St. Anthony of Egypt : A New Kind of Athlete by Chris White

Icon of St. Anthony

St. Anthony (c. 251-356 AD) is considered the “Father of Monasticism” in Christianity.  He wasn’t the one who started this movement because he learned how to be a monk from someone else and later joins others who are doing the same.  But a famous Christian leader named Athanasius of Alexandria, wrote a book about him that not only made his story famous, but inspired many others to take a similar calling which eventually became a mainstream movement in the Church.  So in the  sense of being a great influencer, Anthony of Egypt is considered the father of a movement.

I find most people hold two common perceptions about monasticism.  The first is that living a life separated from society, from family life, even married life is an unworthy goal.  From a Christian perspective, there is from the Lord Jesus a command to be a part of society, that the Gospel will have a seasoning effect on it.  This is what Jesus means by being ‘salt and light.’  The other perception is that living under a form of daily regulation which all monastic people do is a form of sanctified legalism, one again denying the reality of God’s grace and promoting a lifestyle of works righteousness.

The solitary life for prayer and seeking God

Before I share the historic context of Anthony and his movement, I would point out that our modern society very much honors the goals of withdrawal and discipline at many levels.  Artists, writers, and musicians often must live a solitary life in the pursuit of creativity.  We also honor the soldier, the athlete, even the scholar who has regulated and disciplined their daily life as to achieve an excellence in their task.  In every respect a monastic is living a fully human existence but are re-channeling their personal energies towards the pursuit of God.  This is certainly no less worthy of a goal than writing a novel or running a 5 minute mile.

Anthony, however, had a different motivation.  In the society of antiquity, the monk philosopher was a venerable person and his work considered a noble pursuit.  In the ancient world, if you were fully devoted to philosophy, it was expected you would live a single and solitary life so that you could devote all your energies in the direction of thinking and learning.  In Syria and Egypt, Christianity took on a hue of philosophy and so the isolated holy man became a viable option for many.  And like the monk philosopher, though they lived alone, they would be pursued by disciples and members of the community for their advice and counsel on how to live.  In this way they were the salt and light in their society.

The goal of monasticism is a life fully alive to God.  This aliveness to God was a two-pronged activity.  First there was a full schedule of worship, prayer, meditation, and study of the scriptures.  These were done in cycles throughout the day and night.  Often sleeping and eating were minimal which created more time for this (think how much time a day is centered around the preparation and eating of meals). Secondly, there were disciplines of the mind and body that had as their end bringing the passions of the flesh come under the control of the spirit.  Monks had a realistic view of the fallen human nature and realized that bodily appetites were natural and yet often disordered and out of control.  The monk saw this as an ongoing spiritual training that was never complete and never perfected.  Did some monks become legalists, lazy, or even a bit crazy?  Of course some did, but we must not paint everyone with the guilt of an excessive few.

An Ancient Athlete

Another word that is commonly used for monks is ascetic.  Ascetic comes from the Greek word askesis meaning athletes.  Monks are spiritual athletes.  The idea is actually given to us by the Apostle Paul who speaks of bodily exercise being of little profit while spiritual exercise is of great profit (1 Tim. 4:8).  Thus, as we speak of Anthony of Egypt, we will think of many of his activities as spiritual training exercises that build his strength and endurance to follow Christ as a monk philosopher.

Anthony of Egypt was also a species of monk known as a Desert Father.  Why the Desert?   First, most of the population of Egypt lives and works in a narrow swath that follows the Nile.  If you are going to leave civilization, you have to go to the desert or at least it’s edge.  The desert is also barren and limited in its palette of colors.  The lack of visual stimulation made concentration and the life of the mind easier.  The desert was considered by early Christians as the habitation of the devil. In Luke 11:24, Jesus speaks of demons habiting the dry places.  It was also in the desert that Jesus battled Satan for 40 days.   For this reason the Desert fathers often regarded themselves as being warriors on the front lines and their testimony is that they regularly encountered evil spirits. 

Desert in Egypt

So here is Anthony’s story:  Anthony was between 18-20 years old.  He was a wealthy man by the standards of the day.  His parents had recently died (perhaps an epidemic but no one is certain) leaving him with 207 acres of farmland, a home, and a younger sister to look after.  As he walked to church he was thinking about how the early Christians sold all their belongings and gave the money to the apostles.

During the morning service the scripture reading is Mt. 19:21 which says: “ Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’”  As Anthony recalls his thoughts before church he takes this to be a direct word from Christ and immediately acts upon it.  Within a very short period of time he gives his land away, distributes his belongings to the poor and sells his home to provide a fund for a convent to take care of his younger sister.  Following his divestment of resources Anthony went into training to enter monastic life.

