Today we celebrate the life of Alban, the first Christian Martyr of England, and the saint for which this church is named. We celebrate his life, and we try to learn from his example of courage and faith. It is for this reason that the altar colors are red, because they symbolize the blood that Alban shed for the sake of the Gospel.
What we know from history is that Alban was a Roman. Either a soldier, or a citizen, who lived in the city of Verulamium, about 20 miles northeast of London. His death occurred during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, around 207 A.D., while Emperor Severus was persecuting Christians for their faith. In order to understand the culture in which Alban lived, and to understand the political climate he faced, we need a quick recap of religion and faith in Roman culture.
Rome had been founded as a monarchy in about 753 BC. In about 509 BC, the Romans overthrew their last king, and established a democratic republic. In the Republic, two elected officials, named Consuls, ran the country – with checks and balances by the Senate and other magistrates. During times of crisis – usually war – these Consuls could be given emergency powers, so that they did not require the approval of the Senate in order to do what needed to be done. But, they were expected to relinquish these powers after six months, and even then, they were expected to remain accountable to the senate and people of Rome, rather than their own ambitions.
This democracy lasted for roughly 450 years before it started to show cracks. A certain man appeared, a public official, a man with ambition. You may have heard of him. He constantly referred to himself in the third person, and curried favor with all those in power who could help him achieve his goals. He waged several wars, and was his own historian of those wars, so that he always came looking like a great strategist. His name was Julius Caesar.
There were a few senators and other people, including his own son in law, who grew worried about Caesar’s political ambitions and his quest for power. These men attempted to rein him in, resulting in a civil war. Julius Caesar won this war because of his strong support among the military and the people. After this victory, Caesar had himself declared “Dictator.” Not for the usual six months, however, but for a period of ten years. And those that supported him went along with it. Now completely unrestrained, the very next year Caesar declared himself “Dictator for Life.” The checks and balances, the accountability to the Senate were, at this point, completely lost.
Julius Caesar fostered a cult of personality. He minted coins with his own image, he started to wear a purple robe to proclaim his own royalty, and he began celebrating his birthday as a public holiday. He disregarded the Senate and its laws, which made the common people very happy, but which destroyed the democratic ideals of the Roman Republic. Eventually, those that saw Rome’s descent into monarchy again, sought to put an end to the threat, and they murdered Caesar on the Ides of March. These men risked their lives to bring Rome back from the brink of monarchy, because they valued the ideals of the Roman Republic.
Sadly, however, the death of Julius did not restore the Republic. Instead, only two years after his death, those in the Senate who were loyal to him, had him declared a god, “The Divine Julius.” In the name of the Divine Julius, his adopted son, Octavian, along with Marcus Lepidus and Marc Antony, hunted down those who had murdered Julius Caesar. When they had accomplished their goal, rather than returning Rome to the ideals of the Republic, they split the Republic into three, and each of them ruled their portion as a “Dictator for Life.”
The real reason for declaring Julius Caesar a god was not because they valued Julius, but because they wanted Octavian to assume power. Octavian played on this, and called himself “Divi Filius,” which means either, “Son of a God,” or more directly, “Son of God.” Octavian used this “divine mandate” to pursue his agenda. He had Lepidus exiled from his portion of the empire, and he went to battle with Marc Antony and his wife Cleopatra, and took over their portion of the empire too. At this point Octavian declared himself the “First Citizen” of Rome, a title meant to say, “Hey, look, I’m just one of the rest of you.” But then he turned around and named himself “Augustus,” which means “Majestic.” Julius had been added to the pantheon of Roman Gods and was being worshipped. Augustus did not encourage people to worship him, but he didn’t stop it either. Instead, he allowed people to worship his “Genius,” that is, his “Divine and Creative Spirit.”
From here, the “Imperial Cult” was born. The deification and worship of Roman Emperors. By the time of Emperor Septimius Severus, the emperor during the time of St. Alban, this Imperial Cult had become full-blown. Septimius Severus demanded that people worship the Imperial Gods, and he made sure to promote the fact that he himself was “divine,” so that he could rule by his sole and spoken word. He demanded explicit veneration of his own divinity, and all those who lived in the empire had to declare their loyalty to him. If you wanted a job, if you wanted to avoid persecution, if you wanted to live a life in relative peace, then you paid homage to Emperor Severus by worshipping him. Those that didn’t, were persecuted, and put to death.
And this is the political and cultural world that Alban was living in.
Christianity had been preached in England since the Romans first invaded the country in the first century, and by the late second century, around the time of Alban, it was well known that there were Christians in England
One day, Alban met a stranger who was fleeing persecution. Alban sheltered him in his own house, which was itself a crime – to harbor a fugitive. Even to save that person’s life would mean Alban’s own life. This person that Alban sheltered was a Christian priest. And while this man lived with Alban, Alban became so impressed with his piety, his consistency in prayer, and in his steadfast faith, that finally, one day, Alban asked the priest to teach him about his faith. Alban was taught and then baptized as a believer in Christ, and joined the priest in his prayers.
