By Jeanie Graustein, preached at Earth Ministry’s 15th Annual Celebration of St. Francis: Creation-Care Sermon Contest on September 26, 2009.
As our Christian churches and other faith communities engage in the urgent work of protecting God’s creation, it is most fitting that we learn from and pray with St. Francis of Assisi. Contrary to images of Francis as a decoration for bird baths or a naïve romantic, he was a man who responded wholeheartedly to God’s call to rebuild the church. Rejecting the power, property and wealth of family, society and church, he led a life of radical simplicity and poverty, dedicated completely to praise and service of God. He loved every person, especially the poor, seeing Christ in each one. He continually delighted in creation and believed that God was both known through and praised by all creatures.
Francis’ understanding of creation was shaped by his prayer and by scripture. It was also deeply informed by his lived experience as one who wandered the land, closely observing and reflecting on its workings. Francis rejoiced in his own creaturely status and delighted in the specific gifts and ways of his fellow creatures and had a unique sense of kinship with all the creatures he encountered, addressing them respectfully as “sister” and “brother.”
Our understanding of creation and the community of life is greatly enhanced by the findings of generations of scientists. We know that our Earth exists as part of the 13 billion year unfolding of an immense universe, and that a vast diversity of life forms has emerged over 3 billion years. We know of the complex food webs and the biological and geophysical cycles, from very local to global scale, on which life depends. We are growing in our appreciation of the “ecosystem services” provided by plants and animals, forests and watersheds, the soil and the atmosphere that together make human civilization possible.
And we now know that our genetic kinship with other creatures is real, through our shared ancestry with all life. Some people are troubled — or even horrified — to know that we share 98% of our genes with chimpanzees, although others find it a source of delight and connection. One can’t know, of course, what St. Francis would have thought about such relationship, but we can imagine that he, too, might have delighted in his actual “brotherhood” with primates and all creatures.
Scripture describes the human, male and female, as the one creature created in God’s image. We, among all the life of the Earth, are the one creature that can reflect on the whole of creation and respond to God with thanks and praise. We are the creature called to responsibility, called to till and tend the earthly garden. [Gen 2:15]. And we are the one creature that can sin, rejecting God’s love and harming neighbor.
We are increasingly conscious of the damage that we are doing to the community of life, human and other, and of the growing threats to our very future. We now understand that care for the environment is inseparable from care of neighbor. We are all affected by air and water pollution, by the careless use and disposal of toxic substances and wastes, and by the increasing effects of global climate change. But it is the poor and vulnerable, especially children and the elderly, minority communities, and the poor in developing nations who are the first to suffer.
In his book Loving Nature, James Nash defined sin as “autonomy from the sovereign source of our being” and said since that source is at once Divine, social and natural, then sin is “turning away from God, neighbor and nature.” That certainly describes much of what we see today, requiring that we repent and seek God’s forgiveness. We also must work to change those conditions, habits and policies that are contrary to God’s justice and threaten much of life.
Francis invited all those he encountered to love God, to care for the poor, and to treat other creatures with compassion. He was greatly concerned that people weren’t properly thankful for the gifts of creation. He called his followers to acknowledge their dependence on God and the services or “ministry” of fellow creatures. Near the end of his life, before he burst forth into song with his “Canticle of the Sun,” Francis said:
“I want to compose a new song, a canticle to the Lord through his creatures, whom we use every day, and without whom we cannot live, and through whom the human race greatly offends its Creator. We are constantly ungrateful for his gifts and blessings, and we do not praise the Lord, the Creator and Giver of all good gifts, as we should.”
If Francis saw ingratitude as a problem in the 13th century, when everyone lived close to the land, what would he think of us in our time? As we engage in our work to protect neighbor and sustain the integrity of creation, let us take his words to heart. Let us respond by deepening our gratitude to God and imaginatively expanding our circle of concern. As we pray with Francis’s Canticle, let us make it very personal. What creatures and processes do our lives depend on? What most amazes or delights us? What would we miss most if it ceased to exist? Let us pray:
O most High, almighty, good Lord God, to you belong praise, honor and all blessing! Praised be my Lord God with all creatures; and especially our brother the sun, which brings us the day and the light; fair is he, and shining with a very great splendor: O Lord, he signifies you to us!
And we give praise forsunlight, which travels 93 million miles to reach Earth, warming the land, air, and sea, making life possible through solar energy.And for the beauty of sunrise and sunset, delighting the eyes.
Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon, and for the stars, which God has set clear and lovely in heaven.
And we give praise for the vast reaches of the universe, billions of stars in billions of galaxies; for the explosive supernova death of stars, creating and sending the elements needed for life into our solar system. And for the moon, which creates the tides, shaping the life of the shore.
Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind, and for air and cloud, calms and all weather, by which you uphold in life all creatures.
And we give praise forthe balance of gases in the atmosphere, making life possible; for the winds that move clouds of moisture, giving us rain; for the ozone layer, protecting life from harmful rays. For birds, bats, butterflies, and all creatures of the air.
Praised be my Lord for our sister water, which is very serviceable to us, and humble, and precious, and clean.
And we give praise for: Water that makes all life possible, and comprises more than half the substance of a human body. For oceans, wetlands, streams, lakes. and all the creatures that teem in the waters. For the power of flowing rivers, captured as renewable energy. For the waters of Baptism and blessing.
Praised be my Lord for brother fire, through which you give us light in the darkness; and he is bright, and pleasant, and very mighty, and strong.
And we give praise for: Non-renewable fossil fuels, products of ancient sunlight accumulated over the ages, burned to give us heat, light and transportation.For flame and candles that light our sanctuaries and rituals.
Praised be my Lord for our mother the Earth, which sustains us and keeps us, and yields diverse fruits, and flowers of many colors, and grass.
And we give praise for photosynthesis by plankton and plants, converting sunlight, carbon dioxide and nutrients into food for other creatures. For earthworms, bacteria, fungi, and all small creatures that create fertile soil. For bees and all pollinators, whose work is essential for the fruitfulness of many plants. For the grasses– rice, wheat, corn, barley, oats, millet. For the bread and wine we offer and receive at our altar tables.
Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another for God’s love’s sake, and who endure weakness and tribulation; blessed are they who peaceably endure, for you, O most High, shall give them a crown!
And we give praise for the lives and work of: Cesar Chavez and for all who struggle for just wages and healthy conditions for farm workers and food processors. Sister Dorothy Stang, who gave her life in the pursuit of justice for small farmers, rubber tappers and the landless poor of Brazil. Wangari Maathai, who leads Kenya’s Green Belt Movement and the Billion Tree Campaign.
Praised be my Lord for our sister, the death of the body, from which no one escapes; woe to him who died in mortal sin! Blessed are they who are found walking by your most holy will, for the second death shall have no power to do them harm.
And we give praise for:All the elements of the earth that form our bodies, cycling through us from the plants and animals we eat, returning to the Earth when we no longer need them. And for all who work to change situations of environmental harm and injustice by protecting human life, dignity, and God’s creation.
Praise you and bless you the Lord and give thanks to God, and serve God with great humility. Amen.
And let the church say, “Amen.”