"We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: The LORD fulfill all thy petitions. Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; He will hear him from his holy heaven With the saving strength of his right hand." Psalms 20:5-9
On the day the Armistice was signed, I walked down the streets of one of our big cities and what do you think I saw? Well, just what you might have seen in any of the cities or towns of Scotland that day - crowds of boys and girls shouting and singing and waving flags. Most of the people I met were smiling, but the boys and girls were the happiest of all as they waved their banners of victory. It was the greatest day in their lives.
Now, boys and girls, what you did that day I want you to do always. I want you always to carry a Banner of Victory and the other name of that Banner is the Banner of Righteousness.
The psalm from which our text is taken might be called the National Anthem of Israel. It used to be sung before the Israelites went out to battle. The Israelites were God's chosen people. When they fought they felt that it was God's battles they were fighting. So when they went forth to battle it was in His name they set up their banners and then they felt sure of victory.
Now the Banner of Righteousness has God's name on it and that means two things. It means, first, that we are fighting for Him and, second, that He is fighting for us.
It means that we art fighting for Him. All those who fight for right within and without are fighting for God. But why should we fight for right? I want to give you three reasons.
The first is that anyone who is not on the side of right will be quite out of it. It is going to be the fashion, as it never was before, to champion right and justice. But that is a poor reason. I shall give you a better.
That is that we owe it to the men who laid down their lives for us. They died for us and for the cause of righteousness, but they left their work unfinished. I don't suppose there is a boy here who hasn't regretted that he wasn't old enough to go and fight. But, boys, there is something for you to do too. You can live for the cause they died for. You can take up the task they laid down. You can fill the blank - you and you alone. Will you do it? Will you stand for all that is brave and true and honorable and pure?
That brings me to the third reason, because the country, the world, is looking to the boys and girls to build it up again. And you can never have a good world without good people in it.
Boys and girls, have you realized how tremendous it is to be alive today, how stupendous it is just to be a boy or a girl? I would give a gold mine to be a boy or a girl just now. You are standing at the beginning of a new era, and what sort of era it is going to be depends largely upon you. What kind of world are you going to make, boys and girls? We are waiting to see.
But there is one thing we must not forget, for if we forget it our Banner of Victory may turn into a Banner of Defeat. If God's name is on our banner then it means that He is fighting for us. He is fighting for us when we are fighting for Him, and that means that we are under His protection and can suffer no harm.
Once during a time of martial law in Havana there was a street row and a man was shot. Everyone ran away except one Englishman who had nothing to do with the row. As he was on the spot he was arrested. Somebody was found to swear that he was guilty, and he was sentenced to be shot the following morning.
Now news of what had happened came to the ears of the British consul, and the next day he went to the place of execution and claimed the man as a British subject. The officer in command of the firing party showed his orders and said he could not release his prisoner. Then the consul asked permission to shake hands with the condemned man before he was shot. This the officer granted, and the consul walked up drew a Union Jack out of his pocket, and threw it round the Englishman. "Now," he said," shoot if you dare ! " The officer could not shoot through the flag without insulting the British nation, so he applied to the Governor for instructions, and the prisoner's innocence was soon proved.
There is a verse in the Song of Songs which contains these words, "His banner over me was love." If God's love is all round us and over us then no enemy can really harm us. We may bear the scars of many a tough fight, but we shall win through in the end.
Land of our birth, we pledge to thee
Our love and toil in the years to be ;
When we are grown and take our place,
As men and women with our race.
Father in heaven, who lovest all,
Oh help Thy children when they call;
That they may build, from age to age,
An undefiled heritage.
Teach us to bear the yoke in youth,
"With steadfastness and careful truth ;
That, in our time. Thy grace may give
The truth whereby the nations live.
Teach us to rule ourselves alway,
Controlled and cleanly night and day ;
That we may bring, if need arise,
No maimed or worthless sacrifice.
Teach us to look, in all our ends.
On Thee for judge, and not our friends;
That we, with Thee, may walk uncowed
By fear or favor of the crowd.
Teach us the strength that cannot seek.
By deed or thought, to hurt the weak;
That, under Thee, we may possess
Man's strength to comfort man's distress.
Teach us delight in simple things,
And mirth that has no bitter springs;
Forgiveness free of evil done,
And love to all men 'neath the sun!
Land of our birth, our faith, our pride.
For whose dear sake our fathers died;
O Motherland, we pledge to thee,
Head, heart, and hand through the years to be!
Kudyard Kipling, The Children's Song.
