17.09.2025
Saint Francis
Creation as Connected Life
Sermon for September 14, 2025 – Creation 2
Final Sermon of Pr. Bea Chun at St. Francis Lutheran Church
Grace to you and peace
from the One who is,
the One who was,
and the One who is to come.
So here we are—my last Sunday.
This day has finally come. And now, it is here.
It is still hard to believe. The last few days have been such a whirlwind—
so many activities, so many emotions, so much to do… and so much still to wrap up.
I’ve been trying—probably way too much—to hold it all together.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I could say
on a day like this, my very last sermon in this place.
What could I possibly say?
So much is on my heart… how can I put it all into words?
And then I looked around my office,
and I saw an icon I’ve had for a long time.
I often look at it.
It’s the icon of Christ the Vine — Christ depicted as a living, growing vine.
It is inspired by our Gospel today, John 15, where Jesus says,
"I am the vine. You are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in them bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing."
Such a beautiful, life-giving image.
We are in the season of creation right now,
and we are thinking about the things that are growing, living, and thriving.
In this image of Christ the Vine,
Jesus is not simply a teacher whose words we listen to.
Jesus is a life force, a living presence in which we participate.
We live in this life force. And it gives us life.
We are together with Christ,
a body of cells and molecules,
intertwined with the whole creation,
the whole cosmos.
Now, if I were to create my own version of this icon,
If I were to create my own Christ the Vine,
I would do it a little differently.
First, I would include women —
the current icon shows the apostles — all men —
but we know there were also women around Jesus.
Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of Jesus,
and other women who were the first followers.
I would include them in my icon.
And I would include many more people:
the people around me, in my family,
my teachers, colleagues…
those who have helped me, strengthened me,
listened to me in difficult times,
celebrated with me in joyful times.
And I would include all of you,
the people of St. Francis Lutheran Church.
We are all connected in this beautiful, thriving, green vine
that grows from Christ and connects us together.
This is something important
that I want you to take away from this sermon,
our connection in Christ.
After today, I will no longer serve as your pastor,
and I will no longer be available for pastoral acts,
and at first this will probably be hard for all of us.
But we can take comfort in this image of the vine,
and we can remember that this connection in Christ,
will endure even when we are out of each other's sight.
There are other changes I would
make in my icon: I would add roots.
Roots are important for plants —
they deliver nourishment and stability.
So my icon would definitely have roots.
Roots for the generations that have shaped us.
Certainly my parents. My teachers.
Those who have helped me grow:
Sam Aller, with whom I had so many conversations about worship;
Kirsten Havrehed, with whom I had so many conversations
about being an immigrant from Europe;
Dave Walda, who showed me the ropes when I first arrived at St. Francis.
As Christians, we have an expansive root network.
We call it the Communion of Saints.
Now, in the Lutheran tradition,
“the communion of saints” may sound nebulous —
like a collection of particularly devout people.
But what it really is — a vast, vast network of people from all times and all places.
Some we never knew. Some we know only through memory.
It is so good to have these roots!
When I look around me,
I see how each of us tries their very best
to cope with the complexities of our modern life,
with so many pressures on all sides,
and so much coming at us from every direction.
And I see people everywhere showing up
with courage and fortitude.
But I also know that sometimes we feel
so alone in these struggles,
we wonder:
Does anybody even notice?
Does anybody even see us?
Does anybody even care?
God see us!
And God cares!
And the saints, they also see us.
They are our great cheerleaders
shouting to us from the bleachers!
We see you!
Hang in there!
Keep going!
Some of these saints we know by name:
the people who were important to us in our lives.
And some of them we will never know.
And, then there are those saints
whom the church remembers by name and day,
through the calendar of saints.
We list this calendar in our bulletin every Sunday.
You may have noticed it… or not.
Some weeks this list is short, just one or two commemorations.
But today—on this last Sunday that I have with you—
we are blessed with a particularly rich collection of commemorations.
It feels as if they have shown up to give us special blessing
and to help us in our mutual leave-taking.
I will now say a little bit about each of these saints
that have shown up in the calendar today.
If you like, you can turn to the back of your bulletin and follow along.
Today, September 14th is Holy Cross Day,
A day which is especially beloved in the Easter Church.
On this day we remember the story of Helena, mother of Constantine.
Now what is so special about Helena?
Helena lived in interesting times!
During her lifetime, Christianity transformed from an outlawed
and persecuted religion to the official state religion,
and it was her own son, the emperor Constantine
who instituted this change!
Her son relocated the capital of the Roman Empire
from Rome to Byzantium,
and then he renamed it Constantinople,
and made it the center of Christianity.
Helena contributed greatly to this vision,
She helped to build many churches in the new capital.
And then, in her late 70s,
she undertook an arduous pilgrimage to Jerusalem
There she discovered the remnants of the cross of Christ.
These remnants that had been lost for centuries.
According to the legend,
she noticed a basil plant — the word basil means “king”—
and she took it as a sign for Christ the King.
She ordered laborers to dig, and sure enough,
they found the remnants of the cross.
Helena brought the cross back to Constantinople.
The church remembers this story every year on September 14, on Holy Cross Day.
Now: Look at our processional cross!
You may have noticed something special there today.
We have attached basil leaves.
Tom brought them from his farm especially for us this morning,
so we could have basil leaves as part of our worship.
And since we are in the season of creation,
remembering all things green and growing,
what a lovely addition to our worship today!
