Reflections Blog

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Low Sunday 19 Apr 20 20 St George Low Sunday then, low after the high feast of Easter last week. It was sometimes referred to in the Roman Church as Quasimodo Sunday: nothing to do with creeping around the belfry, nor even about Notre Dame de Paris, but rather, just as we often call the Sunday next before Advent 'Stir up Sunday' after the opening words of the Collect (you remember, Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people), similarly Quasimodo Sunday was so called because of the Introit at Mass on this day, which quotes from 1 Peter [2.2]: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. In Latin the opening ‘as newborn babes’ is Quasi modo geniti infantes. So, Quasimodo Sunday. Our prayers today, as daily for the past few weeks, have largely been driven by the current Coronavirus pandemic - and more than a few of us have had a least a touch of the disease. But let's for a moment think of something different, a bit jollier perhaps. Next week, as I'm sure everyone knows, we celebrate not only the birthday of William Shakespeare, born in 1564, and the anniversary of his death in 1616. But also on the same day, of course, St George's Day. Yet, although quite startling to someone brought up with school half-holidays on St David's Day, apparently fewer than one in 5 people in England know that St George is celebrated on 23 April, and allegedly more than a quarter of people living in this country don't know who England's Patron Saint is anyway! But we Church people know, and we can't let the week go by without some mention of St George. Still, we don't know a great deal about him and I'm afraid that the fight with the dragon to save the damsel has as little to do with St George as does being ripped apart by horses with St Hippolytus. Both legends really derive from Greek mythology. But the dragon has a good story and I'll touch on it later. It's difficult to put together an accurate account of George's life because there is so much myth and legend tied in but, from the bits that we do have, it seems fairly certain that he was born in the second half of the third century in Cappadocia, pretty much in the centre of what is now Turkey. His parents were Christian and, when his father died, his mother returned to her native Palestine, taking George with her. He enlisted as a Roman soldier and rose to the rank of Tribune, a senior officer. He was still serving in Palestine (or had returned there) when in 303 and 304 Emperor Diocletian directed the most devastating and sustained persecution of the Early Church. George was said to have torn up a copy of Diocletian's order against Christian soldiers - but, whatever, he was certainly arrested, imprisoned and tortured, but refused to deny his faith. Eventually he was dragged through the streets of Diospolis (now Lydda or Lod) and beheaded. The earliest solid record that we have was by the prolific writer Pope Gelasius (pope between 492 and 496), who observed that George was one of the saints 'whose names are rightly reverenced among us, but whose actions are known only to God'. And that was less than 200 years after George's death, so not much detail there. The first known British reference to George occurs in an account by St Ādamnan, an Irishman who became Abbot of Iona late in the seventh century: he had heard about him from Arcuif, a French bishop who had travelled to Jerusalem and other holy places in Palestine. The Venerable Bede also mentions George and the saint's reputation grew with the returning Crusaders. Indeed, in Fordington (an old village now a suburb of Dorchester) the church has above the south door an old stone carving of a miraculous appearance where, it was claimed, St George had led the crusaders into battle; naturally the church is dedicated to St George, believed to be the first church in England to have been so. Then, in 1222, the Council of Oxford named 23 April as St George's Day. And when Edward II founded the Order of the Garter in about 1348, he put it under the patronage of St George; and Edward IV & Henry VII subsequently built St George's Chapel, Windsor, as the chapel of the order. So from the 14th century then, St George came to be regarded, in England at least, as a special protector of the English; and English soldiers were told to wear 'a sign of St George' on their chest and back: the red cross that is now incorporated into our Union Flag and the White Ensign of the Royal Navy - and, of course, is the flag of the CofE too. The Feast of St George was promoted to principal status after the Battle of Agincourt on St Crispin's Day 1415, when many believed that they had seen him fighting on the English side. But his popularity waned somewhat after the Reformation as religious beliefs changed and even more so as gunpowder became the main weapon of war, and the lance and sword became less significant. So much so that, in 1778, the Roman Catholic Church demoted St George's Day from a feast day to a simple day of devotion - and even that became optional in 1970. Nevertheless, by then, in 1940, King George VI had inaugurated the George Cross: the highest gallantry award for civilians, and for military personnel in actions not in the face of the enemy - in effect a civil version of the Victoria Cross. The reverse of the George Cross depicts George slaying the dragon ... and I promised to rehearse that tale! Much earlier, St George's role was seen as involving verbal jousting and violent suffering rather than knightly adventures and derring do, but in 1483 Caxton printed a book called the Golden Legend - largely a translation of a French collection of fantastic details of saints' lives - and it told the tale of St George and the Dragon. This story goes that, born in Cappadocia as we've heard, George became a knight and went one day to Libya, to a city called Silene (the same place as Cyrene perhaps?). And by this city was a lake in which lived a fierce dragon which terrorized the whole country. At first, the people there had fed the dragon 2 sheep every day so that it wouldn't attack them, but when that eventually failed to satisfy, they gave it a sheep and a human. The king decided that the sacrificial man or woman should be chosen by lot, and this went on until the lot fell upon the king's daughter. The king tried to bargain his way out of the deal, but the people were adamant that the girl should be fed to the dragon just as so many of their children had been. So the poor lass was taken to the lake and left there, alone. But soon, St George just happened to be passing, saw her and asked what was up. She told him and begged him to leave before the dragon arrived and killed him too. To which, in the words of Caxton's book, George replied 'Fair daughter, doubt ye no thing thereof for I will help thee in the name of Jesu Christ.' And she: 'For God's sake, good knight, go your way, and abide not with me, for ye may not deliver me.' At which stage the dragon appeared and rushed towards them for its lunch. George leapt on his horse and attacked the beast with his lance, injuring it severely and driving it to the ground. He then persuaded the girl not to be afraid but to put her girdle around the dragon's neck: it then obediently and quietly followed her as she lead it into the city, where, of course, it caused major panic until George told them all not to be frightened, saying (again according to Caxton's book) 'Ne doubt ye no thing, without more, believe ye in God, Jesus Christ, and do ye to be baptized and I shall slay the dragon.' So, naturally, the king and thousands of his people were baptized right away. George duly killed the dragon and had it dragged out of the city; the king established a church of Our Lady and St George, where a fountain of healing water sprang up; and they all lived happily ever after. And there's a Rossetti watercolour of George marrying the princess! [1864] So there we have it - all we know of St George and a bit extra too. But there is little connection with England per se. Indeed, George became very popular all around, for he's also the Patron Saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; not to mention the cities of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and (with St Mark) Venice. He's also the Patron Saint of soldiers, archers, cavalry and chivalry, farmers and field workers, horse riders and saddlers, and in more recent years, the Scouting movement. But hardly a full-time Anglophile. Scotland enjoys a real apostle as its patron, while Ireland and Wales have their home-grown saints - and celebrate them with enthusiasm. So how about an English saint for England? There's Alphege and Anselm and, obviously, of course, Alban, a Romano-Briton, the first English martyr, executed traditionally in the same Diocletian persecution as was St George, though more recent study indicates that he was martyred either 50 or 90 years earlier. But I don't need to press his case before this congregation ... though ‘Cry, “God for Harry, England and St Alban”’ doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it! Still, St George it is: he's done us well and we should celebrate him. As Pope Gelasius said '[his] name is rightly reverenced among us, but [his] actions are known only to God'. And so to finish, as we sit, let us pray the collect for St George's Day: O God of hosts, who didst so kindle the flame of love in the heart of thy servant George that he bore witness to the risen Lord by his life and death: grant us the same faith and power of love that we, who rejoice in his triumphs, may come to share with him the fullness of the Resurrection: through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen. [1772 words] Postscript follows >> Postscript In the earlier days of the pandemic, Ginni's message in Pax opened with the first verse of Psalm 46 as in the Book of Common Prayer: God is our hope and strength, a very present help in trouble]. And how appropriate that remains for us now. A lovely and well-know psalm - and I'll pass on one of those little quirks that are of no real use, but which are quite fun. I learnt it from Inspector Morse! If you count 46 words from the beginning of Psalm 46, and 46 words from the end, just see what you get. You need to use the version in the Authorized Version of the Bible (the psalms in BCP come from the earlier Great Bible of 1539 edited by Myles Coverdale). And don't count the Selah that you will see as a separate word at the very end of the last verse. Actually, Selah appears 71 times at the end of verses in the psalms (and 3 times in the book of Habakkuk), and we don't know exactly what it means, but it's probably either a musical direction or an instruction about the reading of the text, something like 'stop and listen', so stressing the importance of what has gone just before - a bit like Amen perhaps. Anyway, Psalm 46: 46 words from the beginning and 46 words from the end (not counting the Selah). I mentioned the answer in my sermon.

