Download Great things from little faith

October 6, 2013
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Great things from little faith
A sermon by the Reverend Robert Bruce Edson in Emmanuel Episcopal Church, West Roxbury, Massachusetts, on October 6,
2013, the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. If you had faith the size of a mustard seed… Luke 17:5
A few years ago I visited my uncle who was ninety-five years old and very frail and nearing the end of his life. I always knew him
to be a man of sincere and practical faith and was surprised when he asked me, “How can I increase my faith?” I thought of
how the apostles asked the same question of Jesus and how he told them that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed, they
could accomplish great things.
The mulberry tree has an extensive root system that keeps it firmly planted in the ground and cannot be easily up rooted. Jesus
makes the point that if a large fruit-bearing tree can grow from a tiny mustard seed, with just a little faith we can serve God’s
people in ways we never imagined. For that to be possible, we must free ourselves of all worldly concerns to concentrate on
things of the spirit.
Those who are called to the religious life to live in a disciplined and prayerful community dedicate themselves to serving God’s
people. The first monastic I ever met was a Trappist monk at the Holy Cross Abbey in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. As
he showed us around I was impressed with his great enthusiasm about everything. I realized that his cheerful attitude was the
result of being free from all worldly concerns that freed him to center his life on spiritual matters. From that time, I have always
tried to live a life of simplicity and faith.
Saint Francis is perhaps the most well known monastic in history and today we celebrate his Feast Day with the blessing of the
animals. Born into a wealthy 13th century aristocratic family in the Italian village of Assisi, Francis was a charming and generous young man who loved to sing and party with his friends. As a youth, there was little substance to his character until he
realized he had the good fortune to share his wealth with the poor and the sick. Whenever he met a beggar, he would give him
not just the shirt off his back, but everything he had. He could easily afford it because he knew that he could always buy more
of what he gave away.
His early ambition was to be a brave and fearless knight in the tradition of the legendary King Arthur and loved to sing minstrel
songs. When war broke out between Assisi and Perugia, Francis took the opportunity to join his fellow knights in battle. When
they were captured and put into prison, Francis shared his food with the prisoners who were ill and lifted their spirits with his
joyous singing.
After he was released from prison and returned home, Francis fell ill with a fever and had a vision of swords in the form of a
cross that he interpreted to be a call to become a warrior for God. A turning point came when he saw something he feared more
than battle or death in an encounter a leper whose skin was horribly scarred with bleeding scores and rotting flesh. Lepers had
to live apart in colonies so as not to infect others and Francis overcame his fear and embraced them and gave them clothes and
food.
Still looking for his mission in life, Francis entered the chapel of San Damiano that had fallen into disrepair. In deep prayer, he
felt a direct call from God to repair the chapel. He went home and sold his horse and anything else he could find to finance
the rebuilding of the church, much to the disapproval of his wealthy father. He decided that his mission in life was to be free of
everything he owned to be closer to God and nature. He began wearing a tunic of rough cloth with a rope around his waist and
ministered to the lepers by collecting crusts of bread to feed them. He gathered stones and mortar to rebuild the church and
devoted himself to serving God in prayer, fasting and labor.
To be close to God’s natural world, Francis lived in the woods, befriending the animals and birds and regarding the sun, the
moon and stars as his brothers and sisters. The more he was free of worldly concerns, the happier he became. While some
thought he was being eccentric, others followed him and sold everything they had to give to the poor and to form a monastic
community known as the Franciscans. The friars lived in huts and found that the closer they lived the life of Jesus, the happier
they became. The discipline of living in community with the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience inspired a young woman
named Clare who formed a religious community for women that became known as the Poor Clares and lived under the same
vows in service to God.
Francis rejoiced in the beauty of all God’s creation with his love for all animals and birds and plants. His reverence for nature
meant that no harm should come to any of God’s creatures that he considered his brothers and sisters. It was said that when he
preached outdoors the birds responded with joyous singing.
Francis spent the remainder of his life living close to nature and never owned anything. As he bade farewell to this life, he welcomed sister death and eternal life in God’s presence. He left this world as he entered it. He had brought nothing into the world
when he was born and would carry nothing out when he died. Francis serves as an inspiration for all of us to have a greater reverence and care for all God’s creation. In many ways his concern for life and the environment puts him way ahead of his time.
His life is an inspiration for us to know how much happier we can be living with only the basic necessities free from the need to
accumulate material things.
There is no greater joy and happiness than the discipline to live free of the worldly concerns and living closer to the heart of
God. If that sounds idealistic, we all have to think about what is really important and necessary for us to be happy and fulfilled.
We have to come to terms with what we would do if everything we had were taken away and lost. Learning to appreciate what
and whom we have in our lives happens when we give greater emphasis on things of the spirit and less on worldly concerns.