Following Francis Following Jesus

Hi Church! 

This Sunday is the Feast of St. Francis, the day the church remembers and celebrates the memory of one of her most Francis of Assisi. 

Francis is one of those saints whose name we may have heard or example we may know in the broadest terms, but may not actually have a great deal of familiarity with. His love of God’s creation and engagement with animals, as well as the famous prayer attributed to him (you can find it below), are especially common knowledge. 

Beyond these well-known features Francis’ life is a remarkable example of a commitment to the likeness of Christ. Inspired by the words of Jesus (esp. Matt. 10:7-10) Francis scorned the temptations of wealth and worldly success, and devoted himself to preaching the Gospel and walking with the poor, cultivating the virtues of humility and chastity. As one writer has put it Francis “realized that true faith in God-and true happiness-can be found only in radically rejecting all other potential sources of security.” That is a challenging but compelling word! What might one step of rejecting an other potential source of security look like in your life? What is one way you might move toward a richer trust in God? On Sunday the church will thank the Lord for Francis’ life and ministry, and will pray for the Spirit’s power to follow Jesus in a similar manner in our own lives. His example as a follower Jesus is one we deeply need today. 

This Sunday we’re also welcoming another guest preacher during our live-stream. Jin Cho is a priest in our diocese and heads up the Revelation 7:9 Taskforce. He’ll be preaching on the fiery furnace, a beloved story from Daniel chapter 3. Since Jin is new to our community (he lives in California and worships and serves at Holy Trinity Costa Mesa) here is a brief video of introduction. I’m looking forward to his preaching this Sunday! 

In Christ, 

Peter+