With this 12 months being the eightieth anniversary of the tip of World War Two, churches in Britain want to mark the event by hosting traditional street parties and releasing a Second World War-inspired version of the Gospel of John.
The Second World War resulted in Europe on 8 May 1945 – referred to as Victory in Europe or VE Day – with the give up of Germany. Later that 12 months, on 15 August, the war against Japan also got here to an end.
To mark the occasion, Christian organisation Hope Together has partnered with Biblica to provide a special edition of the Gospel of John which, in addition to containing the gospel text, tells “4 real-life stories of religion and courage in World War II”.
The recent edition’s design is predicated on the Bibles or Gospels that were issued to British soldiers throughout the war. Many of the scriptures that got to the troops included messages from King George VI encouraging them to look to God within the difficult times ahead.
Those behind the project say that the intent is to honour those that fought within the conflict, a lot of whom would never make it back home. It can also be hoped that a recent generation will have the opportunity to interact with the lifetime of Jesus recorded within the Gospel and that churches can pray together for peace.
Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf, the Executive Director of Hope Together told TWR Radio how she believes that this 12 months’s VE Day celebrations are a likelihood to bring people together and to share the Christian faith.
“It’s a very great opportunity to point to the Lord, because we get the possibility to point to the indisputable fact that there have been the national days of prayer, that individuals prayed together in our nation during World War Two,” she said.
The government has confirmed that 4 days of celebrations and events will mark the eightieth anniversary. There is not going to be an extra bank holiday, nonetheless the timing does coincide with this 12 months’s May Day bank holiday.
