23/4/15 Thurs 10 am St George

2 Tim. 2.3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hard-working farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

John 15.18 ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.


Saint George was born in Cappadocia in what is now Turkey, in about 280 AD. He is best known as the slayer of the dragon and rescuer of the maiden but this story is without any historical foundation and does not seem to have existed before the 11th century.

George enlisted into the Cavalry of the Roman Army at the age of 17, during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian and quickly achieved the rank of an officer rank roughly equivalent to a full Colonel, in charge of a regiment of 1,000 men and he became a particular favourite of his Emperor.

Diocletian persecuted the Christians and a command was issued that all Christian Churches were to be destroyed and all scriptures to be burnt. Anyone admitting to being a Christian would lose his rights as a citizen, if not his life.

George gave his possessions to the poor and spoke out against the Emperor for his unnecessary cruelty and injustice The Emperor sent George to prison with orders that he be tortured until he denied his faith in Christ.

Despite enduring terrible torture for seven years St. George refused to yield his faith. He was beheaded in Nicomedia near Lydda in Palestine, on the 23rd April in the year 303 AD. George became a martyr and was held as a shining example of bravery for championing the poor and defending the Christian faith.

George was very bold for God. He stood up for what was right even though he was tortured and killed. This was because he knew that doing right was even more important than his life and that he could look forward to being with God forever.

In today's gospel Jesus warned his followers that they would be persecuted, even martyred because that is what happened to Him.

When Jesus was being unjustly crucified he could have got down from the cross, ordered angels to kill the guards, those taunting him, and those who had lied about him and plotted to have him killed. But he was a true hero. He forgave the soldiers and was prepared to die a painful, humiliating, death.

On the cross He also showed how much he cared for people. He said that the criminal next to him who trusted in him would be with him in heaven. He asked one of his disciples, John, to look after Mary, Jesus' mother.

Jesus trusted in God. He followed God's ways of love, peace, forgiveness and sacrifice. Three days later he was raised to new life. The way to God is now open to all those who, like the thief trust in Jesus.

Today Christians are being persecuted because of their faith.

North Korea – number 1 in the list for the 13th consecutive year – purges have seen tens of thousands of people banished, arrested, tortured and/or killed and where the kidnapping and arrest of South Korean missionary Kim Jeong-Wook saw dozens of people (presumably Christians) rounded up, tortured and murdered.

In February ISIS beheaded 21 Christians on a Libyan beach.A harsh Islamic State offensive against Syria's dwindling Assyrian Christian population is accelerating the flight of refugees into Turkey. Some 220 Christians from a cluster of villages in northeast Syria were taken hostage by IS on 23 February. At least 23 hostages were subsequently released and reached safety in Hassaka city by 3 March, but there has been no further news of the remaining hostages.

12 Christian asylum seekers were recently thrown overboard to drown by Muslims because one of them prayed.

The Kenyan Garissa University Massacre on 2nd April when 148 Christians were killed by Al-Shabaab Islamic gunmen.

Yesterday ISIS issued another video supposed to show the killing of 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya.

How can we respond?

We can pray.

We can lobby politicians.

We can support organisations such as Open Doors who support people who are being persecuted.

We can respond like Jesus, forgiving and loving those who killed him.

We can be encouraged from our epistle that Jesus has defeated death and that eternal glory awaits those who live and die for Him.

Luke 23.32-47 (CEV) "Two criminals were led out to be put to death with Jesus.
When the soldiers came to the place called "The Skull," they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus.
Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing." While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, "He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!"
The soldiers made fun of Jesus and brought him some wine.
They said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!"
Above him was a sign that said, "This is the King of the Jews."
One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!"
But the other criminal told the first one off, "Don't you fear God? Aren't you getting the same punishment as this man?
We got what was coming to us, but he didn't do anything wrong."
Then he said to Jesus, "Remember me when you come into power!"
Jesus replied, "I promise that today you will be with me in paradise."
Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon.
The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle.
Jesus shouted, "Father, I put myself in your hands!" Then he died.
When the Roman officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, "Jesus must really have been a good man!"

Introductory talk...

The news this week featured this story. Maurice Wrightson, from Northumberland in the UK, was driving a coach with more than 50 people in it on a steep mountain road in the French Alps that has 21 sharp bends in it.

Police suspect there was a problem with the vehicle's brakes, causing it to veer off its intended path. Mr Wrightson decided that the safest course of action would be to slow the coach down by letting it hit some rocks, rather than going over the edge. The coach crashed, killing Mr Wrightson, and leaving three passengers in hospital seriously injured.

French transport minister Frederic Cuvillier visited the scene near Alpe d'Huez and said Mr Wrightson, 63, had displayed "remarkable courage". "The position the coach was in shows a great effort to control it... the coach was able to slow down rather than continue on its course and go off the edge into the ravine, which would have led to far more casualties."

Several passengers escaped from the burning wreckage by jumping from the windows. A helicopter was scrambled to the scene where firefighters battled to put out the flames.

Family and friends paid tribute to Mr Wrightson using a Facebook page.

Wendy Wrightson described him as "a good man who lost his life far too soon, but lost it a hero doing what he did best".


Main talk

I don't know what type of figure you think of when you hear the word “hero”. You might think of a film or computer game with a hero slaying enemies, a bit like St. George.

As we saw from the account of Maurice Wrightson, a hero doesn't have to be someone who causes some one else to suffer. Indeed, I would like to suggest that a true hero is someone who stops other people from suffering, sometimes by giving up something, even their life.

When Jesus was being unjustly crucified he could have got down from the cross, ordered angels to kill the guards, those taunting him, and those who had lied about him and plotted to have him killed. But he was a true hero. He forgave the soldiers and was prepared to die a painful, humiliating, death.

On the cross He also showed how much he cared for people. He said that the criminal next to him who trusted in him would be with him in heaven. He asked one of his disciples, John, to look after Mary, Jesus' mother.

Jesus trusted in God. He followed God's ways of love, peace, forgiveness and sacrifice. Three days later he was raised to new life. The way to God is now open to all those who, like the thief trust in Jesus.

As you leave this place I would like you to look around for heroes. None of them will be as good as Jesus, but there will be people you encounter who give up things so that you and people you know have a better life. Some of them are called parents!