St Margaret's Day
Sermon by the Revd Dr Brutus Green
Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 91; Revelation 12: Matthew 5:1-12
Today is, first and foremost, a celebration of our church and community. St Margaret of Antioch is said to have been martyred on the 20th July over 1700 years ago, converting many to the faith by her preaching before her death. It might seem gruesome to be celebrating death but Christianity holds death and life very closely together. St Margaret persevered. She fought the good fight, she finished the race, she kept the faith. Through the worst persecution in Christian history. Through torture and death. Allegedly, through the belly of a dragon – She is a shining example of the resilience of the early church. The refusal to be overwhelmed by the world. To give in, give up, or give out anything except love.
It was interesting looking back to a year ago. We had endured four months of epidemic. At the time it had seemed like an age. We thought at the time we’d got through the worst of it. Optimistically I preached from the latin expression ‘Resurgam’ I will rise. As with so many dragons, there was a sting in the tail. We are all being tested in these days. In more ways than one. Now, we’re more than half way through this year of lockdown. And even the hope of some sort of freedom-day, is blunted by rising infections and growing fears.
And the country is increasingly divided. I’ve been to two pubs recently that make no pretence at any covid regulations. One of them I saw was hosting a karaoke night. And yet in the two weddings we’ve hosted this week, we’ve faced impractical difficulties in making the weddings as joyful and social as possible within the law and guidelines. Just look at these flowers. It can be done, With perseverance. From death into life.
But how can the saints inspire us through difficult times? The dedication of churches and keeping of saints’ days probably seems fanciful or decorative to many. Part of living in a modern society is a view that we’re living in a better and better world. Civilisation means progress. Through the years and generations we feel things are getting better. Under this view the saints appear as warnings from the past; Or quaint unrelatable figures.
We look for our inspiration in contemporary figures. And looking back, it’s hard to think of a great figure untainted by racism, #metoo or some sort of prejudice of its time. The hermeneutic of suspicion we operate under tends to assume that anyone who’s done well, has done so either by exploitation or complicity, and should be held accountable for the wrongs we have been wise enough to uncover and hold to account.
But when we look back at the Christian saints, we quickly discover they are not among the established or powerful. A surprising number of the early saints are women, at a time when women had zero social status. We really don’t know very much about Margaret of Antioch. She’s also known as Margaret the Virgin, Saint Marina the Great Martyr. She was born towards the end of the third century and executed as a teenage girl. Apparently for refusing a forced marriage and renouncing her faith. In her various trials a number of miracles occurred. Favourite among them was the moment where she was swallowed whole by a dragon but escaped when the dragon’s digestion was irritated by the cross she was wearing. In St Margaret the dragon bit off more than he could chew. Like Jonah from the whale she was vomited forth. Presumably it’s because of her safe delivery from the dragon that through the Middle Ages, somewhat perversely as a childless teenage girl, she became a patron saint of childbirth.
Now the dragon story may or may not be true; There are no shortage of dragons around our building; so clearly some of our forebears thought it important enough to put into the fabric of this Victorian church. But it is in itself quite extraordinary that the witness of a teenage girl should inspire the faith and the dedication of churches across the world.
We have a couple of teenage girls we admire – Malala and Greta – but for the most part we idolise glamorous and ‘talented’ people. We’re more enchanted by the Britney Spears and Amy Winehouses. What’s obvious from even a cursory view of the saints is that the church has most honoured resilient people. Those who have not given up. Those who have stayed true. Those who have overcome the world – That is to say, those who haven’t taken any easy way out but have taken up their cross in following Christ.
There are fewer opportunities for martyrdom in Britain today. Resilience though is more important now than ever. The last sixteen months have been hugely testing, but through the efforts of many we have held together as a church and community. The prayer life of this church on a daily basis is stronger than ever. The weekly Tea and Social, and twice weekly playgroup, the weekly recital, mean this church brings people together. When we started the playgroup a young mum told me that she’d come all the way from Bromley because this was the nearest mother and toddler group she could find. Mind you, any reason to get out of Bromley, right?
I’m sure our present troubles are not yet over. From tomorrow all legal restrictions cease to be effective. The Church of England has once again left it to its vicars to determine the course forward. So we will have to find a way forward that protects everyone while providing for people’s spiritual freedom and enrichment. Like Margaret inside the dragon, we’ve lived with a great number of restrictions for a long time now. It was not the dragon that killed Margaret, though, but the beheading that followed it.
Resilience remains the key virtue for our time. An old-fashioned resilience built on the faith demonstrated by Christ and the saints. Disease and death – we have half the apocalyptic horsemen – they can take many things from us, but St Margaret is a witness to the eternal reward of true discipleship; To Christian hope. Whether or not we return to the belly of the dragon we can be certain that there is nothing in heaven or earth that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
This faith is the centre of our church and community. The love of God is the inspiration, source, and example we have, to love one another and take that love into the world. The refusal to be overwhelmed by the world. To give in, give up, or give out anything except love. Here’s hoping that next St Margaret’s Day will be a little different. Though we will take what we’ve learned from this pandemic, And maybe the tipi. And we will still be celebrating the victory of life from death. Resurgam. Amen.