5.00 pm April 23rd 2017
Readings: Exodus 15:1-13 Mark 16:1-8
In the Name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen!
INTRODUCTION
It would appear to be a fact of our human frailty, that we seek out someone or something to inspire us.
From the ancient “gods” to artists, musicians, singers, statesmen and women, those who have inspired generations with their unique gifts and talents on the world stage, hero’s – who have come and gone. Sometimes, contrary to what Shakespeare’s, Mark Antony says in his great oration, the ‘good often does live after’ a hero has died! So it would seem that something of the good of the Patron after whom this church is named, has lived after him, and although there is very little concrete information about the life of St. George available to our generation, his bravery and self sacrifice lives on in the imaginations of countless humans and inspires them to emulate him and to excel in their vocations.
ST. GEORGE’S LIFE – AN INSPIRATION
As you are well aware, St. George, the Patron Saint of this church, is the Patron Saint of England. The red cross on a field of silver, which symbolizes this saint, is the National flag of England and appears as the foundation of the Union Jack and is therefore included in the Australian, as well as the flags of many other Nations.
Why is it that St. George has inspired individuals and nations and his name has even been used in the commercial world, e.g., the St. George Bank, St. George stoves, etc., and even people (including a new young Prince in England) roads, suburbs, Colleges, schools, even football teams, etc., bear the name – “St. George”?
St. George, is described as a “Knight from Cappadocia,” (“The Penguin Dictionary of Saints”, p.148) and is said to have ‘’rescued a maiden from a dragon” at Silene in Libyia. Apparently on that occasion, so many people were so utterly inspired by the good saving and gallant action of St. George, that it is recorded that: “thousands were baptised” into the Christian faith. (“The Penguin Dictionary of Saints”, p.148)
St. George was an inspiring man, indeed!
There is a Biblical parallel In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we read of three thousand people being Baptised on the day of Pentecost in response to the inspiring and convicting sermon of St. Peter! (Acts 2:14-42)
How many tens of millions of people have been inspired, deeply touched, convicted, brought to faith in and been Baptized into the Christian faith by the life, teaching, death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as well as the inspiring and convicting lives of the great saints, like St. George?
You and I are living examples of this!
It was not only St. George’s action in saving the maiden in distress from the dragon, which was the kind of inspiration which led to the transformation of the lives of those “thousands” of people who were Baptised, more importantly, St. George was persecuted, tortured and beheaded for his Christian faith during Diocletian’s persecution at Nicomedia!
St. George’s martyrdom for his Christian faith sowed the seeds to inspire new resurrection faith in innumerable new Christians.
Ordinary human beings saw the life of St. George, his strength of faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, his willingness to count his own life as of nothing in order to glorify his Lord, Jesus Christ, and this has been that which has turned around many, many lives to live a new and better way, the life of the transformed believer to faith in the Son of God! This is the fruit of the sacrifice of our great forebears in the faith – especially St. George. Those who witnessed the brave and gallant action of St George in saving the maiden’s life from the dragon, obviously wanted to emulate something of the life of St. George and they, it seems, were eagerly Baptised, turning to live their lives in a different direction – living their lives in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and “shining as lights in the world to the glory of God the Father.” (“A Prayer Book for Australia”, p.60) Perhaps their thinking was: “If he’s a Christian, living his life of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and because of this has the courage to face a dragon, then I am inspired by his life of tangible faith in God – and I want to be like him – so I’ll be Baptized!” Who knows!
Do you ever ponder whether our Christian lives challenge and inspire others to come to know the reason why we live our lives of faith in God’s Son?
Of course, St. George and all Christians are “the saints” – the Bible refers to us in this way. (Ephesians 4:2) We are all called to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. One imagines, that if the life of St. George was so outstanding that his legend, his deeds of greatness, his courage, his absolute self sacrifice to the point of death for his faith in our Lord, have lived on for centuries and have, indeed, inspired generations, then it was his Christian life of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which was the reason why St. George had the fearless courage to live the life he lived.
As Mother Teresa said so simply: “We do it for Jesus”!
It was St. George’s own life of faith in the Son of God which enabled him to, as words of the Collect for the Second Sunday after Easter encourages us:
“Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life
of all who put their trust in him:
raise us, we pray, from the death of sin
to the life of righteousness;
that we may ever seek the things which are above,” (A Prayer Book for Australia”, p.505)
OUR LORD’S RESURRECTION POWER
It was God’s mighty resurrection power which raised our Saviour, Jesus Christ from the dead.
It was God’s mighty resurrection power which enabled St. George to live his life of faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ, and which enabled him to have the strength and courage to be brave, not only when faced with a dragon about to harm a young lady but also through persecution and torture unto death.
Because we believe in God and in His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, it is God’s mighty resurrection power which is at work within each of us, enabling us to triumph over evil (we renounced evil at our baptism and reiterated this promise at our Confirmation and every Easter day and whenever we have renewed our Baptismal vows)!
St. Paul echo’s the deep unremitting desire of the person who is in earnest to follow our Lord Jesus Christ when he expresses so very deeply, his heart and will’s desire, saying: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” (Philippians 3:10)
This same resurrection power, which God used to raise our Lord from death at Easter, is available to all who believe in Him. St. Paul describes the difference that coming to faith in God’s Son, Jesus, brings about in a person’s life, when he says: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
CONCLUSION
The life of St. George has been an inspiration to countless people.
St. Paul encourages all Christians, and this is especially an encouragement for us at St. George’s to put on the “whole armour of God” in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter six, saying: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the Gospel of peace. With these take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-17 – N.R.S.V.)
God Who has called us all to faith in Him and in His Son, Jesus Christ, is our enabler to be His light shining in this world – as did St. George.
“Now unto Him who is able to keep us from falling, and to make us stand without blemish in the presence of His glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now an forever. Amen!” (Jude 1:24)
The Lord be with you!