Jesus and Rich man

Such training is done in stages.  Anthony first started out living on the edge of his village near another monk who mentored him.  As he grew in his discipline he would seek mentors further out in the wilderness, learn from them, and then return to his monks hut near town.  All this time he disciplined his memory to not think of relatives, his past position in society, or the resources he once had.  He sought to be like St. Paul who said he forgot what lies behind that he might reach forward to what lies ahead (Phil. 3:13).  During the day he would do work to earn money for bread.   After buying his own daily allotment of bread (which was the normal diet of a monk) he gave the remainder of the money to the poor.  Another part of his training was the intensive memorization of scripture that it could be prayed and meditated upon while going through daily tasks.  It was not uncommon for monks to have memorized the entire New Testament, Psalms, and parts of the Old Testament.  Within a short period of time Anthony received the acclaim of his local townspeople.  They saw he had become a person of virtue and goodness and was for them a role model.  Having received his inauguration into the monastic life, Anthony prepares to move out on his own.


As he takes this step, like Jesus, he underwent a great period of satanic harassment and temptation.  The intent of the devil was to shipwreck him on the heels of his initial victory, but Anthony, like gold was purified in this process.  The temptations he underwent are quite instructive.  The first temptation was that of his memory and mind.  Past failures and concerns were brought to mind and the goal ahead was made to seem like it would be too hard to attain so why even start?  The second temptation was that of lust and foul thoughts stirring up physical drives which were set aside in this pursuit.  Apparently the devil even appears to him as a nude woman to beguile him and get him to turn aside from the path ahead.  The third and final temptation was that of comfort.  The desert offered no comfort and the devil placed in his mind all the comforts and pleasures he would never have access to again.

The devil plays on our fears and lusts

This barrage of temptation did not hit Anthony of Egypt in a state of helplessness.  He actually stood up against the enemy by meditation on the excellence of Jesus Christ, fully trusted that God would assist him in his weakness (I Cor. 10:15) and was strengthened in his continual prayers and fasting.  At some point this temptation resolves as Anthony confronts the devil and he leaves him for a time.  Anthony knew however, that the devil is never conquered in this life and continues to set traps and so he gave no quarter to complacency and arrogance but remained ever vigilant.


One of Anthony’s means of vigilance is what is called self-mortification.  In essence this is a denial of bodily comforts and needs at a level that the soul is alert and intensified.  Many people unaccustomed to such an idea often think of this as something very unhealthy physically and possibly a form of psychological self-hatred.  There is an extreme where this is probably so and many Christians who have taken this path with too much zeal early in life did in fact ruin their health in later life.  However, when done in a balanced way, it must contribute to overall health and longevity as many holy men who practiced self-mortification lived to be centenarians including Anthony himself!

How did Anthony practice self-mortification?  First of all he slept very little giving as much time as possible through the night to pray.  When he did sleep it was not in the comfort of a bed but a woven mat.  This would promote shorter sleep periods in general.  Although sometimes he went without eating, for the most part he observed a very simple diet of bread, salt, and water.  He gave up wine and all forms of meat completely.  Last of all, Anthony maintained a healthy attitude.  He never focused on his victories or failures of yesterday, but started each day as a fresh opportunity to live for God.  Think how often many of us choose to let yesterday use up today by focusing on our failures and regrets.  Living in the now, the present, is a wisdom all it’s own.


After 15 years of initial training, Anthony partakes in a transformative experience that seems bizarre and macabre to our modern sensibilities, and maybe it is, but it made sense to him and more than that, it sets the stage for the next phase of fruitful ministry in his life.  So what did Anthony do?  He had himself sealed inside a tomb for an period of weeks.  Why?  Because he had reached the age when Jesus died and was buried and resurrected.  He was not dead physically, but he wanted to pass through the tomb to an entirely new period in his life just like Jesus did.

In Anthony’s day it was not uncommon for people to build mausoleums for family burials.  It was also not uncommon for them to be broken into by grave robbers looking for valuable items buried with the dead.  It was also not uncommon for a tomb to be vacant and abandoned and be repurposed by a monk or even a poor family as a temporary home.  While probably not my first choice for a dwelling, sometimes practicality and availability prevail over aesthetics.  But I digress.

