Sacred Moments

May 27, 2025

From Pastor Joseph Wamack

St Francis of Assisi was a Catholic preacher and leader from the 1200s. He is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment and is well respected throughout the world for his wisdom and writings.

There is a story told about St. Francis that he was out hoeing his garden one hot afternoon when a friend passing by, stopped and posed a question.

“Francis," he asked, ''What would you do it you were suddenly to learn that you were to die at sunset today?'' St. Francis, paused, leaned against his hoe and replied, ''I would finish hoeing my garden.''

I have always liked this story. For me the Christian faith and the walk with the Lord has always been about the present. Yes, I believe in heaven and yes, I believe in an earth made new, but I can’t look so far down the road that I miss the adventures along the way. God put us here for a reason and that reason is to live for Him today. It is possible to be so heavenly minded that I am of no earthly good.

Francis’ answer reveals that every act can be a sacred act when done for the glory of God. Even the hoeing of his garden was an act of worship. If there is something I should be doing for God and/or for others, then I should do it now. I cannot say, “I will live for ME today and someday soon, I will serve the Lord.”

Your faith is not a window to be opened or to be shut. If God is alive and if you choose to live for God, that is a 24/7 relationship. It is about being authentically you, and living as God created you to live-fully alive, using your gifts in service to Him and humanity-every day every time.

God in His wisdom gives us choice and with that choice, we can choose to respond to His call on our lives or not. When we see that sacred moments are created when "called people" respond to the call of a sacred God and live for Him, then it is not about going to church or avoiding the pretense of sin. It is about consecrating your heart and your life to Him so that all the moments are sacred because all your moments are His.

The Bible says, “For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16). When our eyes are open and we live for Him, life changes because we are changed. And then it is not the acts of our lives that are holy, but we ourselves that become holy.