Evening Prayer You may wish to light a candle and have some reflective music playing in the background. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33.27 Opening Sentences The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. Amen. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. Pause and reflect on the day that is past. Save us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ and asleep may rest in peace. Psalm A Psalm will be read here and may end with: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen. Bible Reading You may wish to use one of the following short readings or choose a passage of your own. These may very during live services. Sunday Evening You, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; leave us not, O Lord our God. Jeremiah 14.9 Monday Evening Thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30.15 Tuesday Evening Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11.28-end Wednesday Evening Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5.6,7 Thursday Evening Jesus said, ‘I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’ John 16.33 Friday Evening God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 1 Thessalonians 5.9,10 Saturday Evening Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ John 8.12 Prayers A period of silence may be kept where you are invited to offer the people and situations you are concerned about to God. The following prayers may be used but could vary in live services. Merciful God, we entrust to your unfailing and tender care this night those who are ill or in pain, knowing that whenever danger threatens your everlasting arms are there to hold us safe. Comfort and heal them, and restore them to health and strength; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the silent hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world, may rest upon your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Visit this place, O Lord, we pray, and drive far from it the snares of the enemy; may your holy angels dwell with us in peace, and may your blessing be always upon us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The Conclusion In peace we will lie down and sleep; for you alone, Lord, make us dwell in safety. The Lord bless us and watch over us; The Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious to us; The Lord look kindly upon us and give us peace. Amen. Materials in this booklet are drawn from Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, Common Worship: Pastoral Services, and Common Worship: Daily Prayer, all of which are copyright © The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England.

