Armistice Day Centenary

Posted on by Shadyside Presbyterian Church
Detail of the World War I memorial plaque below the “Easter Morn” art glass window panels in the north transept of the Sanctuary of Shadyside Presbyterian Church. Presented in 1920 by Mr. and Mrs. James H. Hammond to the glory of God with thanksgiving for peace and victory, the bronze tablet was created by Signor Giuseppi Moretti.Remembering Those Who Have Passed; Praying for Peace

November 11, 2018, will mark 100 years since Germany and the Allies signed an agreement to end hostilities during World War I. The years that this war raged have left their mark around the world, including in our own congregation. Take a moment to read the names of those in our congregation who served in WWI written on the plaque on the pulpit side transept in our Sanctuary. The placement of this plaque could not be more appropriate, for when you take a step back from reading the names and look up, you see, portrayed in the beauty of stained glass, both Mary grieving by the empty tomb and the resurrected Christ hovering above you. As wars continue around the world, the juxtaposition of this plaque and the stained glass remind us that, even as we grieve like Mary for the loss of loved ones, when confronted with death, our hope is in the resurrected Christ — for we are promised, “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

On November 4, when we celebrate All Saints’ Day as a congregation both in our morning and afternoon services, we remember all who passed before us and entered the Church Triumphant. And on November?11, as a nation, we remember all who served and work for peace, including those who are forever etched on the plaque in our Sanctuary. Please take time this November to remember and honor those who have passed; to give thanks for those who promote peace; and to pray for Christ’s reign of peace, in which we place our hope, to come.

Contributed by the Reverend John F. Magnuson, Associate Pastor for Discipleship

Architectural Photograph: Detail of the World War I memorial plaque below the “Easter Morn” art glass window panels in the north transept of the Sanctuary of Shadyside Presbyterian Church. Presented in 1920 by Mr. and Mrs. James H. Hammond to the glory of God with thanksgiving for peace and victory, the bronze tablet was created by Signor Giuseppi Moretti.