St Alban’s Day 22 June 2003 All Saint’s
Revd Mark Bonney
It’s a bit of a cliché, but certainly true especially for most members of the CofE – but temperamentally we English tend to be reserved – and especially in church.
As you are aware today, 22 June, is St Alban’s day –the patronal festival of our Diocese and of our Cathedral and Abbey Church. With a patronal festival down at St Peter’s next weekend as well it’s a great time for celebrations. If we were in Spain or Italy I suspect that we’d be celebrating both occasions with parties, fireworks and goodness knows what – English reserve will see no great excitement here today, and a few drinks at the Rectory after Evensong next week plus the exhaustion of the Petertide Fair will sum up next weekend. Nothing too over the top. One thing that I hope we’ll be able to do with some vim and vigour today though is to sing the offertory with gusto. It’s a hymn that’s been sung at St Albans Abbey for many years on this day – and it goes to the tune of John Brown’s body (the Battle hymn of the Republic) – be mad, let your hair down just half an inch and have a jolly good sing! The hymn tells you a little about the Alban story – but just in case you’ve forgotten it, or don’t even know the story of the patron saint of our diocese here’s a reminder. As you probably know the present city of St Albans used to be the Roman town of Verulamium in the 2nd and 3rd centuries – there are ruins of the original Roamn town in the park of Verulamium and around the lake. A resident of that Roman town was the pagan Alban. According to all sources, and in particular that of the Venerable Bede, Alban was converted to Christianity when he gave refuge to a fugitive priest (known traditionally as Amphibalus) There was an anti-Christian edict from the emperor Diocletian. . Alban was so moved by the priest’s prayers and singing of hymns that he asked him about the Christian faith., and as a result of Amphibalus’ sharing of his faith Alban became a believer. When the soldiers went on the search for the priest and knocked on the door of Alban’s house they found Alban dressed in the priest’s cloak – the priest having escaped in Alban’s garb. Alban was arrested. When challenged Alban refused to deny his new-found faith. At his trial the judge asked Alban, "Of what family are you?" The saint answered, "That is a matter of no concern to you. I would have you know that I am a Christian." The judge persisted, and the saint declared “I was called Alban by my parents” and then uttered the words that are now etched on the western doors of St Albans Abbey – “I worship and adore the true and living God the creator of all things and his Son Jesus Christ.” Then the judge said, "If you wish to enjoy eternal life, sacrifice to the great gods at once!" Alban replied, "You sacrifice to devils, who can bring no help or answer to the desires of the heart. The reward of such sacrifices is the endless punishment of Hell." The judge was angered at the priest's escape and threatened Alban with death if he persisted in forsaking the gods of Rome. He replied firmly that he was a Christian, and would not burn incense to the gods. He was condemned to be beaten and then beheaded.
Alban was taken up a hill for execution. The hagiographies love to describe how the first executioner was converted on the way up the hill be Alban; Alban was thus executed by another whose eyes fell out. Roses allegedly sprung up on the hillside where he walked. Whatever we think of such fables, the truth remains that Alban was the first Christian martyr in England. St Albans Abbey contains his shrine, and the abbey is built on or near the site of his martyrdom. I think that Alban really ought o be the patron saint of England rather than some soldier who what ever he did with dragons certainly never set foot in this country – but that’s another issue!
There are just two interrelated things that I wish to say further about this story and they are linked with those wonderful words attributed to Alban before the judge – “I worship and adore the true and living God the creator of all things and his Son Jesus Christ.”
Worship and adoration are part of being human – we all do it – it just gets directed differently for different people. Cars, work, sport, - all take up the worship spot. The old catechism in some parts of the church had a series of questions that began Q. Who made me? A. God me. Q Why did he make me? A To love him, worship him and be with him for ever. Worship is what we are created for – that is to be with God – and the idols that are put in its place deflect us from what we’re meant to be.
The second thing is that worship can have an infectious quality – it was Amphibalus worshipping that was the cause of Alban’s conversion; it wasn’t soap box stuff, it wasn’t ram it down your throat stuff – it was the witness of joyful God-centred worship. It’s an infectious quality that can infiltrate all areas of our lives so that others glimpse that there’s an added something about our lives; it may just be that they notice that when it comes to certain times of the week and Sundays in particular that worship is the priority of the day – of course for them to notice it, it has to be the case – which is the challenging bit!
Let’s pray that our joyful and faithful worship of, and witness to, the one and only living God the creator of all things and his Son Jesus Christ will draw others to the one and only living God who is Fr Son and Holy Spirit.. Amen.