For nearly a year, I have been writing blog posts about the Church Calendar. It has been a mix of reflections on the seasons of the Church Year, ponderings on particularly special days, and more recently exhortations regarding church-life (during this long period of Ordinary Time). There are still a few church-life topics I’d like to touch on before the current year is over (end of November), and there are also a few final especially notable days to commemorate—this past week being one such date.
The fourth of October (or the first Sunday of October) has become one of the more popular holy days for churches in recent times. This special day is in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi and often used as a moment to celebrate creation.
(Indeed, there are many saint days throughout the year—and I have purposefully ignored them on this blog given my limited amount of time towards this series of writings.)
As humanity has in many ways lost its native connection with nature and greedily abused the gifts of the earth, the feast day of Saint Francis has become an opportune time to repent and recommit ourselves to being good caretakers of what God has given us charge over. What Earth Day is for the secular-minded, this date has become the equivalent for the faithful.
While the day could be talked about at length, there is also a lesson to be learned from the simple reality of this date’s growing significance. It is a reminder that we must always look for new ways to re-understand our role in the world, asking the Holy Spirit to move us individually and collectively in new ways. It is also a reminder that within the frame of the Church Calendar, new possibilities for worship and understanding God more fully can still emerge. While our God is timeless and immortal, the work of the Holy Spirit is always being made new, and churches must always be places of creation.
As we reflect on God’s creation on this feast day, we should realize and act on our calling to be creators in God’s image as well. We are called to build up and build out the Kingdom of God where all are welcome and made whole. We are called to grow and nurture our faith and the faith of others. Like our Lord Jesus, we are called to be creators of peace, love, justice, grace, compassion, truth, and mercy in our time.
Relevant Reformation 