St George, David and Jesus: An Assembly from Revd Child
April 24, 2026
My talk this morning is inspired by some words that were used in assembly on Wednesday, particularly with the public exam year groups in mind: ‘You will always be part of our school’s story’. It’s absolutely true that school isn’t just a place, or an organisation, or a list of names. School is a story – a story we’re continually creating.
Our story-making at this time of year includes things like taking a whole-school photograph, a snapshot of all the people that make up our community at this particular moment. For the Upper 6, it includes contributing to the Leavers’ Yearbook, where you share your memories and anecdotes. It includes holding dinners and special services where we remember our achievements, the unexpected twists we had to navigate, and how the story of the year has unfolded. We do all this because our stories are an important part of our community.
Another thing that communities often do with stories is to take an inspiring narrative and make it our own. In Cathedral Close we do that with Nelson, with Edith Cavell, with Julian of Norwich and St Benedict, all of whom have monuments to remind us of their stories. And I want to mention three other stories that, whether we realise it or not, have become part of our culture and therefore part of us.
Yesterday was St George’s Day. You may be only vaguely aware of the story of England’s patron saint – that’s true for many people. But you probably remember enough to know that St George was brave; that he faced the fight against the dragon while everyone else feared and fled. Just to be aware of the tale is to have before you an ideal of courage and standing up to adversity. That’s why St George has become one of our foundational stories.
The second story is, in a way, a Biblical version of St George: the story of David and Goliath. Goliath is the towering brute who has no care for anything or anyone. David is barely out of shorts – but he is plucky and he is faithful and his slingshot skills (from his time as a shepherd boy) allow him to fell the giant. If you know that much, then you’ll carry the message of the story with you. You may be young, you may be unknown, you may be inexperienced, but if you’re bold and you’re faithful, who knows what you might achieve.
And if we know about David the giant-killer, we will notice when someone like Greta Thunberg publishes a book called No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference; and our ears will prick up when someone like Malala Yousafzai finishes a speech with the words, “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”
The third story is the one that causes cathedrals like this to be built. It is the Easter story that is always told at this time of year. It is the story of someone who took on a spiritual battle, because this person’s resistance (unlike in the first two stories) was consciously non-violent. It is the story of someone who faced the powers of death and darkness alone while everyone else feared and fled. It is the story of someone who, out of love, went to the cross. It is the story of someone who death could not defeat, as his disciples began to realise on the very first Easter morning.
If you know the story of Jesus, along with the story of St George and David, then you will have ideas about courage, and faithfulness, and things worth fighting for, that one way or another you will want to incorporate into your story, as the story of your life continues.
