Blog Post

Sexy Saxons And Oaths To Our Lord

Kate Nicholas • Sep 07, 2021

I must admit that while going through chemotherapy I have become a bit hooked on Netflix. On my bad days it provides a wonderful source of escapism. Most recently I have been watching the Netflix series called The Last Kingdom which is about King Alfred’s struggles against the Danes in the ninth century and his attempts to establish an Anglo Saxon England.

Much of the series is fictional of course – including the central figure of Uhtred Ragnersson played by the rather tasty Alexander Dreymon – but I found that this series prompted some unexpected reflections about faith.

Uhtred, who is a Saxon by birth and a Dane by upbringing, takes an oath to serve his Lord King, Alfred – a vow that changes the shape of his life, and requires considerable sacrifice. And this act of taking a vow to follow his Lord, led to reflect on what it really means to say that Jesus Christ is my Lord.

In today’s society, the only Lord that we are likely to encounter would be a members of the upper chamber whose influence on our lives are limited. Gone are the days when those who lived on a Lord’s land were vassals who could be commanded at any time to sacrifice hearth, home, family and lives in their service. And the taking of oaths to follow another is no longer a feature of our cultural landscape.

But the vows of Uhtred to follow a pious Lord King, who himself lived a life dominated by prayer and service, reminded me that I too as a Christian have taken oaths, to follow a Lord – my baptism vows.

I was christened in the Church of England and brought up in the Baptist church, but as a disillusioned young woman turned my back on God. As a result I was baptised and confirmed on the same day as an adult in the church of St Peter and St Paul in Olney, where I now minister as a lay preacher.

I am now very grateful that I had the opportunity to take these vows at an age when I could better appreciate the power of this commitment and the implications of these oaths.

These are the vows that I made on the day of my baptism and confirmation in the Church of England:

In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light.

To follow Christ means dying to sin and rising to new life with him.

Therefore I ask:

Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?

I reject them.

Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?

I renounce them.

Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?

I repent of them.

Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?

I turn to Christ.

Do you submit to Christ as Lord?

I submit to Christ.

Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?

I come to Christ.

Those who are baptized are called to worship and serve God.

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,

in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?