Worship at Home for St Georges' Day Thursday 23 April 2020

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Introduction

Today is a continuation of our Easter celebrations, where we proudly have alleluia as our song. We come into the Lord’s presence today, conscious of the reality that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. The Flag of S. George is the banner of Our Lord’s resurrection.

Confession

Conscious of our need to stand worthily before our Lord, let us take a few moments to recognise that we have all sinned and are in need of the Lord’s mercy.

Lord, you teach us by your life, death and resurrection. Lord, have mercy.

Lord, you teach us to doubt no more but to believe. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, with you there is plentiful redemption. Lord, have mercy.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

Gloria in excelsis

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,

almighty God and Father,

we worship you, we give you thanks,

we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ only Son of the Father,

Lord God, Lamb of God,

you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit,  

in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Collect

God of hosts, who so kindled the flame of love in the heart of your servant George that he bore witness to the risen Lord by his life and by his death:

give to our nation the same faith and power of love, that we who rejoice in his triumphs may, aided by his prayers, come to share with him the fullness of the resurrection;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Today's Readings

First Reading 1 Maccabees 2.51-64 : The testimony of God’s righteous servants.

Psalm 126 : Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

Second Reading 2 Timothy 2.3-13 :  If we hold firm, we shall reign with him.

Gospel John 15.18-21 : A servant is not greater than his master.

Reflection

Saint George

If you fly into Israel, the plane will land at Ben Gurion Airport (named after the first Prime Minister of the state of Israel), which is midway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It is actually at a place called Lydda, or Lod as it is today, and most people pass through in a hurry to get to their destination. But if you were to stop at Lod you would find the church of Saint George and in the crypt there is the tomb of Saint George, with his bodily remains inside. Occupying the same plot of land is the al-Khidr mosque named after the “green Knight” which is the way the Muslims refer to Saint George. For we discover that the tomb of Saint George, surprisingly, like other places in the Holy Land, is a place of reverence for both Christians and Muslims, and you will find them praying, not together, but occupying the same space simultaneously.

We actually know very little about Saint George. He is believed to have been born to Christian parents and after they died he joined the Roman army. Under the persecution of the Church by the Roman Emperor Diocletian, George refused to give up his Christian faith and was martyred by decapitation on the 23rd April A.D. 303. The legend of the dragon only dates back to the eleventh century.

During the Crusades (religious wars between 1096 and 1271 originally aimed at recapturing the holy places and making them accessible for Christian pilgrimage) many soldiers encountering Saint George, found him as a Christian warrior, an inspiration. He was seen to personify the ideals of Christian chivalry. His banner, the flag of the resurrection, was brought back by returning soldiers to many places in addition to England. King Richard ‘the Lionheart’ of England placed his crusading army under the protection of Saint George and in 1222 his feast was proclaimed a holiday.

Other places claiming George as patron include Georgia in Eastern Europe, Ethiopia, the regions of Catalonia, Valencia and Aragon in Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, the city of Beirut, the Italian cities of Genoa, Milan and Bologna, the island of Malta.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Intercession

Let us pray for Her Majesty the Queen – for the ministry of S. Georges Windsor, and for all members of our English nation and the other nations of which Saint George is patron.

Lord’s Prayer

Spiritual Communion

            “Spiritual Communion” is recommended at any time we cannot physically receive the Sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood. It means that God gives us the grace of the sacrament in response to our real desire to receive it. This does not mean that we can get on just as well without receiving Holy Communion, but rather, if the opportunity of receiving it is denied to us for whatever reason, God will not withhold its grace and blessing from us. Here is a form of prayer we can use.

Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me, for all the pains and insults you have borne for me. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, I ask you to come spiritually into my heart. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.

Prayer

Lord God our Father, in the resurrection of your Son, you have assured your children of eternal life and in baptism have made us one with him:
deliver us from the death of sin and raise us to new life in your love, in the fellowship of your saints, through the Holy Spirit, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Final Blessing

May the risen Lord direct our thoughts and guide our footsteps in the way of peace; and may almighty God bless us, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Copyright notice: As well as my own words I have drawn on material from internet sources including websites of The Church of England Common Worship printed sources including The New Jerome Biblical Commentary Prentice Hall, This is the Word of the Lord Bible Reading Fellowship 1980.