St George

April 23 is the Feast of Saint George. I missed telling you that, and with company, I didn't put out my felt dragon like I usually do.

Because of the Revelation 12 scripture I've told you that I put a dragon in my Christmas Nativity. I pull this same dragon out for Michaelmas Day and again for the St George story.

George was a Palestinian soldier who suffered martyrdom in 303 in the persecutions of Diocletian. It's believed stories of George were brought home to England by the Crusaders. Though many variations, it's a basic tale of good and evil - of a young knight who rescues a maiden from a flying reptile with bad breath. One tale has him leashing the dragon with the princess's garter, leading it through town and converting pagans to Christianity. Or maybe he just cuts off its head.

Cutting off a dragon's head is what is often celebrated in English homes. A dragon is often made from bread dough and the children cut off its head.

What intrigues me most about St George is there's a shrine for him in the Middle East. Jews think the site is the burial place of Elias. Christians are remembering a soldier championing against the power of evil. Moslems celebrate George as a demigod who endured a series of tortures and call him "Khidir", the Green Man.

It is said that this shrine has almost more activity than Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre. And too, there's Christians and Moslems praying side-by-side.