Modern depiction of Anthony in Tomb

So Anthony with the help of some local townspeople has himself sealed in a vacant tomb.  No doubt some water and food were put in for him before the final brick was mortared in place but no lamps.  All that Anthony encountered was darkness and eerie silence as he began his ordeal.  One of my dear friends moved to Oregon (where I live) from Phoenix Arizona.  Not only did he move from the hustle and bustle of a large city to the quietude of an isolated piece of land in the forest, he moved from leading a vibrant company with many employees that he had built up and sold to working by himself in a tiny office above his garage with nothing more than a laptop and phone connection.  While this might sound like an introvert’s paradise, (which it is) my friend was anything but an introvert and so this was an incredibly difficult adjustment for him.  It really took him more than a year to feel at ease with his new living and working environment but in the end he told me he discovered more about his true character and the reality of God’s presence working alone than he ever did surrounded by people.  I can’t help but think that as St. Anthony of Egypt contemplated his move to the outer desert to live as a hermit, he felt drawn to first test his mettle as a man to see if he was spiritually, emotionally, and physically prepared for such a change.


As the days turn into weeks, Anthony finds himself under great spiritual attack.  He feels great fear which translates in his body into excruciating pain.  He begins to see demons taking the form of grotesque creatures and this too scares him.  But he cries out to God with loud prayers for his assistance and resists the temptation to be released from his fear and pain.  As this ordeal nears the end, the Lord Jesus appears to him and tells Anthony, “I have been watching you and assisting you this whole time.”  Suddenly the fear and the pain end and Anthony senses his divine deliverance.  As the townspeople come on the appointed day to open the tomb they are shocked by his appearance.  Instead of a gaunt man half-crazed by light and sensory deprivation, Anthony comes out of the tomb more healthy and vibrant than when he entered it.  From this point forward, his vocation as a monk-philosopher soars to new heights.  Literally.

At this point St. Anthony heads to the edge of the desert to take up residence in a deserted fortress.  As he walks cross country he encounters in the middle of nowhere a store of silver and gold plate worth quite a bit of money.  He considers the situation and concludes this was actually placed in his path by Satan to distract him.  He steps over the plate and continues his journey.  Reaching his destination, Anthony begins praying and worshipping God.  This has been enemy territory but Anthony’s goal is that it will become part of the kingdom of God.  The enemy continues to assail him but now he is unmoved.  Anthony is actually attacking the demonic realm himself through his prayers and fastings.  Anthony stays at the fortress for 20 years and attracts many followers who want to pursue the monastic life under his tutelage.  He is now the holy man of the desert, able to counsel others, able to advise, to heal, to reconcile.  Many of the people of Egypt journey out to seek his spiritual advice and we are told the desert literally becomes a city of monks.

Watch a video on St. Anthony's Monastery today 

At age 55, St. Anthony moves to what is known as the “inner mountain”.  He is told about this new place by a group of Arabs he encounters.  The decision to move was based on the crowds and continual adulation he was receiving from the people.  He felt that if this continued he would become a victim of pride and self-conceit and lose the ground he had gained in the spiritual realm.  The inner mountain was a cell in an isolated spot on a mountainside several miles inland from the Red Sea.  At the foot of the mountain there was a natural spring and date palms which became a source of foot.  With the fresh water Anthony is also able to plant a small garden and eat food from it thus freeing anyone from having to bring food out to him.

Stairs leading up to Antony's cell on Mountain

These are the mature years of Anthony’s monastic calling.  He spends the remainder of his days giving counsel to fellow monks and any who venture out to see him at his cave.  He reports even in old age he had to continue to battle temptations and lusts of the flesh.  St. Paul in 2 Timothy 2:22 tells his protégé Timothy to “flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness”.  As author Gordon T. Smith says perhaps the reason Timothy was to do this was because old age presents you with a whole new set of them.  Whatever the case, Anthony had an unusual way of dealing with his lusts.  He kept a “sin record book”.  He knew his human tendency was to deny his sinfulness and his lustful thoughts.  Instead of denying he had them, he wrote them down as not to hide his evil.  He felt in exposing it to himself, to the Lord and others, he was able to gain ground in his thought life.

St. Anthony's Monastery today

                                  

Anthony ends his years in a state of great popularity.  He is seen as the ‘spiritual physician’ of Egypt and had the supreme honor of everybody wanting him to be their father.  A great theological controversy broke out in Egypt and Anthony visited Alexandria to refute heretics and philosophers who tried to come against orthodox Christianity.  Just like a papal visit today, huge crowds gathered to see this great holy man and many conversions were recorded as a result of seeing him.

