This past week we have been celebrating and commemorating VE Day: Victory in Europe Day. It marked the formal conclusion of Hitler's war. With it came the end of six years of misery, suffering, courage and endurance across the world.
After the suicide of Hitler on 30 April 1945, it was left to Grand Admiral Donitz, who had been President of the Third Reich for a week, to surrender. Donitz travelled to General Eisenhower's HQ at Reims in France, and, in the presence of senior officers from Britain, America, Russia and France, surrendered unconditionally to the Western and Russian demands on 7 May 1945.
The war-weary British began to rejoice straight away rather than waiting for the official day of celebration on the 8th. There had been years of austerity and rationing: five inches of water for a bath, few eggs, no bananas and the motto 'make do and mend'. Half a million homes had been destroyed, thousands of civilians had been killed and many millions of lives disrupted. And although the casualty lists from the battlefields were lower than in World War One, they were still terrible.
So in London on the 8th May at 3pm Churchill made a radio broadcast. In Trafalgar Square, as his voice was relayed over loudspeakers, an eye-witness noted that 'there was an extraordinary hush over the assembled multitude'. Churchill later gave an impromptu speech on the balcony of the Ministry of Health, telling the crowds, 'This is your victory!'
It seems interesting that in the midst of this celebration and commemoration of 70 years since World World 2 essentially ended (although Victory in Japan was still to come in later months) we have been held in the grips of a General Election. This victory that Churchill talked about wasn’t a trophy, a prize or money; it was a victory for freedom and a desire to live a certain way. It is because of that victory that today we live in a democracy and have the freedom to vote for who will run our country. And so as we vote, as we live with the outcome of this election we thank God for those men and women who sacrificed much for our freedom.
Of course, over two thousand years ago another victory was won which gave us the ultimate freedom – from the chains of sin, freedom to approach God directly through Jesus Christ, and freedom from death. Because of that victory we know forgiveness, love, peace and eternal life – what a great victory that is.
I pray that we’ll never take for granted these victories won on behalf of us: may we never take our freedom to vote for granted, and more importantly may we never take the spiritual freedom we have because of Jesus Christ but instead live life in its fullness.
When was the last time you thanked God for victories won and for the freedom we can now enjoy? How about making a point of doing this right now!
Jesus we celebrate Your victory, Jesus we revel in Your love
Jesus we rejoice You've set us free, Jesus Your death has brought us life
It was for freedom that Christ has set us free,
no longer to be subject to a yoke of slavery
So we're rejoicing in God's victory, our hearts responding to His love
(John Gibson, @Thank You Music)
God Bless You
Captain Clare