“The Dragon”

Once upon a time there was a dragon. He lived in a mountain. One day a knight went up there. He killed the dragon.

Cody Copeland (2003)

My son Cody wrote “The Dragon” when he was seven years old. He distilled in its barest details a story that has resonated with people for centuries. Whether it is the dragon from the ancient, Anglo-Saxon story “Beowulf,” or Smaug from JRR Tolkien’s modern day The Hobbit, the knight versus the dragon tale stirs our imaginations. Christianity has its own dragon story in “Saint George and the Dragon.” While the real St. George did not slay an actual dragon, he did make a bold stand for Christ that set an example for us today.

St. George was a high-ranking officer in the Roman army when the Emperor Diocletian began the last, great persecution of Christians in AD 303. George was a Christian and decided that he would not stand by and watch his brothers and sisters suffer. So he spoke out against the Emperor’s decree. For this he was arrested, tortured for three days, and finally, put to death for his faith in Jesus Christ. Today he is considered a defender of the poor, the helpless, and indeed, of the Faith itself.

As I look at our twenty-first century society, I see a place that is becoming more and more similar to the one that St. George lived in. We inhabit a culture which promotes personal happiness and the belief that there is no truth above everything else. As our society devolves into a hopeless spiral of relativism, a tremendous need is growing for the Church to follow St. George’s example. It is past the time for us to make a strong stand for the “faith once delivered” and live our lives loving God with our entire beings. This is why I believe that God has called me to plant, lead and shepherd a church called St. George’s Anglican Community.