As he nears the end of his life, like Moses and the Patriarchs and Paul and the Ephesian elders, Anthony gathers his fellow monks in the desert and gives them a final charge to faithfulness to God before passing away.  Anthony arranged to have himself buried in a secret place that his grave would not be venerated.  He did have his few articles of clothing and possessions distributed among friends and they were immediately considered sacred relics.  But the best thing he left behind was a life well-lived and a holy example that still inspires today.

Death of St. Antony

The legacy of St. Anthony in the history of the Church is huge.  The story of his life inspired people such as Ss. Augustine, Jerome, Benedict and many other men of God who would also shape the life of the Church.  But more important are Anthony’s inspiring principles for living the Christian life.  I summarize them below:

1. Do not to grow fainthearted in the disciplined life because we receive a far greater return in

    eternity than we ever invested.

2. Do not to lose heart about the renunciation of this world.  We will lose it all at death anyway. 

    So why not grow in virtue which can be taken into the next life?

3. Live circumspectly and constantly for the Lord.  Each day is new and gains can be made. 

    Conversely, great losses can occur daily simply through laxity

4.  Dying daily---live each day as it is your last day—you will not sin, you will forgive, you will

     live earnestly.

5. The ultimate weapon against the Devil:  a just and godly life.  Fasting, vigils, prayers,

    meekness and gentleness, contempt for money, lack of vanity, love of the poor, gentleness

    towards others will all drive the enemy underfoot.

The Adventurous Story of St. Mark: Christendom’s First Pope, Most Widely Traveled Apostle and Literary Inventor by Chris White

Bellini's "St. Mark Preaching in Alexandria"

 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.

                                                                                                                                            --1 Peter 5:13

 He was truly the first Pope.  He wasn’t St. Peter (although he was related to Peter’s wife) and although he did spend a few years in Rome, that was not his Holy See.  According to the ancient Coptic Synaxiron (an ancient history of Christian martyrs), John Mark, author of the Gospel that bears his name, was the first apostle, martyr, and papa (pope) of Africa.  The term “pope” begins being used in Rome and Africa around the same time, however the African version is never corrupted by temporal power and has always meant something akin to the spiritual father of the Christian family and as the patriarch, one who has the responsibility to nurture and level of respect to correct.  The church Mark founded was in Alexandria Egypt and his diocese extended from all of Egypt through Libya and Tunisia.  His influence was immense but I am getting ahead of myself.  Let’s start at the beginning.

 Aristobolus and Mary had a son named John Mark.  They were a prosperous and devout Jewish family who lived in the land of Cyrenaica (known in the New Testament as Cyrene or modern-day Libya).  Cyrenaica was a popular Jewish enclave with an ideal growing climate which made farming prosperous but also a popular trading center for merchants.  Mark’s family regularly traveled to Jerusalem for the Holy festivals, but eventually moved there because of troubles in their homeland.  Mark’s father Aristobolus had a cousin who was the wife of Simon Peter, a prosperous fisherman from Galilee.  We know that Mary and John Mark were early adherents to Christianity and possibly Mary was among the wealthy women who supported Jesus from their means (Lk. 8:1-3).  John Mark’s family owned a large home in Jerusalem which had an upper room.  This home, whose site was preserved even by ancient Christians even after the destruction of Jerusalem, is believed to be the place that hosted Jesus and the disciples for the Last Supper, and where the earliest church gathered to pray and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  No doubt the young John Mark met Jesus and the other apostles and many of the first Christians.  Barnabas of Cyprus was Mark’s uncle (his mother’s brother) and was also highly regarded in the early Christian movement.

 In Acts 12:12 we read of Peter being thrown into prison for preaching the gospel and while waiting for his execution is miraculously delivered from his chains by an angel.  When he is delivered from the Jerusalem prison he goes straight to Mark’s home to let the church know he is safe, but the scriptures say for safety he left the city and went for another place.  Author Thomas Oden suggests that Peter fled to Cairo Egypt which was a safe haven for Christians and Jews in the day, and who better to help him find his way than John Mark who would know the route well and would have been able to speak the local language.

 The book of Acts also places John Mark with Barnabas and Paul doing mission work. This was probably not his first attempt at it as two ancient authorities attest that John Mark was among the 70 disciples sent out among Israel to preach the gospel (Lk. 10).  His membership on the team breaks Paul and Barnabas apart as Paul was frustrated with Mark’s reticence and Barnabas took the side of his relative (Acts 15).  This is by no means a permanent breach as Paul mentions Mark several times in his letters putting him on assignment with the young churches in Asia and of course calling him with Timothy to Rome as he endures his final imprisonment (Col. 4:10, 2 Tim.4:11).

