Sermon
St.
Francis
Sermon
given in 1995
By
Rev. Valerie Hart at
St.
Alban’s Episcopal Church
Luke
17:5-10
When I was a
senior in High School my friend Gail Robinson gave me this book, (hold up book)
Saint Francis by Kazantazakis, for Christmas. I don’t know why she gave
it to me, but she was a very intuitive type of person and I guess just thought
I would like it. I read it eagerly, until I reached the part where Francis
removes his clothes and hands them to his father. You see Francis, the son of a
rich and wealthy merchant, had been feeling more and more drawn to Christ’s
service. His experiences in prayer in front of a crucifix had profoundly
affected him. He was no longer the happy go lucky son his father had known, and
his father was angry. Francis father appealed to the bishop to intercede with
Francis, but the bishop appears to have had more understanding of Francis then
did his father. The father desired the return of the money that Francis had
spent on the church. The bishop said to Francis, “If you desire to serve God,
than give his mammon back to your father, which perhaps has been obtained by
unjust methods, and therefore should not be used for the benefit of the Church.”
At this Francis removed his clothes, and standing naked accept for a rough loin
cloth, returned not only the money, but the clothes his father had given him.
I remember reading that far in the
book and being so struck by the total renunciation of Francis, so moved by his
willingness to give up all trappings of his former life, that I could read no
further. It was as if someone had held a mirror up to my heart and showed me
what I was not. I knew that I was unable to give up my comfort to serve God. I
knew that I could not make that kind of sacrifice. Francis was willing to give
100%, I gave so very little.
It was many, many years before I was
able to pick up that book again. During that time I had learned to have a
little more compassion for myself, to accept that I was unlikely ever to be
Sainted, and that was OK. I still continue to be moved every time I read of
Francis’ total devotion to our Lord - his absolute and total giving of himself.
When I think of Francis I often feel like the disciples who asked Jesus to
increase their faith. Next to Francis I see the ways in which my own faith is
lacking.
I have asked myself how is it that
Francis was able to do this. How could he give up all comfort, all physical
security? The answer is his experience with praying at the crucifix. At one
point, in response to fervent prayer for how God wanted him to serve, Francis
experienced the crucified Christ speaking to him in his heart. Francis
experienced the crucified savior. He would meditate on what the experience of
Christ on the cross must have been like. He wept for our crucified Lord. He
knew in his deepest being that Christ had, out of love, given 100% of himself.
He knew that Christ had died, had given his body to be crucified, for us, - out
of love for us. Francis felt such a response of love to this great gift that he
wanted, he longed, to give 100% back to Christ. His love for our Lord was so
great, his knowledge of our Lord’s suffering so direct, that for Francis there
could be no response less than 100%.
What was this call that Francis
heard form the crucifix? What he heard was, “Now go hence, Francis, and build
up my house, for it is nearly falling down!” Now Francis was a simple man, and
he took things literally. He had been praying in a small church that had been
neglected and was falling down, so he assumed that Christ meant he should build
up that physical church. Of course we who know the whole story of Francis. We
know that he transformed the entire Christian church of his day. We know that
the Church in the 13th century was in many ways corrupt, and that the spiritual
life had been neglected. Francis through his example transformed and rebuilt
the greater Church, but that was much later in the story. When Francis heard
Christ speak to him he started with a physical project. He took Christ’s words
literally and began to rebuild the broken down little church of San Damiano,
brick by brick.
But where was he to get the
materials for this rebuilding. He had given all of his money back to his
father. He owned nothing, so he had to go out and beg for the bricks. He went
from house to house saying, “He who gives me a brick will have his reward in
heaven. He who gives two bricks will have twice the reward.”
How difficult it must have been for
this once proud young man to beg. I know that for me the hardest thing I ever
have to do is ask people for money. To literally beg from door to door for the
Lord is a moving testament of love and faith.
But gradually others were drawn to
his love and commitment. He found he was no longer building alone, but a group
of individuals gathered around Francis who were also committed to service to
God. Francis could not imagine how he would rebuild the church, yet his faith,
faith as a mustard seed, could do anything.
I think it is interesting that
Francis began his work of rebuilding the church with a concrete project. Similarly,
when asked to increase the faith of his disciples, Jesus answers by talking
about a servant who rather than being thanked at the end of the day is asked to
do more. How do we increase our faith? Jesus seems to be answering, “Serve”.
Usually we think about it in just the opposite way, “if I had faith, then I
would serve. Then I could do great things for God.” Jesus is telling us to
begin to do things for God, and your faith will increase. Francis began with a
project. He began by repairing a small church. He didn’t start with trying to
change the world, but he did, brick by brick.
We too are called by Christ. It is
no accident that each one of us is here today. We each have followed a different
path to be here, to be a part of the Episcopal Church in Brentwood, but here we
are. And we are called to action, to build up Christ’s house, Christ’s church,
right here. We are called to respond to the 100% love shown by Christ in his crucifixion.
We are called to be servants, to do, to act, to serve. None of us are St.
Francis. Few beings are able to respond as fully and completely as Francis.
100% is too much for most of us, that’s why the biblical ideal has been the
tithe, ten percent, - because we are unable to truly give 100%, to give 100% of
our money, to give 100% of our time, to give 100% of our talents. But we can
give. We can work to build up Christ’s church. We can be a beacon of light and
love. We can show others how much we are loved by God,
We can do what
is so beautifully put in the prayer attributed to St. Francis, “Where there is
hatred we can sow love, where there is injury Pardon, where there is discord,
union, where there is doubt, faith, where there is despair, hope, where there
is darkness, light, where there is sadness, joy.”
How do we increase our faith? Serve.
Where do we start? Here.
When do we start? Now
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