Creekside Church Sermon of March 30, 2003 "A Simple Prayer" Matthew 5:1-16	Rev. David Bibbee
Send this sermon to a friend

I had scant knowledge of St. Francis. I knew the Franciscan Order traced the origins of its ministry to Francis. I knew that he loved creation and preached to birds and animals. I knew there were churches that observed the blessing of the animals instituted by the saint. I knew that he wrote moving prayers, and some are still prayed today. But there is one prayer which Francis embodied…a prayer that expresses the heart of Christianity. When he passed someone on the road he always said, "Our Lord give you peace." It is no surprise, then, that his most famous prayer began, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace." In my office is a gold painted box that is made to look like an antique book. In it is Saint Francis' "A Simple Prayer." It was given to me by a friend and spiritual mentor, now deceased who got it in Italy in the 1930's.

To appreciate the prayer we should appreciate the man who prayed it. He was born Giovanni Fransesco di-Pieto di Bernardone, from here on referred to as Francis. He was born in the town of Assisi in Umbria in 1182. His father was Peter Bernardone, a wealthy textile merchant. He had groomed Francis to carry on with the business. Francis lived his early years passionately. It was the age of chivalry when men were gentlemen. He loved the songs of the troubadours and the valor of the armored knights, and he loved to spend money.

At age twenty he was captured in a small war and held for one year. After his release he suffered a long illness, and when he recovered he returned to war dressed in designer apparel and armor. One night he had a dream that his father's house was turned into a castle. Armor adorned the walls each piece marked with a sign of the cross. Was God showing Francis what to do with his life? It was a time of spiritual upheaval for Francis. He wanted to give his life to something, and he rejected what he saw as life wasted on trivial matters.

One day he was traveling on his horse when he met a leper. He was horrified by the sight, but instead of riding away, he fought through his revulsion, approached the leper, pressed money into the man's hand and kissed it. On a pilgrimage to Rome he saw a crowd of beggars gathered at the door of Saint Peter's Basilica. He went in, emptied his money from his purse, returned to the beggars and looked for one who seemed the most destitute. He gave his clothes to the beggar, put on the beggars rags, and stood begging with the others.

On his return to Assisi he prayed in a ramshackle church called Saint Danian. Looking at the crucifix, he heard a voice say three times, "Francis, rebuild my house that has fallen down." It was another call to his life's work. He took a horse load of fabric from his father's warehouse, sold the fabric and the horse and gave it to the priest at poor Saint Danian's. When he returned home his furious father beat him and had him put in jail. Peter Bernadone gave Francis an ultimatum - either stay home and stop his foolish behavior, or renounce his inheritance. Peter ordered Francis to repay the money for the fabric and the horse. Francis said that it belonged to God and the poor.

Bernadone brought his son before the Bishop of Assisi who told Francis to return the money. But he admired Francis and said, "Trust in God." Francis agreed to give back the money…and more. He took off all his clothes and said, "My clothes are also his. Hither I have called Peter Bernadone father. From now on I say only, "Our Father, who art in heaven.'" Francis made a total offering of his life, and devoted himself to living the Biblical commands of Jesus. He devoted himself to embodying the Beatitudes. He and his growing band of followers took as their charge Jesus' words, "Go preach saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Freely you received. Freely give. Take no gold, silver, nor brass in your purse - nor two coats or shoes nor staff."

Francis did not stand on a corner with a sign like we have seen, "Will work for food." Francis and company lived by three primary rules. They lived to proclaim the gospel. They ministered to human need. They devoted themselves to manual labor to provide for their daily sustenance.

He discovered that peace and power came in proportion to his imitation to Jesus. He came on the scene at a time in history when the church had become overly formal and had grown cold. People were spiritually indifferent. Francis created a renewal movement. Francis became God's instrument. Because of his influence, and later the influence of his followers, there was dramatic renewal in the church.

In Thornton Wilder's book Heaven is My Destination, a man decides to live by the Sermon on the Mount. What follows is a hilarious series of encounters in which the poor guy gets into sticky situations by his unusual behavior. In one instance, he withdrew money from his bank account and got into an argument with the teller because he wouldn't take the interest earned on his account. Jesus forbade usury so he would not take the interest. The other customers heard the argument and thought the bank was in trouble,which precipitated a run on the bank.

There is no belief in Jesus without following Jesus. To follow Jesus is the best of all ways to live, but if you live it you will seem odd, out of step, you will be misunderstood, and dismissed. The only tools he had at his disposal were those God had given him - peace, love, pardon, faith, hope, light, joy, understanding, giving, and forgiving. These are the only tools we've been given. Read "The Simple Prayer" and notice that Francis did not pray, "Lord, help me understand your peace," or "Give me insight into love," or "give me new perspectives on truth." Francis did not pray, "Lord, give me your peace. Send me your love. Shower me with joy and hope." What he prayed was not for himself. He prayed to be used by God for God's purposes.

"A Simple Prayer" is lovely to read…so noble and selfless. It is a beautiful text done in calligraphy, or needlepoint, or stick to your refrigerator with a magnet, or put inside a gold painted wood artifact like this one from Italy. But what good is it if we are not willing to be what we pray for?

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace." Whose instrument are you? What are you sowing? Peace, pardon, faith, love, or a different crop? Does your life produce enough light so others may find their way through the dark? Is the subject matter of your prayers primarily you and your needs, or is your prayer to be at Gods' disposal to use as God sees fit?

There is an old saying that says, "If the shoe fits, wear it." If Francis' prayer speaks to your heart, then pray it. If it doesn't, pray it anyway.

"Grim" is a word that fits current conditions in our world. We're being prepared for the likelihood that conditions will grow grimmer. As for our nation, we have lost our innocence, and are no longer insulated from the threats which are a way of life in many countries. Yet it is not an enemy from the outside which is our greatest threat, but the decay within.

In other dark, grim periods of history, God laid a hands on the shoulders of men like Patricious and Giovanni Francesco. They were called to spread the Gospel of Jesus. Someone said, "In his holy flirtation with the world, God drops a handkerchief. These handkerchiefs we call saints." Through their devotion to Jesus and desire to share his love, St. Patrick and St. Francis took what was and demonstrated life as it could be under God's guidance and Jesus' grace.

Anthony Bloom said, "In a world of competition, in a world of predatory animals, in a world of cruelty and heartlessness, the only hope one can have is an act of mercy, and act of compassion, a completely unexpected act which is rooted neither in duty nor in natural relationships, which will suspend the action of the cruel, violent, heartless world in which we live."

Like St. Francis, let us pray that we will become instruments of completely unexpected acts of God's love.

All of the sermons that have appeared in text form on our Web Site since August 1996 are available here in the On-Line version. Use the search engine below to find the sermon you want. You may search by date, sermon title, or content. The sermons are full-text searchable.

Sermon Search:



Exact phrase    All words (AND)    Any word (OR)