Next is Cyprian of Carthage.
Now we have to travel a bit back in time,
to a time before Christianity was even an official religion.
Cyprian converted to Christianity as an adult, around age 35,
and was soon elected bishop of Carthage in North Africa.
He was renowned for intelligence, leadership, and writing,
and it that way he reminds me of the apostle Paul.
Like Paul, he gave his life for his faith.
He was executed by beheading by Roman authorities.
During his ministry, Carthage was struck by devastating plague.
Bishop Cyprian personally cared for the sick,
organized food and medicine, and encouraged Christians to remain faithful.
He used this crisis to strengthen the church’s role as a source of compassion and guidance.
His writings about pastoral care are still used to train pastors today.
Courage. Compassion. Faithfulness.
How wonderful that we get to remember him today
as one of the roots in the vine of Christ,
and be strengthened by his example.
And now we leap from the 3rd century to the 12th century,
from Africa to Europe, to Germany,
to Hildegard of Bingen, one of my favorites.
We have to talk about her in this season of creation,
because Hildegard of Bingen was a great lover of creation—
an environmentalist before the word even existed!
Hildegard founded her own convent,
the Rupertsberg, in the Rhine Valley near Bingen.
Founding her own convent was a bold move,
it took courage and even cunning,
but it allowed her independence
and it provided precious space for women
to pursue their own path of spirituality outside of male supervision.
Hildegard had many gifts and talents.
She was an artist and created stunning paintings.
She was a composer and wrote over 70 liturgical songs—
She wrote theological treatises
and corresponded with emperors and popes.
She wrote a scientific and medical encyclopedia
based on careful observation of nature.
She often spoke of viriditas, a term she coined,
to describe the divine “greening power,”
the life force that sustains all life, heals body and soul,
and draws all creation toward God.
What a blessing that she shows up in the calendar this week!
And now we make another leap,
from the 12th century to modern times, to 1961,
and meet Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Dag Hammarskjöld was born in Jönköping, Sweden, on July 29, 1905.
He was fluent in Swedish, English, French, German, and Latin,
and he became UN Secretary-General when he was 47 years old.
He served during the tense Cold War period,
and had to navigate several political crises.
He was committed to quiet diplomacy,
He always preferred negotiation behind the scenes
rather than public posturing,and he was a strong advocate for peacekeeping.
He was a man of deep faith and he kept a journal called Markings,
and this journal has survived and has become
a popular spiritual book.
Dag Hammarskjöld is remembered this week
because his day of death was September 18.
On that day in 1961, he was on a plane bound for Zambia, Africa.
He was on a UN mission to negotiate a ceasefire in the Congo.
Suddenly, the plane went down, and all 16 people aboard were killed.
The circumstances remain mysterious—according to initial reports
it was a pilot error, but later there were also reports that there may
have been foul play and that the plane had been shot down.
We will never know for sure.
But moments before his death,
while Dag Hammarskjöld looked out of the window of his plane
at the African landscape below him
he wrote in his notebook:
"For all that has been, thanks.
For all that shall be, yes."
How beautiful that today, these words come to us
— reminding us of gratitude, of hope.
Finally, this week we also remember Nelson Wesley Trout.
This is an especially important remembrance for us Lutherans,
because Nelson Wesley Trout was the first African American Lutheran bishop.
He was elected in 1983 to serve the South Pacific District.
Earlier in his career he served pastorates in Alabama,
and there he became friends with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Trout was known for his compassionate pastoral care,
his strong preaching, and his commitment to social justice.
How wonderful that these particular saints
have shown up in our calendar this week.
Each of them is blessing us,
supporting us in this time of transition,
blessing us individually and as a community.
One day, you and I will be part of this living network,
passing the life force we have received to those who come after us.
Thank you.
Thank you for 11 amazing years.
Words cannot capture it all.
I thank God for this ministry, for this congregation.
And I return once more to Hammarskjöld’s words:
"For all that has been, thanks.
For all that shall be, yes."
Amen.
May God bless you today—and every day that God gives you. Amen.
The Text: John 15:5, 7-11
Jesus said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
The Commemorations
Holy Cross Day - Sunday, September 14, 2025
Helena, mother of Constantine, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and found what may be the actual site of Jesus' crucifixion. Her son built two churches there, and the dedication of one of them gave rise to this celebration of our Lord's victory on the cross.
Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, martyr, died around 258 - Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Cyprian served as a bishop during a time of great persecution of Christians. He insisted on receiving back those who had left the faith under duress. He also provided medical care during a severe epidemic.
Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, died 1179 - Wednesday, September 17, 2025
A mystic who was widely influential within the church, Hildegard advised and reproved kings and popes, wrote poems and hymns, and produced treatises in medicine, theology, and natural history. She was also a musician and artist.
Dag Hammarskjöld, renewer of society, died 1961 - Thursday, September 18, 2025
A Swedish diplomat, Hammarskjöld served as the second Secretary General of the United Nations until his death in a plane crash while trying to negotiate peace in present-day Zambia. His journal, published as Markings, revealed the depth of his Christian faith.
Nelson Wesley Trout, bishop, died 1996 (TFF) - Saturday, September 20, 2025
A native of Ohio, Trout served parishes in several parts of the United States before being elected bishop of the South Pacific District of the American Lutheran Church, the first African American Lutheran to serve in such a capacity.
