The patronal feast is always a special date for every
congregation. I tried to find out how we
got named St. Martin’s in the Field and so far haven’t found out. (As we come close to our 50th
anniversary in a couple of years, it might be interesting for those who know
that story to put it in print.)
Usually
the saint for which a congregation is named is important to the spirit of a
parish and for us here at St. Martin’s that is true. But the name of St. Martin’s in the Fields is
also the name of an important parish in the heart of London in Trafalgar Square
that may have figured in the naming of our parish. Often parishes get named after parishes in 'old country'. So I did some
The earliest date on that parish is
1222. It kind of puts our history in a
bit of perspective, doesn’t it? It was
built in the fields between Westminster Abby and the Diocese of London and in
the 13th century there was a bit of a kerfuffle about to whom the
parish belonged —the Abby or the Bishop of London. (Sounds a bit familiar, huh?) Now, that church is in the center of London
in Trafalgar Square in what is considered the center of London. It has been a church for the homeless for
centuries, a place where 'the doors are never closed.'
Our parish was named a little less than 50 years ago, and it
would not surprise me because of the lovely fields around us. But like the London church, we are quickly
becoming the center of a lively community, no longer out in the country where
we were just within the lifetime of many of us. When I started teaching here in Keller in 1967, I can assure you there was nothing here BUT fields!
Another little piece
of information I found was that a distant cousin of mine was the organist at
St. Martin’s in the Fields, Trafalgar Square.
I can no longer just find that my presence here at St. Martin’s is just
a matter of serendipity.
The Saint Martin for whom both Trafalgar Square and here
in Keller/Southlake is named is one of the early Christian spiritual
powerhouses. Martin was born in the
early 4th century in Hungary, the son of a member of the Roman
Imperial Horse Guard. He spent his
childhood near Pavia, Italy and at the age of 10 attended the Christian
community there. There was a certain amount of mobility at that time as there is today.
Against his parent’s wishes he became a catechumen, much as the
Emperor Constantine had done. At the age
of 15 he was drafted into the cavalry and stationed in France. The military at that time was as much the
agent of public works for the empire as it was a fighting arm. They built roads, towns and aqueducts.
When Martin was 18, he met a man who had too little clothing
to keep him warm. With his military
sword, Martin cut his lush military cloak in half and gave it to the man. That night Martin dreamed that the man who
had received the cloak was Christ. He had been touched by the spirit of God. The
next morning, he went to the priest and asked to be baptized. Not long after his baptism there was a threat
of war by local Gallic chieftains.
Martin went to his military commander and said he was a ‘soldier for
Christ and he could not fight.’ He was
arrested for cowardice. He offered
himself to be placed on the front lines and help his colleagues, but said he would not carry a sword. The
military threat dissolved and Martin was dismissed from the army in
France.
Martin set himself up as a hermit on
an island off the Italian/French coast.
Soon he came into contact with Hilary of Poitier, the earliest bishop of the area, and
attached himself as a hermit. Martin
became a monk before the idea of monasticism was very well developed. Others, men and women, flocked to him for
advice and direction.
Christianity was still new in the area and it was difficult
to find those who could lead. The people
of Tours needed a bishop. They knew that
Martin would not accept the position so they invited him to tend to someone who
was ill in Tours. The people of Tours wanted to press him into service as
bishop. Martin tried to escape by hiding among the geese, but the geese gave
him away. And to this day, Martin is considered the patron of geese. The herald
of hospitality among the Celtic people has always been the goose.
Martin was consecrated as the bishop of Tours in 371. But instead of being housed in the bishops’
palace, he chose to live in the caves across the river from the city where many
new Christians came to live with him. The Abby of Tours grew up there and
became a center of learning and remarkable devotion in which all were welcome. Martin
founded monasteries and parishes throughout that part of France. And through this time of the
The mark of hospitality of Tours was one that was
absorbed into Benedictine spirituality some 250 years later, and it has
characterized the lives of those who followed in the spirit of Martin of Tours. We really do not know much about the life of Martin per se, but he was a soldier who refused
to
He was a
man who preferred to follow Christ by being a monk, but was pressed into service
to the whole of Christian community to serve in leadership. He was called to serve Christ not the way HE
wanted but in a manner that was needed.
He stood firm in Trinitarian theology at a time when the Emperor was
touting Arianism. Yet he did not believe
in the wars that were fostered to root out those who did not believe the way he
did. He was outspoken in his opposition
of the institution of the death penalty for those who were convicted of
heresy. He was an icon for peace and
hospitality at a time when unrest was beginning to infect various parts of
western Europe. The Abby of Tours,
Marmoutier and Liege and the various convents
So what do we have to take from our patron today? Martin, as a person, was a person who
personally took his faith seriously. His
personal relationship with God in Christ moved him to center on service,
kindness and living out the peace he saw in Christ. The manner of his living informed his
theology and vice versa. Wealth and
position were not for him. He stood for
what he understood was the way that Christ had taught and he ministered in that
light. Conscientious objection was not centered in fear. It was a clear conviction to fight was
singularly opposed to the values of Christ.
It is ironic that he became the patron of the military in the 19th
century with his firm conviction about peace.
Hospitality was also
part of how he saw his commitment in community. Those places which he founded became places where people in need could find welcome no matter their
situation. He refused to find fault with
those with whom he disagreed. He would
not malign those who held different ideas of faith but required those who followed
him to offer generosity despite the differences. He was a bishop who did not garner power or
use his authority to demean others. He
led by humble example.
Saints are not necessarily remarkable men and women. They are plain ordinary people who face their
lives with a single mindedness centered on Jesus. They give us a vision of how we can face the
things in our lives with the kind of vision that Jesus had. The early saints have some wonderful stories
(we call it hagiography) told about them that may or may not be factual, but
they are true to the character of their gifts.
What I see in Martin is the greatness of the person, but also what has
followed in the institutions that have been raised up in his name. All over Europe, institutions were raised up
The kind of peace that Martin lived is the kind of peace that
we too can live here at our St. Martin’s.
And while we remember Martin of Tours as a soldier, he was a soldier who
called for the laying down of arms in the name of Jesus. He was a bishop who laid down his raiment so
that the poor could be clothed. He was a
saint that spoke quite theologically but refused to demand the expelling of
others if they believed
So how do we continue the tradition for a new era? How will we maintain the charisma of our
patron for a new age?
1.
Let
us claim a code that calls us to non-violence as a part of our core.
2.
Let
us contribute the education of Christian values in for all ages.
3.
Let
us demand from ourselves a type of humility that allows this community to go
out to others and invite them to share Christ with us.
4.
Let
us always offer the kind of welcome that allows for differences. Hospitality is not just radical, it is part
of our DNA! It comes from the heart of
our namesake.
d
Martin dared to live the life of Christ and it changed the
face of Europe. St. Martin in the
Fields, now in Trafalgar Square some 800 years ago helped to change the fabric
of British society. Can we begin to
think of what it might mean a millennium from now here in North Tarrant
County? We may be the center of Dalworth
then and our fields filled with ways for others to know of Christ. This building probably won’t be here, but the spirit
of Martin can still be lived in what we have begun here. We stand in a tradition, a remarkable heritage,
but it isn’t just history we promote.
The remarkable ways that we have to continue these values and will
continue throughout the generations ahead will continue to promote the values
we have absorbed and embrace.
I invite you to make the new paths to Christ as did Martin
1,800 years ago. AMEN
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