Morning Prayer

You may wish to light a candle and have some reflective music playing in the background. 

The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. God is close to those who trust in him. 

Nahum 1.7 

Opening Sentences 

O Lord, open our lips 

and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. 

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;

let us pray with one heart and mind. 

Pause for reflection as you offer the day to God. 

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever. Amen. 

Psalm

A Psalm will be read here

Bible Reading 

You may wish to use the weekly pattern of short readings given below, or choose a passage of your own. There may be different readings for live services.

Sunday Morning 

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: 

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. 

Isaiah 43.1-3a 

Monday Morning

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

John 14.1-6 

Tuesday Morning 

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. 

Philippians 4.8-9 

Wednesday Morning 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

Colossians 3.16,17 

Thursday Morning 

You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God. 

Ephesians 2.19-22 

Friday Morning 

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 

Romans 19.9-12 

Saturday Morning 

He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Luke 12.22-31 

Prayers 

A period of silence may be kept where you are invited to offer the people and situations you are concerned about to God.  The following prayers may be used but could vary in live services.

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you that you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day. Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger; order us in all our doings and guide us to do always what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress. Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. 

The Lord’s Prayer 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 

The Conclusion 

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life. 

Amen. 

Let us bless the Lord. 

Thanks be to God.

Palm Sunday 2020

Matt xxi.8. A great multitude spread their garments in the way.

            'All the world's a stage and all the men & women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances'. Shakespeare could almost have written that about the events of Holy Week which we commemorate at this time. We witness a huge drama spread over several days with many people taking part. There are the major figures: Jesus (above all), Pontius Pilate, Annas & Caiaphas dominate the scene. Then there are those merely with walk on parts. Simon of Cyrene who was pressed into carrying Christ's cross. He had come all the way from North Africa, now he was unclean, unable to take part in the Passover Festival - but he became a follower after the crucifixion. Joseph of Arimathea who gave Christ his tomb; he was someone of importance who privately cared about Christ & what He stood for. The penitent thief. I am sure that the two who were crucified with Jesus were terrorists, followers of that Barabbas who lived as Jesus died – how ironical that scenario is. Judas Iscariot, the enigma, surely the most fascinating figure of the entire Bible; there is infinitely more in his betrayal of Jesus than the Bible would imply. 

            Then there is the CROWD. They play a significant role in the Passion narrative and without them Christ could never have been crucified. Instead of taking the usual Biblical line, let's look at them more realistically. Jesus comes into Jerusalem on a donkey, mocking the generals who entered Rome triumphantly on a white charger surrounded by their troops and followed by the slaves they had captured. Jesus by contrast comes into the Holy City in peace on this symbol of humility, an ordinary looking man on a beast of burden. To us 2000 years ago it is full of meaning, but to others it is very different. Jerusalem is bursting with pilgrims. The threat of civil disobedience is at its highest, the Roman occupying forces are terrified of open rebellion. This could be the spark that sets off a riot that they are unable to control. But to make a move against this demonstration would be to risk greater trouble. They can only watch and hope.

