Everyday Mystics
By: The Rev. Brenda Sol
10/6/24 ~ St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Encinitas, CA
Feast of St. Francis: Job 39:1-18; Psalm 121; Matthew 11:25-30
Over the years—whether as part of mainline Christianity, or during a New Age/New Thought phase I went through—my ministry has consistently been about creating more access points, so that people feel safe dipping their toes into the realm of spirituality. I’ve always been aware of the deep, abiding presence of God in my life, and—whether people around me were more comfortable using the term “Spirit”, “Divine One”, or “Higher Power”—I’ve remained committed to creating spaces that allow others to experience what I know to be God’s generous and inclusive love.
In fact, a business colleague once commented that I was good at “smuggling” in God to the work I was doing, without people realizing that’s what I was up to. As part of that, a couple of decades ago—long before I was a part of the Episcopal ordination process—a friend and I tried our best to establish a faith community called “Spirit’s Edge”. Because of several extenuating circumstances, the Sunday morning gatherings only lasted for three or four months.
Yet, I still resonate with the ideas that came out of the several months of planning we put into Spirit’s Edge. Our vision was grounded in the image of a Venn diagram representing the areas of: sacred texts, spiritual practices, and community, knowing that it is at the intersection of these areas where we find God.
We also wrote a musical chant that we began each gathering with. It started out something like: “We are everyday mystics, revealing God’s love…” I didn’t realize it at the time, but St. Francis—whose feast day we are celebrating today—is often described as an “everyday mystic”.
He earned the “everyday” title, because unlike other mystics, Francis didn’t move away from people to a monastic setting to pray in silence. Rather, Francis, formed his spiritual disciplines around being in the midst of the human condition, so that he could live out his faith—in the world—on a moment-by-moment basis.
Even though, today, we know him to be the founder of the Franciscan monastic order, that was not Francis’s goal, or even his desire. He was basically forced into starting the Franciscans by popular demand. His plan was to live life as simply as possible, so that he wasn’t distracted by trying to achieve financial wealth, or collect more possessions. Francis’s commitment was to devote his entire life to noticing the sacredness of all creation. From the crabby neighbor to the beautiful blue bird, his intention was to see the world through God’s eyes and, then, to help those he noticed were in distress.
The problem was, he was really good at it, and people began to notice how joyful and fulfilled he seemed to be. They wanted to learn how to live their lives in the same way, so they started to follow him around like groupies. Eventually, much to Francis’s chagrin, they convinced him to formalize the process. The second problem was that, though these guys wanted to be a part of a monastic community, they complained that Francis’s guidelines were too strict. He argued, however, there was no other way—that it was a simple way of being.
I’m guessing that’s why we’re assigned the Matthew Gospel reading to honor Francis. While the friars seemed to have the idea that a yoke was a restrictive force impinging upon their freedom, Francis envisioned the yoke as God’s deep and abiding presence. His life was a testament to that piece of scripture: “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens...take my yoke upon you…and you will find rest for your souls.”
Francis took many of his cues from scripture. For example, this morning’s Psalm reiterates the idea that we all need help, and when we need it, we can go to the true source. Francis must have appreciated the words of the psalmist: “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
Similarly, our reading from the Book of Job points us toward noticing the animals of creation. Just as Francis did, we are asked to appreciate the animals around us, from mountain goats, to deer, to donkeys, to oxen and ostriches. In doing so, the prophet asks us: “Do you know about these creatures? They are God’s creation. Don’t overlook them. We are all interconnected.”
Today is our last Sunday of the Season of Creation, so how perfect that we wrap things up with the understanding that we, too, can be like Francis. We don’t have to become a saint, or even join a monastic community. It’s as simple as one author wrote: “Living as a [an everyday] mystic means orienting the whole of yourself toward the sacred. It’s a matter of purposely looking through the lens of love.”
In being an everyday mystic, Francis believed that his spiritual practice should have a positive impact on the world around him. He chose to live from a place of gratitude, generosity, peace and compassion, knowing these intentions would ripple out in positive ways into the community around him.
As I’ve embraced that idea, it’s led me to be even more intentional about all aspects of my life—including the language I use. For instance, you may have noticed that I often start pastoral letters with “Dear Siblings in Christ.” That’s because I believe words have an impact on others. So I’ve made subtle shifts, using “siblings” instead of “brothers and sisters”, is a subtle, to let people, who don’t identify as male or female, know that the people of St. Andrew’s see them through God’s eyes—as one of God’s beloved.
In his book Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi, Richard Rohr explains, “Thus all mystics are positive people—or they are not mystics!” Another way it’s been said is that sometimes we just need to look through different glasses. When we rub off the metaphorical smudges and oily fingerprints, then—even in the midst of heartache, conflict and chaos—we see things through God’s eyes.
So, this morning we come together to celebrate the interconnection of all creation, trusting that the subtle—yet intentional—ways we shift our thinking, our seeing, and our hearing, can make a difference in the world. Today, we also offer special blessings over our fur companions as a way to celebrate our dear sibling Francis and all that his life teaches us. We are “everyday mystics”, becoming more aware of God’s generous and inclusive love.”
—AMEN