Millions of people travel to England every year on holiday and they do that because England is famous for so many things.  All over the world we are known for our historic buildings and sites like Stonehenge, for our pubs, for Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.  We had the world’s first parliament, established in the 13th Century.  We’re famous for our food: our breakfasts, our butter and cheeses.  Some of the world’s greatest pop stars are English: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Queen, and The Spice Girls.  We are known for red buses, black cabs, for tea parties, for the Royal family, Shakespeare and Robin Hood.  Today I would like to talk about the life and exploits of one of our most famous—Saint George, who wasn’t English at all, but who become of the qualities he symbolizes has become a symbol of what it means to be English.

 Saint George was born in Turkey and lived in the third century after Christ died.  His parents were Christians so he was brought up in the Christian faith.  When his Turkish father died, George’s mother moved back to her native Palestine.  When he grew up, George joined the Roman army and rose to the rank of Tribune.  Then, the Emperor Diocletian began a campaign against Christians and George’s response was to tear up his orders and resign. For this he was imprisoned and tortured but refused to renounce his faith in Jesus. Eventually, he was dragged through the streets and beheaded at Lydda in Palestine.  Straight away that tells something about why he became our patron saint.  The British have never been afraid to fight against tyranny, stand up for the underdog and defended the weak and vulnerable.  We have always been a courageous race of people.

 George’s veneration quickly spread from 3rd century Palestine, all over Europe and he was given a special feast day after he was canonised by Pope Gelacius in 494.  Since the 7th Century, Saint George has been depicted as a soldier on a white horse, slaying a dragon to rescue a maiden in distress.  According to the legend, a dragon had made its nest in a spring which provided the water for a nearby village, (which was possibly in Libya). The only way the villagers could get the dragon out of the spring each day so they could draw water was to offer it a sacrifice, first of sheep and then of humans.  The villagers drew lots each day to see who would be sacrificed next and one day it fell to the king’s only daughter.  However, just as she was being offered to the dragon, Saint George was passing by on his travels.  Protecting himself with his cross, George faced up to the dragon, slew him and rescued the princess.  The villagers were so grateful that they immediately abandoned their paganism and were all converted to Christianity.

Hundreds of churches dedicated to George have been built around the world, the oldest being in Lydda in the 3rd Century.  The first church in England that we know of was dedicated to saint George was in Fordington in Dorset which was mentioned in the Will of Alfred the Great.  In 1222, the Oxford Synod declared Saint George’s Day a feast day in England.  By now, Saint George had become a model for chivalry.  The Crusaders saw themselves as living up to his image, slaying the infidels in the name of Christ and his red cross on a white background comes from the white tunics worn by the Crusaders.  His name was also invoked as a battle cry during the Hundred Years War.  Saint George became a patron saint during the reign of Edward III when Edward founded The Order of the Garter to promote chivalry.  He dedicated a chapel to George at Windsor Castle, where the Garter ceremony takes place each year.   Saint George has been immortalized by Shakespeare in Henry IV, with the words, “Cry God for Harry, England and Saint George” and Edmond Spenser included him as a central figure in his epic poem, The Faerie Queen.

Saint George is one of the most venerated Saints in all the Orthodox Christian Churches and in the Eastern Catholic Church.  As well as England, he’s also the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Palestine, Portugal and Russia.  

Last Wednesday, the 23rd April, was Saint George’s Day when traditionally, people were a red rose.  In the past, it was a national holiday but these days its celebrated on the nearest Sunday (today) when scouts and guides from all over England will parade and hold a special service in honour of Saint George.  For hundreds of years, as well, Mummers Plays, based on the legend of Saint George, have been a part of Christmas and Easter celebrations  There is a Royal Society of Saint George which has this quote on the front page of its web site, ’There is a forgotten word, nay, almost forbidden word, which means more to me than any other.  That word is England.’   Its written by Sir Winston Churchill.

 Saint George’s image of chivalry, courteousness and courage embodies Christian principles upon which the development of our country has been based.  In the face of continuing immigration, there has been a growing debate in England on what it means to be English; to be British.  In some ways, being English isn’t the same as it was, but there are some aspects of Britishness which must  never change.  Ours is a marvellous country.  Why else would so many people want to come and live here?  I speak to immigrants in my job and they all have stories about how wonderful life in England is compared to their homelands.  And its not just about earning money.  People want to live here because of the value we place on human life here, because our laws embody equality and  human rights, democracy, justice and freedom of speech and people are allowed to have opinions.  They come here for our education which will enable their children to fulfill their potential and live long enough to do that.

Many English people have given their lives for the values which Saint George represents and which we, the English hold dear. I am proud to be English and I thank God that he has allowed me to live out my life wonderful land.  We often take our lives for granted but  on this day we should reflect on Saint George and those values of courage and  chivalry which so many English man and women have shown as they have fought and died  to defend what it means to be English.  We should praise the Lord that we belong to this glorious nation that has achieved so much and given so much to us, her children, and to the world.

Amen.