Researching Alphege, whose life we remember today, I came across the story of “Alphege or the Green Monkey.” What! I exclaimed- a saint and a green monkey? Something’s a bit off, here don’t you think? It turns out that there is a fairy tale about an enchanted prince who becomes a green monkey to avoid his wicked stepmother. And, like all good fairy tales, it ends with transformation and the true self being revealed. The green monkey is washed in green liquid and turns back into the heroic Prince Alphege. What does a sometimes green monkey have to do with Alphege, the Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 1012 who becomes a martyr for the faith and ultimately ends up on the calendar in the Episcopal Church as someone we should remember?
The “real” Alphege – the man commemorated in our church, was widely respected in his time for his faith in God.[1] He became the Bishop of Winchester and while Bishop caused an organ to be constructed that supposedly could be heard from as far away as a mile. He helped end a raid by the Vikings and converted their leader to Christianity. Then he was elected as the Archbishop of Canterbury, or the head of the church in England. Unfortunately, the Danes raided the part of England where Canterbury is. Alphege was taken prisoner. Ultimately, he was put to death. We remember Alphege as someone who was true to his faith in the face of capture, imprisonment and death. We remember Alphege because he refused to let the people raise a ransom for him – he insisted that the funds the people would have raised as a ransom could be better spent spreading the faith.
Perhaps Alphege was remembering the example of Jesus. Jesus also refused to let his followers interfere with his capture and his death. In fact, Jesus told his followers more than once that he would suffer death at the hands of the occupying forces. In the New Testament, we read about Jesus being a ransom for each of us. Jesus, without sin, would take our sins upon himself in order that we might have life and have life abundantly. In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verse 45, we are explicitly told that Jesus “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Among other definition of ransom, one is that ransom is redemption from sin and its consequences. And that definition ties back to what we are doing tonight through confirmation, reaffirmation and reception.
The service of confirmation in the Episcopal Church is a time when an adult makes a public affirmation of his or her faith. The person acknowledges the gifts given in baptism. The person now promises, for him- or her-self to be responsible for the promises made at baptism and to accept the responsibilities of believing in Jesus Christ with all that means in our 21st century world.
The Bishop will lay hands upon each person shortly, visibly reminding each of us here that we are in the long line of persons who believe in Christ that goes back to the very earliest church. We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic church. Our Bishop is a visible reminder that we draw our faith from Jesus and those earliest disciples who were charged to create God’s church on earth. We believe in one Lord, one faith and one baptism. Your baptism – whether you were baptized in the Episcopal Church or in another- recognizes you as a member of the body of Christ. Whether you were baptized by full immersion in a pool of water, or by pouring of water from a pitcher, or by sprinkling, you were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You were also likely marked with the sign of the Christ using chrism – sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own. No one can take away your membership in the body of Christ.
And now the time has come to make a public affirmation of your faith through confirmation. You are promising before this congregation that you are choosing to live a life that witnesses to the love of God for us- for each one of us, fallible human beings that we are. We love God because it is the only thing we can do in response to God’s overwhelming love for us. Jesus tells us that we are of more value than many sparrows – those ubiquitous little birds that seek crumbs from our table when we eat outside. God knows the number of hairs on our head. We matter to God. And because we matter to God, it matters that we acknowledge that love by being baptized and at an appropriate time, being confirmed, received or reaffirming our baptismal vows.
The prayer that the Bishop will say as she lays hands upon you includes a call for you to be strengthened daily by the Holy Spirit. You received the gift of the Holy Spirit in your baptism so this is not something you have been without. But in your enhanced relationship with God and the world, the Holy Spirit will provide even more strength to face the challenges life throws at you. The prayer thus asks that you be strengthened in your relationship with the Holy Spirit “more and more” each day of your life. The Holy Spirit will offer you courage, patience and vision as you move into your new life now that you have publically affirmed your faith. We do not come to this service alone. We come as a community of believers in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. Remember that you never need walk alone. Even at times when you may feel no one understands you – when perhaps you might feel that you have become a green monkey- your true self hidden from others – remember that God knows you. Indeed as was told to the prophet Jeremiah (1:5), God has known you from before your birth. You matter to God.
God expects that we will acknowledge our love for, and our dependence upon, God as the source of all that is. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Luke that we need not be afraid of those who may desire our harm. That we should not be afraid or concerned about what we will say when questioned. The Holy Spirit will be our advocate and our comforter. The good work you have done with Chip in preparation for this evening will stand you in good stead should you be asked about your faith. At the same time, never stop asking questions – never stop learning. God is not afraid of our questions. One of the great strengths of the Episcopal Church is that you are encouraged to bring your questions – of heart and of head- to the church. No leaving your heart or your mind at the door.
Confirmation is a time of transformation. What you were before this service will be changed. The change might not immediately be apparent. It likely will be deep inside of you. This service is one of outward and visible signs – not the least of which is the laying on of hands by the Bishop – of an inward and spiritual grace. Through this service, the Holy Spirit indwells even more in you and provides you with strength to meet the days ahead.
Hopefully none of us will ever be taken prisoner and threatened with being put to death. Whatever the challenges we will face in our life, we can take comfort in the example of Alphege. Someone whose faith in God gave him comfort in the certainty of death. Someone who no doubt called upon the Holy Spirit to give him words to say to his captors- including “raise no ransom for me but use the funds to spread the Gospel.”
In very metaphorical terms – and I stress, very metaphorical terms- tonight is a night of the green monkey being washed in green liquid and emerging as Prince Alphege. Tonight, with the laying on of hands and in the presence of this community, we come to be known as our true selves- children of God, loved by God, now and forever, Amen.
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