Easter: Dragon slaying
Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,
Today is a special day on the Christian calendar, it's the feast of St. George. The patron saint of England, George was a knight a little more than 1,700 years ago. And tradition tells us that on his travels, he stayed with a hermit outside a town in Libya. The hermit told him that the town was plagued by a dragon, a dragon who was demanding one person be sacrificed each day. Our faithful, enterprising, chivalrous hero rides in and with God's help, defeats the dragon and saves the village. It takes him a couple of tries and a lot of faith to conquer both his fear and the dragon.
It's a story that is beloved all over the world. And it's often celebrated with big festivals and celebrations. People love reenacting this moment with dragons made out of a chain of people and George, carrying a shield and what often looks like a light saber (yes, straight out of Star Wars), slays the dragon. While it probably sounds more than a little strange to our post-modern ears, a little fairytale-esque, at the heart of this story is something very important: hope. The hope George offers us is that with God's help, we can conquer anything. No matter how scary the problem might be, even if it takes us a lot of faith and a couple of tries, God will be with us, equip us, strengthen us to face it, to live through it, to go beyond it.
That's a pretty hopeful note today, I think. Together, we are facing something scary - something very real. And individually, each of us has dragons to slay. And in the midst of all of it, God is with you. God will strengthen you, comfort you, and help you not just live through it, but go beyond it.
Stay connected to us and to this great heritage that is our faith. Rely on the generations of stories and traditions that have gone before us. And we'll continue to find together, in these ancient stories, the food and strength we need for the road ahead. Be in touch if you need anything and know that you're all very present in my prayers.
Faithfully,
--Marissa +
Tags: Welcome from the Rector