Saint Michael’s Church

Serving God and Bishop’s Stortford since 673

Sermon 22 June 2008

St Michael's Church

22nd June 2008

Fifth Sunday after Trinity

St Alban's Day

8.00am, 10.00am

Rev'd Toby Marchand

I came not to bring peace but a sword.

Matthew 10. 34.

Today is St Alban’s Day. In this Diocese especially that rings bells of recognition and celebration. Yesterday at the Cathedral and Abbey Church of our Diocese there was a St Albans Pilgrimage day. A huge procession of pilgrims will have made their way from Verulamium to the Abbey along the very route that Alban took from his trial to his execution.

The story of Alban was acted out on the way with the use of huge puppets. A service was held in the cathedral, a great eucharist, followed by lunch and entertainment. And then in the afternoon prayers said at the shrine at 2.00pm and 3.00pm and then Evensong and a final visit to the shrine.

It was not possible for many of us to attend this year because of the Town Carnival here in Stortford and because of two weddings. But the spectacle in St Albans would surely have brought to mind the saying that occurs in our Gospel this morning.

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”

For all their power and brutality the Romans occupying Verulamium were not able to kill Alban’s soul.

You will probably know the story of Alban well enough but let me remind you.

He lived in the 3^rd Century in the Roman town of Verulamium. He was a worshipper of Roman gods until one day he gave shelter to a stranger fleeing persecution. The stranger was a Christian priest and Alban was so moved by his faith and courage that he asked to be taught more about Christianity.

Before long the authorities came to arrest the fugitive priest but Alban inspired by his new found faith exchanged clothes with him allowing him to escape.

The Roman soldiers were furious at this deception and instead arrested Alban and brought him before the judge who ordered that Alban should receive the punishment due to the priest, if he had indeed become a Christian. Alban refused to renounce his faith by sacrificing to the Roman gods and instead declared:

“I am Alban and I worship and adore the true and living God who created all things”.

He was brought out of the town, across the river and up the hill to the site of execution where his head was cut off.

Legend tells us that the bridge over the river was so crowded that Alban was forced to cross through the water, which dried up for him. On the hilltop a spring of water miraculously appeared to quench Alban’s thirst and the executioner’s eyes fell out after he had beheaded Alban.

Alban is honoured as the first British martyr and his grave on which the Cathedral and Abbey church of St Alban was built quickly became a place of pilgrimage, For over 1700 years people have journeyed to this place to remember Alban, to pray for peace and healing and to seek God.

Alban died unbaptized, never having attended a church service, without owning or reading a Bible, without ever serving on a committee or taking part in a training scheme. Yet he gave his life for his faith in Jesus Christ, a faith which transcends all Christian divisions and disagreements.

“Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul”

Alban’s soul was secure and thousands have been converted by his example.

That was only one of the powerful sayings of this gospel passage. A few verses further down we read the extraordinary words “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth: I have not come to bring peace but a sword.”

That’s a hard saying if ever there was one. I was very tempted this morning just to dodge it.

For a start it appears to be in flat contradiction to one of our basic beliefs about Christ. He is the Prince of Peace. Do not the words of Isaiah we hear at Christmas ring in our ears? For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the PRINCE OF PEACE.

And this: there were shepherds out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night, and suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill to all with whom he is well pleased.”

And if that were not enough what about the words in the Gospel of John when Jesus says to his disciples Peace I leave with you my Peace I give to you”?

We warm to these peaceful sayings. They are music to our ears. What the is this hard sentence on the very lips of Jesus himself Do not think that I have come to bring peace: I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

There are I think several things to say about it.

The first is this. The hard sayings of Jesus place an explosive charge underneath any rosy interpretations of what Christianity is. Jesus was not rosy, and Christ was not a magician. He came nowhere near waving a magic wand over the world to make it settle down peacefully in harmony. Peace he did indeed come to bring, peace in human relationships, peace in the human heart, peace about the unknown future. But it would involve struggle, sometimes costly struggle. There is nothing smooth about Christ’s peace, nothing cheap. Nothing easy, or automatic.

Secondly Christ is, whether we like it or not, a divisive figure. He was not a jolly man. But that in no way means he was a man to be avoided. People sought out his company, he was invited to social occasions, easily crossing social barriers.

The crowds were fascinated by him, his closest followers adored him. But he was not easy to understand. He was kindly caring compassionate and never overbearing yet he stood apart. He was the sort of person the superficial could not, cannot tolerate. He was a divisive figure in that you had to decide whether you were for him or against him. In meeting him people found themselves deciding for or against.

And thirdly, to decide for Christ calls for a change of mind, a change of attitude not only to him but to oneself. This means repentance. We don’t like repenting. It hurts our pride.

We have to admit that much of our behaviour does not square with conduct that could be called Christian. So it costs to decide for Christ, as it did dramatically for Alban.

That’s why all forms of Christian worship contain in them a confession. We own up to not living the sort of lives that Christ would have us live. Repentance is the essential prelude to peace. There can’t be peace, Christian peace, with out repentance, and the price is humility.

Men and women who are ready to acknowledge and repent of their own shortcomings are far less likely to be troublemakers in the community than the self-righteous and the arrogant.

And fourthly what is Christian peace, the peace which is costly, involves repentance, and is rooted in decision for Christ?. Certainly more than the absence of hostility. It is in fact love of other people, people from whom we differ, in temperament, and style and maybe intellect. Christian peace is at the bottom love of people, acquired by and through the grace of God. Love is the epitome of the spirit of Christ. It is the outflowing of his spirit.

To sum it up the peace Christ came to bring is truly peace, but it comes at a cost. That cost was something that St Alban was prepared to pay. God forbid that any of us should be asked to pay the ultimate price for peace with our lives, but we have the hard sayings of Jesus and the awesome example of the martyrs of whom Alban is the first in this country to guide us and inspire us. As we honour him today let us also turn ourselves towards the life-giving peace of Christ himself, so that, in the words of today’s Collect, each of us in our vocation and ministry may serve God in holiness and truth to the glory of his name.

Toby Marchand

Office Address:

Saint Michael’s Church

Windhill

Bishops Stortford

Hertfordshire

CM23 2ND