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Good morning. Today Her Majesty the Queen is on a visit to Germany, 70 years after the end of the Second World War. 2015 seems to be a bumper year for anniversaries. Within a few days last week we celebrated the signing of Magna Carta and kept the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. In October there’s another English military victory in France to commemorate – it will be 600 years since Agincourt. In our villages, towns and cities commemorations of local events also seem more numerous than ever. Perhaps some of them are an excuse for a good party – nothing wrong in that – but it seems to confound those who claim the British have forgotten their history or lost interest in it. We seem more fascinated by the past than ever. A cynic would argue this is simply a reflection of a nation in decline, desperately re-living past glories. We can become romantic in our interpretation of former times, but most of our commemorations remind us of the complexities and ambiguities of our history. It isn’t simply a series of static facts. History offers an invitation to understand the present in the light of what has already happened. We’re trying to do that all the time in our daily lives. When the people of Israel were on the brink of reaching the Promised Land, Moses told them to remember their sufferings as well as celebrate their delivery into a rich and fertile place. And he gave them a surprising instruction – “Let the Levites and the foreigners who live among you join in the celebration of all the Lord God has given you.” In other words, don’t keep your history of salvation to yourself. Your own freedom cannot be enjoyed if you don’t celebrate it with others, especially those whose own well-being depends on you. Such ancient wisdom is needed in a world where nationalism, religion and ethnic identity are being used to create new barriers. Combatting such things is why the Queen’s visit to Germany, and especially to Belsen, is so significant. Here in Norfolk we are preparing for another important anniversary, this time from the First World War. In October it’s the centenary of the execution in Belgium of Edith Cavell, the English nurse who helped prisoners of war to freedom. She was the daughter of a Norfolk rector but became known the world over for her Christian courage and fortitude. Her last recorded words were “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone”. When our commemorations and anniversaries enlarge our vision, they are a blessing to us all.