In the silence we begin to assemble a dream of a new world out of the rubble of the old

Here's the reflection I shared during this morning's Armistice Day Service held at St Catherine's Wickford:

On the original Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, a profound and immediate silence fell across the battlefields of the Western Front at exactly 11:00 a.m., the moment the armistice officially came into effect.

This was the first time in more than four years that the continuous sound of warfare ceased in that region. The armistice had been signed by Allied and German representatives in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne, France, at 5:00 a.m., but fighting was ordered to continue until the appointed hour of 11:00 a.m..

For the soldiers at the front, the transition was abrupt and eerie:

• A sudden cessation of noise: The relentless "cough" and "fume" of artillery and the rattle of machine guns stopped instantly.
• Mixed emotions: There was little immediate celebration; the dominant feelings were a combination of relief, disbelief, and a profound sense of emptiness after 52 exhausting months of war.
• The sound of peace: One of the most noted aspects of the immediate aftermath was the sudden audibility of nature, such as a bird singing, a sound completely drowned out by the constant barrage moments before.

Inspired by a rare document in the Imperial War Museum's collections, a graphic record recreates the moment the guns fell silent on the 11th hour after the signing of the Armistice. The artillery activity it illustrates was recorded on the American front near the River Moselle, one minute before and one minute after the Armistice. The track is not a 1918 recording but it isn't a fake either. A painstaking process was used to make a realistic recreation of the moment. The sounds of gunfire and shells were reconstructed using the data recorded on the Western Front by the British Army's leading edge sound ranging equipment. Experts, including the Smithsonian Museum say that is a very realistic recreation.

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The singer-songwriter Judee Sill sings:

‘Every way beauty is slain, it's seen
Though no word is uttered, a grave silence rings
Underfoot innocents on the scene
With humble hearts shudder, assembling a dream

And in each one a manger is seen
Where the dark, by the spark, is redeemed’ (‘Til Dreams Come True’)

It is in silence, unannounced and on the edge, that the gospel finds the soil to take root and begin to grow in real lives. We begin to assemble a dream of a new world out of the rubble of the old not with explanation or information, but by sharing silence – opening up before one another and before God, our unknowing.

In silence, we become aware of our own noise, movement, and conflicts, being enabled to lay those things aside, while also encountering the peace into which God longs to draw us.

We are formed by this silence. As we enter into silence, we place ourselves in the presence of Christ. We create the place and space for a deeper listening to God, the longings of our own souls and a deep compassion for the world.

In silence we make our home with God. We are spiritually and physically turning to Christ and allowing the preoccupations of self to get out of the way so we can allow Christ to dwell at our very centre. Silence is that which allows room for the gift of self and for the gift of Christ to fill that space. The soul empties itself of all its own contents in order to receive the gift of humanity and divinity.

May we use the silence in this service to receive that gift and begin to assemble a dream of a new world out of the rubble, devastation and noise of war. Amen.

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Judee Sill - Til Dreams Come True.