 But how was it that John Mark and Paul became so close during the latter’s Roman imprisonment? One ancient authority gives us a hint on this.  Clement of Rome was an early bishop late in the first century.  He writes: “Mark, Peter’s follower while Peter was preaching publicly the Gospel at Rome in the presence of Caesar’s equestrians (junior senators) and was putting forward many testimonies concerning Christ, being requested by them that they might be able to commit to memory the things that were being spoken, wrote from the things that were spoken by Peter the gospel that is called “according to Mark”.  Thus Mark could easily be with Paul because he had already been in Rome for some time helping Peter.

 It is interesting to note that the first verse of the Gospel of Mark reads “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God..”.  The longtime consensus view is that Mark’s gospel is the first written account of the Christ event and served as an exemplar for the later writings of Matthew, Luke, and John.  This represented a sea change for the meaning of the word “gospel”.  Prior to Mark, the gospel was a preached explanation of Messiah’s coming and redemption.  After Mark, the word came to mean an orderly presentation of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with the intention of engendering faith and hope in the reader.  The gospels are not works of history (although they contain historic events and reference) but are their own unique genre of literature.  They are eyewitness memoirs with a design to convince both Jew and Gentile that Jesus of Nazareth was no mere man, but God in human flesh.

 St. Peter and his wife were both killed along with many Christian in Rome during the Neronian persecution around 64-67 AD.  It is within this same window of time that St. Paul also sealed his testimony with his martyrdom there as well.  Not long after this, Mark and many other’s flee Rome for their own safety as the Lord taught us to do (Mt. 10:23).  Eusebius and Sawirus, both ancient Christian historians, report that Mark was moved by the spirit of God to begin his work in Egypt.  With a lifetime of preaching experience and a city filled with Jews and Greeks, Alexandria was a natural fit for Mark.  Not far from where he grew up in Cyrenaica, Mark knew the culture, the language, and the people and soon one of the most important Christian communities in the ancient world was birthed through his preaching.

 It was also in Alexandria that Mark sealed his apostolic testimony with martyrdom.  Attacked and taken hostage by pagan followers of the Egyptian god Serapis, Mark’s death was by torture and humiliation.  He was stripped and with ropes tied to his feet drug through the streets of Alexandria by a horse.  This torture did not kill him (although it severely injured him) and so he was thrown into a prison where he was taken by the Lord before he could be tortured anymore.  The pagan’s wanted to burn his body in front of an idol to the god Serapis, but when they tried, a miraculous rain storm burst upon the scene and extinguished the fire.  The church was able to retrieve his body untouched by fire and bury it in a corner of their building where they could remember Mark on the day of his martyrdom every year which is traditionally May 8^th.  This however is not the end of Mark’s travels.

 There is a tradition among the people of Venice that long before their famous city was built that St. Mark passed through the area on one of his many missionary travels.  When he laid eyes on the bare lagoons he heard the voice of God tell him (in perfect Latin of course) that “someday this will be your final resting place.” Whether that really happened or not, two resourceful Venetian merchants named Buono da Malamocco and Rustico da Torcello said it did to the two monks who were the custodians of St. Mark’s church in Alexandria.  It was the year 823 AD and Alexandria Egypt was now under control of the Muslims.  The beautiful church there was under threat because local authorities wanted to tear it down and use some of its columns to build a mosque elsewhere. 

 Knowing this, Malamocco and Torcello, convinced the monks they could best protect the remains of their beloved saint by giving them the relics (his bones) for safekeeping in Venice.  Since merchant boats were all inspected by customs agents before leaving Alexandria, the two men hid Marks bones in a barrel beneath cured pork and cabbage.  Knowing that Muslims consider pork to be unclean, their natural aversion went into full play when they came to the barrel containing St. Mark and soon they were out to sea.

 The remains were stored in the Doge’s palace (a Doge is the elected ruler of Venice) for several years until the beautiful Basilica San Marco was ready for its patron saint.  And so the Venetians named their land “The Republic of St. Mark” and chose the symbol of the Lion (one of the four creatures before the throne of God in Ezekiel) for Mark because of his great courage and strength as an apostle of Christ, a value they wanted to emulate in their community. 

