John 15 they are words spoken by Jesus to His disciples at the Last Supper. They had finished the meal, and Judas had already left to betray Jesus. Jesus was preparing the disciples for His imminent death.

And so these words actually refer to Himself. They are often quoted as referring to those, like Frank Arnold, who die in battle. But Jesus was actually talking about a different battle - the battle against sin and Satan.

And He himself was about to engage in this battle, And to lay down His life for His friends.

But, you know, it was even more marvellous than that. Paul reminds us in our first reading:
    "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
    though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
    But God demonstrates His love for us in this:
    While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Jesus laid down His life for His friends, yes! But He also did it for those who hate Him, or care nothing about Him. He died in fact for the whole world.

As Jesus hung on that cross, bleeding and dying, He was engaged in a battle with sin. He took on Himself, in His body on the cross, the sins of the whole world. He died, He laid down His life, in our place, so that we can live in peace - peace with God.

Frank Arnold left his home and family in Surrey for the hell of Vimy Ridge. He died for his King and country, his friends and family, In a cruel war that proved not to be, after all, the war to end all wars.

Jesus left His Father and throne in heaven to come to a blood-stained battle field outside Jerusalem. He died for the world, for you and for me - to bring a deep and lasting peace with God.

"He died, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God." You know, the ultimate hope for real peace,
- peace between man and God
- peace between man and man

lies in the death, not of Frank Arnold, courageous though that was. It lies in the death of Christ. He brings us the hope of a new world,
where there will be no hellholes-
    no Vimy Ridge or Belsen,
    no Hiroshima or Darfur,
    no Baghdad or Helman or Gaza

where God will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, And war and hate will be no more.

Amen! Come Lord Jesus!

David Webster