The Influence of God: With Us All Along

A sermon for September 29, 2024 – the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Buffalo, NY.

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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

St. Francis of Assisi is probably most well-known for his love and care for animals and the environment, children, the Prayer of St. Francis (Prayer for Peace) that is attributed to him, and paintings of him with birds in his hands as he gazed heavenward.

Something happens when we think about people in the Bible and folks that are considered “saints.” They tend to lose the richness and depth of who they were as real human beings. Instead, they become for us these seemingly perfect, brave, insightful, and extremely faithful people.

The real St. Francis was named Giovanni and was born in Assisi, Italy, around the year 1181. His dad, Pietro, was a wealthy silk merchant, and his mom, Pico, was a noblewoman. So, his family was wealthy. Reading some of the descriptions of him, he sounds sort of how we might picture an entitled frat boy frivolously spending mom and dad’s money.

At some point, he gave up the money, his position in society, and intentionally exchanged his fancy clothes for rough and very plain clothing. He was even known to remove those clothes and roll naked in the snow and even roll naked among thorn bushes as a form of penance and to exercise discipline over his body. Since he gave up access to his parent’s money, he had to beg for food and shelter. He visited lepers in leper colonies.

What a huge lifestyle change to go from such wealth and prominence to such poverty and obscurity. Obviously, something happened to bring about this change in Giovanni’s life, but it didn’t come out of nowhere.

There is a story about the young Francis helping his dad sell fabric when a poor person came to him asking for money. At the end of the day when all of the fabric he has was sold, Francis found the beggar and gave him all the money he had. Needless to say, his dad wasn’t thrilled.

When he was of age, Francis joined the military. On an expedition to Perugia, Italy, he was taken prisoner and held for one year. During this time, some kind of significant illness caused him re-consider his lifestyle. After he was released, he returned home and continued living lavishly as he had before. But a vision got his attention and, from then on, Francis’ relationship with money and position changed. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome where he joined other beggars and asked God for guidance. The word he got back from Jesus was this: “Francis, Francis, go and repair My church which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.”

There’s much more to St. Francis’ life than the still images we see depicted in art. In each of the stages of his life, he was in the process of becoming. The presence and influence of God didn’t just happen to him out of the blue one day. God was with him all along.

One way we can think of this influence of God is to use the sometimes intimidating phrase “Kingdom of God.” Much like the images and impressions we have of St. Francis of Assisi, the Kingdom of God can also feel unreal and removed from our day-to-day lives. The Kingdom of God can seem ethereal and possibly something we only experience after we die … like heaven.

We can also think of the Kingdom of God in much more tangible terms. I think a good working definition of the Kingdom of God is quite simply “wherever God’s influence is.”

The Kingdom of God – God’s influence – does not only exist in our sanctuaries and holy places among holy things. The Kingdom of God – God’s influence – extends FAR beyond any physical location … into the world and the breadth and depth of the reality of human experience.

The influence of God was with St. Francis wherever he went; therefore, the Kingdom of God was with him wherever he went – not just while he was praying and serving, but when he was going about the daily tasks of living.

God didn’t just happen to St. Francis out of the blue one day because God was with him all along. St. Francis didn’t bring God with him to the places and the people he ministered because God was already there and present with them. God and God’s Kingdom also don’t just happen to you and me out of the blue. God’s Kingdom … God’s influence … is with us wherever we go. Yes … in church, but not only there. God’s influence is with us as we go about our daily tasks of living. God is and has been with us all along.

So, how can our prayer become: “God … set the you that is in me free SO THAT I can be an instrument of your peace … SO THAT I can bring light rather than darkness into my world … SO THAT I can bring joy … SO THAT I can live the wide welcome of Jesus who said “²⁸Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” … SO THAT I come to those around me wanted and expecting to serve rather than TO BE served?

For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

In the name of Jesus … Amen!

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Prayer of St. Francis / Prayer for Peace

The prayer of St. Francis breaks nicely into three parts: (1) Lord make me, (2) grant me, and the (3) for that gives the foundation for these prayers.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.