  If we take the New Testament and testimony of the church fathers into account, John Mark’s missionary work encompassed Israel and Syria (the Middle East), Asia Minor (Asia) Cypress and Rome (Greek and Latin Europe) and Alexandria (Africa).  Perhaps it was destiny that John Mark, the young man from remote Cyrenaica, would become the patron saint of the sea-faring Venetians, like them, he too was a great traveler, taking the message of Jesus to the four corners of the compass.

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) by Chris White

Oswald, Biddy, and baby Kathleen

It was a clear and bright day in November of 1917, far different from the cold and rainy weather of his homeland, that Oswald Chambers was laid to rest with full military honors in Cairo Egypt.  Two years prior Oswald felt compelled to suspend a very successful ministry in London and take a new assignment as a chaplain/missionary to Australian and New Zealander troops stationed in Egypt during World War I.  Chamber’s missionary sponsor was the YMCA of England.  Their idea of military ministry was to provide a fun and wholesome social center for the troops as a means of dissuading them from visiting brothels and drinking establishments during off hours.  While certainly an admirable goal, Oswald Chambers was not going to waste his time on social events while the men he was sent to serve were in harm’s way and could potentially die outside of the grace of God.  Although his superiors didn’t think it would gain much traction, Oswald began offering Bible classes and talks related to the gospel which were well received and attended.  Chambers was a man of great spiritual passion and was known to be a very compelling speaker, but most of all he was a willing vessel for the Spirit of the Lord who lived out the message he preached.

 As a young man, Oswald had married Gertrude Hobbs whom he lovingly called “Biddy”.  Three years later their only child Kathleen was born in 1913.  Biddy had a special talent that made her an ideal partner and complement to Oswald.  She was an excellent short-hand secretary who was able to record 250 words per minute which is faster than most people can ever speak.  She would take down in shorthand Oswald’s every sermon and then later transcribe them for future use.  Biddy and Kathleen followed Oswald to his assignment in Egypt and offered a touch of family to many whose service had separated them from their own.  Unfortunately, Oswald Chambers dedication to the troops, led to his early and untimely death.  When he came down with an attack of appendicitis, he refused to the hospital because the beds were needed for injured troops.  When he finally relented and received an emergency appendectomy, things had gone too far and he ended up dying of post-operative complications.

Although Biddy and Kathleen Chambers had lost a husband and father, they faithfully continued his ministry the remainder of their lives.  Shortly after his death, Biddy went through all the sermon notes she had transcribed  and from them developed several books which were published under his name.  The most popular of these is My Utmost for his Highest which has never been out of print and has been translated into 39 languages.  When Mrs. Chambers passed in the early 1970’s and Kathleen died in 1997, a trust was formed to continue the ministry well into the future.  As Utmost for His Highest approaches its 80^th anniversary of being in print, its footprint has expanded in the digital world with a number of websites, twitter feeds, Facebook pages, even Youtube features all based on the teachings of this book.   Though he has been gone nearly 100 years, the ministry of this humble and passionate disciple of the Lord Jesus continues to bless the world and that is probably the greatest honor Oswald Chambers would have ever wanted.

St. Francis and the Backstory of the Christmas Nativity Scene by Chris White

Francesco of Assisi

In 1219 St. Francis of Assisi sailed on a boat towards Cairo to preach the Gospel to the Muslims.  He knew he was walking in to a war zone between Crusaders from Europe and Arabs defending land they had taken in conquest centuries before, but to him it didn’t matter.  He decided beforehand that if he was able preach or if he was made a martyr, the trip would be a great success.  When he arrived he found that both sides were at a stalemate and so exhausted that they had agreed to a one-month truce.  Taking advantage of this opportunity, Francis crossed battle lines into the camp of Sultan al-Kamil of Egypt and stayed several days trying to present the truth of Christ to all who would listen.  There is no record of the Sultan being converted, but he appreciated the genuine spiritual concern Francis had and the bravery he showed in coming and rather than make him a captive, he sent out of the war zone to the safety of the Holy Land.  Francis had always wanted to go there but his attempts had always been thwarted.  Now he was being escorted there by the Sultan’s guard.  Before Francis returned home he was able to visit the site of our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem and it made a deep impression on him.  The following year he was home in Italy and he decided to do something special for the Christmas Mass.  On the altar of the church he placed a manger filled with straw and brought in an ox and a donkey and other animals that the worshippers could see and sense first hand what it might have been like the night that Jesus was born.  This practice became popular throughout Europe in the ensuing years and soon every church began putting up nativity scenes which eventually were mass-produced in small scale for use in home celebrations of Christmas.  As you look at your nativity this Christmas, I hope you’ll remember that its inspiration was the result of an aspiration: to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mk.16:15).”