After a while, the local official who had been hunting down this priest, discovered that Alban was sheltering the priest. And so, he dispatched soldiers to Alban’s house to arrest this priest. As the soldiers stood outside, demanding entry, Alban turned to the priest and said that they should exchange clothes, so that the priest could escape. And so, when Alban answered the door, dressed as the priest, he was immediately arrested.
When the local official realized that Alban was not the priest he had been looking for, and was instead a Roman Citizen he was furious. As a Roman Citizen, Alban would have all the rights and privileges of citizenship, including a trial. This official could not simply get rid of Alban so easily, and he wanted to know why anyone would shelter someone like this Christian priest who, he said, “Despised and blasphemed the gods.” The gods of the Roman Empire. And so, in order to test Alban, he demanded that Alban immediately join him in worshipping the Roman Gods, which, of course, included the “living god, Emperor Septimius Severus.”
But Alban, newly born in his faith, and freed from slavery to falsehood and lies, courageously declared, “I worship and adore the true and living God, the one who created all things.”
For this act of defiance, for refusing to acknowledge that the Emperor was a god, Alban was severely beaten. I’m sure it was an attempt to beat some sense into him, since then the local official wouldn’t have to explain why they had murdered a Roman Citizen. But still, even after this severe beating, Alban refused to recant, instead continuing to claim that the only God worthy of worship is the one and true living God. And so, Alban was sentenced to death.
Now, as he was being taken out of the city, there were so many rubberneckers hoping to watch this execution, that they crowded the bridge over the river, so that the executioner and Alban could not cross. Alban, at this point calm and collected, and resolved to his fate, simply said a prayer, and this rushing river dried up so that he, the executioner, and others were able to walk across to the other side. They continued to the hill where Alban was to be executed, and when they got there, Alban was thirsty, so he said another prayer, and a spring of water began to flow at his feet, so that Alban was able to drink some water.
The executioner, upon seeing these miracles, threw down his sword and declared that he, too, wanted to be a Christian. And, if Alban, who’s prayers could affect these miracles were to be put to death, then he too would be willing to die alongside Alban. Naturally, the local official said, “Okay,” and he brought in a replacement executioner and both Alban and the first executioner were beheaded. These two became the first and second martyrs in England. The priest, the one that Alban had helped to escape, once he had heard that Alban had been arrested, came to the local official and intended to plead for Alban’s life. But, he came too late, and Alban was already dead. Since he still had a warrant out for his arrest, the priest was also beheaded, becoming the third martyr of England.
All this death. All these people murdered. Simply because they refused to acknowledge the human emperor was a god, and instead, held fast to their faith in the one true and living God. It would have been far easier to just offer lip service to the Emperor, and continue practicing their faith in private. But instead, they defied the cultural and political powers of the day – and they were murdered for it. They lost their life for what they believed.
What do you believe in so completely that you would be willing to face certain death for it? Not take a risk of dying for, but face an absolute certainty that professing your belief would mean instant death?
Alban knew that he would die. In a land without religious freedom. In a land where people were persecuted for failing to believe that their human emperor was a god. In a land where people were expected to declare loyalty to one man, rather than the Senate and People of Rome, Alban stood up and made the one statement that would get him killed: “I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things.” That is, in his cultural context, he was essentially saying, “Everything that you claim makes this world run and work, including loyalty to this one man in Rome, I reject it for the sake of Jesus Christ.”
Our Gospel reading from Matthew tells us that Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” It sounds harsh, these words of Jesus, but what Jesus is describing is not really about family. What he is describing is idolatry. Any time we put anything – even something as wonderful as family – ahead of Jesus, we are engaging in idolatry – declaring loyalty to something we consider more of a god to us than the one true and living God alone.
There’s a reason this scripture is chosen for the Feast of St. Alban. Those who lived in Alban’s time could make their lives easier by simply offering homage to the “living god” emperor, by swearing loyalty to one man, rather than to the God of all life and love. And many of them did just that, committing idolatry in order to save themselves from the pain of persecution. But Alban, he knew that the words of Jesus were true: “those who find their life will lose it, but those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
And Alban chose to lose his life – for the sake of Christ. And in doing so, he found peace, and entered into eternal life with the one true and living God.
The question Alban faced is the same question we all face: Is there anything you believe in so completely that you would be willing to face certain death for it? And is that the one true and living God, or something else?
[This sermon was delivered at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Wickenburg, AZ on June 22 – The Feast of St. Alban – 2025.]
