By Reverend Laurie DeMott

And so, just as our literature is replete with stories of fierce dragons, so is it full of the tales of those extraordinary human beings who defeated them. Hercules conquered the many-headed Hydra, Beowolf rid the countryside of a dragon that was incinerating the local villages. When J.R.R. Tolkien wanted to demonstrate the heroism of the unlikely hobbit Bilbo, he sent him off to tackle the dragon Smaug, and even most recently, millions of children cheered as they watched Harry Potter prove his worthiness by outwitting the terrifying Hungarian Horntail. Ordinary human beings wrestle alligators and handle snakes but to be a hero, you have to go the extra mile; to be a hero, you have to be willing to fight dragons.

Perhaps this is why Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, chose St. George to be the patron Saint of Scouts. Now very little is actually known about St. George. He lived in the 300s, was a soldier in the Roman Empire, and supposedly was condemned by the Emperor to die a torturous death when he refused orders to persecute Christians and instead converted to Christianity himself. His martyrdom, for which he was given sainthood, has been overshadowed however, by a legendary story about him that arose during the Middle Age. That is, of course, the story of St. George and the dragon. For those who are unfamiliar with the story, the legend says that St. George had been journeying by horseback for many months when he came to a country that was being ravaged by a dragon. Every day, the dragon would demand the sacrifice of a beautiful maiden and threaten to destroy all of the villages if its hunger was not satisfied. By the time George arrived, all of the villagers’ beautiful maidens had been eaten up except for one, and unfortunately, that remaining young woman was the King’s own daughter. And of course, as in all legends of the Middle Ages, the King had offered that daughter in marriage to any man who could defeat the dragon. Better to have a live daughter in an unhappy marriage, he figured, than a dead daughter in a dragon’s gullet.

When St. George heard the villagers’ tale of woe, he set out on his loyal steed to the valley where the dragon lived. As soon as the dragon saw him, it rushed from its cave, roaring with a sound louder than thunder and spewing smoke and fire upon the knight. St. George thrust his spear at the dragon but the dragon’s scales were like steel plates, and George’s spear simply bounced off. Time and again, the dragon spew its fire and beat its immense tail against George and time and again, George thrust at the dragon only to have the thick scales repel his spear. It is said, however, that as the hours dragged on and George appeared to tire, his face began to shine as if a light within him had begun to burn, and with every attack, the radiance grew brighter and brighter until it was as if the sun itself was battling the dragon. Finally, St. George realized that no matter how the dragon writhed and turned, it always sought to protect a spot beneath its left wing, and so George ran under the dragon, and shoved his spear into the vulnerable spot in its hide. The dragon roared in pain, and fell upon George trying to crush him but the saint held onto that spear with all of his strength until the stricken dragon had drawn its last breath.

His heroism complete, George reported the dragon’s death to the King who in turn offered his daughter’s hand in marriage, but George asked instead that his only reward be that all of the people of the land be baptized as Christians. And the story doesn’t report whether the princess is relieved or offended by this change in plans.

At any rate, it is this story that Lord Baden-Powell cited when he wrote in his book Scouting for Boys, “When [St. George] was faced by a difficulty or danger, however great it appeared—even in the shape of a dragon—he did not avoid it or fear it, but went at it with all the power he could put into himself and his horse. Although inadequately armed for such an encounter, having merely a spear, he charged in, did his best, and finally succeeded in overcoming a difficulty which nobody had dared to tackle. That is exactly the way in which a Scout should face a difficulty or danger, no matter how great or terrifying it may appear to him or how ill-equipped he may be for the struggle. He should go at it boldly and confidently, using every power that he can to try to overcome it, and the probability is that he will succeed."

To be a hero, you have to be willing to fight dragons.

