St George's Cathedral, Cape Town

A sermon preached by the Very Reverend Rowan Smith in the Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr on 4 October 2009

“ Then the Lord God said 'it is not good that the man should be alone, I shall make him a helper as his partner' (Genesis 2 v 18)

“All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voice and let us sing.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
O praise him, O praise him” (AMR 172)

So St Francis, whose feast day we observe today 4 October, would have us express ourselves to the God who has created all things. The lines of this hymn are based on St Francis' Canticle of the Sun and it is important both to keep this in mind as well as telling others of it since the saint is concerned not simply about cats and dogs and other household pets, but all of God's creation. The Old Testament lesson today is the second of the creation narratives and Father Timothy Radcliffe in his recent book 'Why go to Church?' has this comment about Jewish accounts of creation:

“Nearly all the myths of their neighbours understood creation as a violent act, the destruction of some monster which embodied the waters of chaos.” p 119

In both accounts in Genesis 1 and 2 God brings about creation in order to establish a relationship between the Creator and the creature and so in our reading today the Lord God brought every creature he had made to pass before the man he had formed out of the earth.

“ and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.” 2 v 19

The purpose was to show that humankind shares in God's creation and has responsibility for every living creature on the earth. But that care is not as a solitary individual;

“It is not good that the man should be alone …”

God is community, a community of love whom we as Christians address as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For us that intimacy between God and humankind has increased as the writer of the letter to the Hebrews points out:

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son… through whom he also created the world.” 1 v 1 f

It is that creation to which St Francis draws out attention and which we affirm in the Nicene Creed, creation coming into being through Jesus Christ. At the heart of the affirmation of all creation, St Francis places Jesus Christ and thus to him we owe the custom of setting up the Christmass crèche, the crib, because creation and our salvation in Jesus Christ is the expression of the same love. That love inspired the preaching of St Francis and to him is attributed the words “Preach the gospel and if necessary use words.”

The preaching of the Gospel is a living in Christ and letting the light of his love shine through us. As we begin our month of Stewardship it is as well that we too ponder God's creation and acknowledge everything as gift. Another of our hymns says:

“Lord I would own thy tender care
And all thy love to me:
The food I eat the clothes l wear
Are all bestowed by thee.” (AMR 443)

It is grace indeed to grow in that knowledge, not just of the head in our care for all creation and the disastrous results of our failure to do so, but also of the heart, a heart that, says Our Lord Jesus in today's Gospel must be like that of a little child-without malice or evil intent- but gracious in receiving and in giving. Stewardship is about God's generous love towards us in creation and our redemption, through Our Lord Jesus. It is about faith in God's amazing, unfathomable love, that love which moves us to give generously, ourselves, our souls and bodies, which we celebrate in every Eucharist and the love which marked St Francis with the stigmata, the mark of Jesus' wounds in his body. Love is not far from pain – not least the pain of God seeing a world which chooses death not life; indifference not love. To respond graciously to God's love is to know ourselves, as God intended at the beginning of creation that we need one another, that it is not good to be alone. Our purpose in the city continues to be a place of hope. We go forward together in faith with other believers, united with Christ and one another, giving graciously and regularly in order to bear one another's burdens. And the God who gives us his Son Jesus Christ will surely bless us. So with St Francis:

“Let all things their creator bless,
And worship him in humbleness;
O praise him, alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One
O praise him
Alleluia” (AMR 172)

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