With that gesture the man we now know as Francis of Assisi adopted life in the company of what he called Lady Poverty, an act of vulnerability but also of power. Francis meekly accepted the punishments of authority to which he no longer felt bound and boldly accepted a call from God.

Francis’ act resonates with two other events that we focus on at this time of year: Mary’s "yes" to God and the birth of the seemingly helpless baby Jesus, God’s son. Mary’s "yes" at the Annunciation looked like an act of meekness, but was actually a bold response — one that could have had disastrous personal ramifications — to a request that must have seemed outrageous. Jesus, born a baby, naked like any of us, and in the poorest conditions, was actually a king.

These two events, along with Francis’s renunciation of wealth and family connections, remind us that power does not come from the sword. Real power comes, instead, from the One who gives us life. It is not ours to control, and acceptance of this fact looks like meekness or vulnerability to those who know power only as force. Francis, after renouncing his inheritance, traveled the countryside preaching about God’s love. Many of those who had known him in his previous life considered him a fool. But Francis knew what they did not: Real power seeks to bring about peace — God’s peace, rather than our own.

At a time when we pray fervently for peace on earth, perhaps the prayer attributed to Francis of Assisi makes a good Advent prayer. The prayer reminds us that we are God’s instruments in bringing peace to the world. The power is not ours; it belongs to God. As you move through this blessed season of Advent, consider using this prayer each day.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

May your Advent season be blessed!

Debra K. Farrington has written eight books of Christian spirituality. Check out her Web site at www.debrafarrington.com

This article is published in the December 2007 issue of Lutheran Woman Today.