As for the crowd, they are bored, looking for something to do, some form of entertainment. Then along comes this carpenter and His followers, mocking the Roman Triumph. It's always entertaining to mock authority and this is worth watching. Worth joining in, by tearing down branches, shouting what the disciples were shouting even if they don't mean what they are saying. To them the Triumphal Entry is no more than street theatre, a means of killing time. Jesus is relieving their boredom for a bit. They can have no idea that they are unwittingly taking part in the prelude to the greatest event, the greatest tragedy in human history – but whoever heard of a street entertainer being the centre of such an event.

Jesus enters Jerusalem – and He does two acts that make Calvary inevitable. First He cleanses the Temple, antagonizing the Jewish authorities and hitting them where it most hurts – in their pockets. Then He just teaches. This second act does three things; it's the most under-rated action in the tragedy. First, by teaching His own brand of religion where the Jews teach a completely different one, He antagonises them even further (if that were possible).  Second He shows Judas Iscariot (who was surely at heart a terrorist, a member of the Sicarii, the People of the Dagger) that He was not going to start the revolution that he joined the Twelve to be a part of; the betrayal of Jesus that follows is because Jesus has betrayed him. Third, He stops entertaining the crowd. He has become boring, they have no further use for Him.

It just needs one final element to set the tragedy into its final stages – someone who can whip up the crowd and turn them into the force that will ensure that Jesus is condemned to death. For the crowd have the power to blackmail Pilate into condemning Jesus to death; they can potentially cause a riot that will end the career of the ruthlessly ambitious governor. Pilate knows it and he will do anything to prevent it. Annas and Caiaphas also know this, and they know that they can also use the crowd to assert their power over Pilate once and for all. So Jesus also becomes a pawn in a power struggle over who really rules Israel. It's a fascinating scenario, a struggle also between two types of looking at life, between evil and good, materialism and spirituality, selfishness and self-giving. And the crowd, utterly disillusioned by Jesus bring everything to a head. Having proclaimed Him as Messiah they no longer need Him. They can bay for His blood, stirred up by an orator – because this too is street theatre, albeit of a much more sinister type. They can be swayed, they can be swept along by hysteria, they can get things done without realising the long term effects of them (I can't help rightly or wrongly seeing a parallel between this mass hysteria and the Nazi rallies at Nuremburg). The crowd hold the reins of power, not that they know it – and they are fickle.

It is the crowd that ultimately condemn Jesus to death. Without them Jesus could not have been condemned. Obviously they weren't the most guilty in Christ's condemnation but they played their part. In that passage that we read every Christmas, St John writes that 'the light shines in the dark & the darkness has never quenched it'. This lies near the heart of what Christ's Passion really means. It is a conflict between darkness and light, evil and good. On the one side there are Annas and Caiaphas, Pilate, the crowd and everything they represent. On the other side there is Christ the Son of God and everything that He stood for. Superficially it seems at Calvary that evil has conquered good, but in the Resurrection we see that good can never be conquered, that love will conquer hatred, light will conquer darkness. In order to have Easter there must first be Calvary, but on the cross Christ condemns everything that the world stands for. The ambition of Pilate, the hypocrisy and machinations of the priests, the fickleness and selfishness of the crowd, the materialism of the world as a whole. They are held to account as Jesus stumbles along the Via Dolorosa, and in dying He passes God's verdict on them. 

But it lies deeper even than this. I am fascinated by the trial of Jesus by Pilate. It is far too complicated to go into detail, but we see in Pilate's misunderstanding of Our Lord's Kingship the same misunderstanding that the crowd had at the Triumphal Entry, that the Jews had as they dreamed of the Messiah who would make Israel great again. 'My Kingdom is not of this world' Our Lord declares to the governor. Pilate can't understand because he thinks on a different level to Christ. Our Lord taught the priority of humility, of love, of unselfishness. Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek. These are the values of the Kingdom, these are what He represents. So the cross becomes Christ's throne, His robes the tattered garments in which He died. Here He passes judgement on the world, but in doing so He shows His love even for those who others would see as His enemies. His spirit must be in us, as once again in spirit we walk the lonely path to Golgotha. Paul writes to the Philippians, 'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, & took upon Him the form of a servant & was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man He humbled Himself and became obedient even unto death, death on the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow'. Christ reigns from the cross, the cross is the expression of everything for which He stands. The grief of Calvary leads as inevitably as anything could lead to the joy of the empty tomb and everything for which it stands. In pondering it we see His love for us and for the world; 

The Reverend Paul Lanham 

 we also see a challenge which as His followers we cannot avoid.