Of course, one could argue that if you have to fight dragons to be a hero, then there is no chance for any of us because dragons are only myths and it is highly unlikely that you will ever encounter one in the woods around Alfred. But dragons have been enduring in our mythology because, while there may not be any flesh and blood dragons in our world, the oppressive power that they represent is all around us. In the book of Revelation, the dragon that St. Michael fights represents the power of the Roman Empire. At the time John was writing down his vision, the Roman government was persecuting the young Christian church. Christians faced ridicule from their neighbors, economic oppression, and were even sometimes arrested or executed for their beliefs. In a culture where the people had no power to vote the Emperor out of office, the forces arrayed against them felt overwhelming and inhuman. It felt as it they were battling dragons.

We may no longer endure persecution at the hands of the state, but there are still forces in our society that feel just as insurmountable. The census bureau reports that in New York State a child is born into poverty every ten minutes. In the course of this worship service, 5 more babies will be born into homes that will not have enough money to feed them properly, to buy them adequate supplies, or even imagine creating a college fund for them. Battling poverty often feels as challenging as battling dragons.

And how many Americans were appalled when we were told recently that statistics show that 1 out of every 100 Americans is in prison? That means we either live in a society that is in morally decay or we live in a society that is so enslaved by our own fear that we have chosen to lock away a large percentage of our population rather than correct the problems. Either picture is a frightening one and it feels like we are confronting dragons.

Or just when we are breathing a sigh of relief that perhaps the nation has progressed to the point where we can judge a presidential candidate on the basis of character rather than gender or race, the next thing we know we are once again embroiled in heated arguments over racism and sexism. Whether or not Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s sermons were offensive to you, no pastor, white or black, should have to endure death threats because of their preaching, and it is likewise incredibly disheartening to hear that Trinity Church, a fellow Christian church with a history of ministries that include programs on domestic violence, drug and alcohol recovery, prison ministries, and housing and economic development in its community, has been forced into lock down because of the invective being heaped upon it in these past few weeks.

Here be dragons. There are forces still at work in our society that feel as if we are battling dragons, and where there are dragons, we need heroes who are willing to fight them.

We need heroes who have the courage to take on the forces of injustice, poverty, the exploitation of the earth, hunger, and bigotry. We need heroes who will muster whatever resources they have, no matter how inconsequential those resources may seem, and be bold enough to challenge the powers allied against the human soul. We need heroes who will insist on taking up the weapons of wisdom, courage, persistence, and compassion in this fight. We need heroes – brave men and women who are willing to fight dragons.

Let me end with the story of a modern day St. George who, in the words of Lord Baden-Powell, “though inadequately armed for such an encounter...charged in, did his best, and... succeeded in overcoming a difficulty which nobody dared to tackle.”

On night recently, 31 year old Julio Diaz, got off the subway near his home in the Bronx and was walking toward the exit when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. He demanded Diaz’s wallet which Diaz immediately handed over, but as the boy began to walk away, Diaz called out, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”

The boy stopped, surprised, looked at the coat Diaz was offering and asked, “Why are you doing this?”

Diaz replied, “If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.”

The teen hesitated and then accepted the offer. They went to a local diner and as they sat in the booth, the manager came by, the dishwashers came by, the waiters came by, and everyone said, “Hey, Julio, how are you doing?”

The boy said, “You know everybody here. Do you own this place?”

“No, I just eat here a lot,” Diaz replied.

“But you're even nice to the dishwasher,” the boy said in bewilderment.

Diaz replied, “Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?”

“Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said.

They ate their meal and when the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, “Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill ‘cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. But if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you.”

The teen didn't even hesitate but immediately returned the wallet. Diaz not only paid the bill but then pulled out an extra twenty dollars and slid it across the table. “This is for you,” Diaz said, “and if you want, you can give me your knife in return.”

The boy gave it to him and the two parted.

Diaz says, “I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It’s as simple as it gets in this complicated world.”

Well, I think Diaz is being too humble. I think Julio Diaz battled dragons that night with the weapons of compassion and courage. We don’t know if he won – we don’t know whether that teenager was changed by the encounter – but we have hope. We have hope that the power of light will defeat the dark, that love will triumph over evil, and heroes will defeat dragons.

Let us give thanks for the valiant among us. Let us be those heroes.