When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.

The Charge of the Light Brigade, by Alfred Lord Tennyson (about an operation gone horribly wrong and the valor of those on the losing end)

and

The Last of the Light Brigade, by Rudyard Kipling, (about the suffering of those same surviving soldiers in their old age)

Loving and holy God, you are always near us,

You are near us on the pastures of peace, you are near us in the gutters of war

You call us to love our neighbor, which is tough enough.
You also call us to love our enemy, which often can only be done with your help.

You know the deep brokenness within us and in your world.

You know that some atrocities cannot be stopped by words alone.
You know that sin is a grisly reality in your world.

You know the commitment that some have made to protect, even at the cost of their own lives.

You know that war is hell.

Grant us your peace on this Veteran’s Day/Armistice Day, a day given to honor the service of veterans throughout this great land, as well as a day given to remember when war stopped.

Grant us the courage to be agents of healing for all people and lands ravaged by the scourge of war.

Grant our leaders the moral integrity to soften the drums of war until they rest completely.

Grant our service members your wisdom and protection.

Grant their families the support they need when war separates them.
Bless those making peace in battlefield hospitals, refugee camps, and diplomatic arenas.

Teach us how to turn our swords into plowshares.

Give us all true peace.

This we pray through your Son, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, may we follow and be more like him.

Amen.