Acts 9:36-43; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30

The Reverend Paul D. Allick, St. George’s Episcopal Church, April 25, 2010

 

 

This past Friday was the Feast of St. George. George is the patron saint of England, Greece, Beirut, Moscow, and the Episcopal Parish of St. Louis Park just to name a few. Why is this obscure figure from the fourth century so well known and honored to this day? For the same reason that most saints of God in Christ endure through the ages: courage, perseverance and constancy.

 

 

The most famous story about George is his slaying of the dragon. This story is a legend. The story of George’s martyrdom is probably more accurate and certainly more instructive.

 

 

George lived in what was then known as Palestine. He was part of a farming family. At 14 George lost his father. To make a life for himself he joined the Roman army and quickly advanced. In 303 the Emperor Diocletian required all military officers to make sacrifices to the Roman gods. George refused to do this and along with other Christian officers who refused he was arrested. But the emperor valued George very much so he offered him gifts of land, slaves and money to recant. George held firm. He donated all of his riches to the poor and prepared for his execution. He was tortured and then decapitated. After seeing his intense devotion, many more Roman Officers converted to Christianity.

 

 

When I read about Martyrs like George it always makes me question the depth of my own faith. How much am I really willing to give for Christ? How far would I go to proclaim the Gospel and work for reconciliation in the world?

 

 

It all depends on how willing I am to follow my shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. It all depends on how much effort I am putting into my faith walk. Can I really be as courageous as George? Can I really believe that life is eternal and that death no longer has dominion over my living?

 

 

 

 

St. Peter wouldn’t accept death as the final victor. We see in the Book of Acts how he prays Tabitha back to life. In the name of Christ, Peter calls her back, “Tabitha, rise.” It isn’t Peter bringing her back; it is Christ; it is the faith of the community. Tabitha was living out her faith. The widows of the community stand around her dead body weeping, wearing the coats she made for them. Her and Peter’s lives of faith  were too strong and active to be taken down just yet.

 

 

Our ability to follow our shepherd depends on the strength of our conviction, the depth of our spiritual studies and the degree of our willingness to give our minds and hearts over to him.

 

 

In our Gospel today Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they know me.” Our ability to hear his voice depends on the degree of our devotional life.

 

 

Most of us are too proud to think of ourselves as sheep; we find this idea insulting. We continue on in our false sense of self-control. We tend to think of strength as power; power over ourselves and others. Strength in Christ is quite the opposite. This strength has to do with humbling ourselves.

 

 

To really live with faith in Christ can be quite an ordeal. Like George, it takes all of the courage, perseverance and constancy that we can muster. To humble ourselves and give our lives over to a higher power is like a death. It is the death of human control. It hurts. We bleed. We thirst and hunger to get things our way.

 

 

St. Gregory the Great wrote about today’s Gospel. He reminds of Christ’s teaching that when we give ourselves over to Christ and follow him with all of the trust we can give, then he brings us to eternal life. St. Gregory writes this about the person who can do this, “He will enter into a life of faith; from faith he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation, and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life.”

 

 

 

 

 

Being sheep in this sense is not insulting; it takes more strength to do be this way. The easy thing to do would be to remain independent and defiant; to take the easy way by giving into the notion that all that really matters is the here and now. George could have done that. He could have just pretended to worship those Roman gods. You know “go along to get along.” But that isn’t faith it doesn’t lead to the pastures of everlasting life.

 

 

St. John in his vision of heaven found in the Book of Revelation finds those who have gone through the great ordeal having washed their robes white in the blood of the lamb. This is what we are going through in our discipleship. We are learning that we can give up always needing to be in the lead and learn how to follow. When we go through this ordeal then we are on the road with Christ. Then we go to the cross with him and come back in his resurrection. Its painful getting there but when we arrive to those good pastures that is where we find real life.

 

 

Then we no longer have to battle with all of the hunger and thirst of our lives. We can let go. We no longer have to battle all of the scorching heat of the human struggle for power. Then we get to that place where Lamb in the midst of us becomes our shepherd who wipes away our tears and guides us to the life-giving waters of repentance and spiritual humility. And this doesn’t only happen once our bodies die. We can live there now.

 

 

Let’s follow George, Peter and Tabitha to that pasture. Let’s go with these authentic heroes from faith to vision, from belief to contemplation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference: Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. II, p. 753

 

                 Catholic Book Publishing Corp. New York 1976