Harmony And Fire

Harmony and Fire

I. TEXT: Luke 12:49-53 (NRSV)

“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

II. OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

The discovery of fire by humans is considered to be one of the most important of all discoveries. It allowed our ancestors to stay warm, cook food, ward off predators, and travel to harsh climates. It also had important social implications, allowing groups of people to gather together and stay up late. Despite the importance of the discovery of fire, how, when, and where humans first encountered fire and began to harness its power is not known. There is no consensus, but ancient archaeological evidence reveals campfire traces from so far back it is hard to imagine.

Anthropological studies reveal that most ancient cultures have some myths about the origins of fire. Whether it is the Apache story of the Fox, who brought fire to the world, or the Greco-Roman story of Prometheus stealing fire from the gods, it reveals humanity's fascination and reverence for the mystery of fire.

Fire is a state, process, or instance of combustion in which fuel or other material is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light, heat, and flame. Fire can be good. Fire can be destructive. Fire can be disastrous. Fire can be a foe, but it can also be a friend.

Thomas Edison was a person with many failures before his ultimate successes. He understood that his string of failures was just part of the process in his journey toward the win.

Edison's son Charles told a story about the fire on December 9, 1914, which destroyed Edison Industries. That night, Edison lost two million dollars, and his lifework went up in flames. He was only insured for $238,000 because the concrete buildings were thought to be fireproof.

Charles was 24; Thomas was 67. Charles ran around frantically, trying to find his father. Finally, he found him standing near the fire, his face ruddy in the glow, his white hair blown by the December winds."My heart ached for him," Charles Edison said. "he was 67 - no longer a young man - and everything was going up in flames. He spotted me. 'Charles,' he shouted, 'where's your mother?' I don't know, Dad,' I said. 'Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this again as long as she lives.'"The next morning, walking about the charred embers of all his hopes and dreams, Thomas Edison said, "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew."Three weeks after the fire, his firm delivered the first phonograph.

(https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/thomas-edison-great-value-disaster-all-our-mistakes-gone-attaway/)

III. MOVEMENT 1:

In the OT, fire is an emblem and symbol of the LORD.

When the LORD ratified his covenant with Abraham, He walked through the sacrifice as "a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch" (Gen 15:17).

400 years later, when the LORD began the process of fulfilling his promise to Abraham, He appeared to Moses in an Angel in a Flame of Fire in the famous Burning Bush (Exod 3).

After sending plagues upon Egypt and bringing Israel through the waters of the Red Sea, guiding them as a Pillar of Fire, the LORD brought them to Mount Sanai, where He gave them the Law. The mountain was one blazing Firey Theophany. The writer of Hebrews said Moses feared and quaked, God was a Consuming Fire.

In the Tabernacle in the wilderness, God started the first fire on the altar of sacrifice, and it was the job of the priesthood to keep the fire going perpetually. They used that fire to burn sacrifices, cook, light the seven golden lamps, and burn incense daily in the Presence of the LORD.

The challenge of the prophet Elijah to the prophets of Baal was that the God who could answer by fire was the true God. The LORD answered by fire consuming the sacrifice, the stones of the altar, and the water that saturated it all.

In Israel's wisdom tradition, fire symbolizes love, passion, and the consequences of unwise decisions.

In the prophetic tradition, fire represents the judgment of the LORD, His correction, and His way of purging out what keeps Israel from flourishing. God had a good plan for them, but in moments when they strayed, He was willing to turn up the heat to bring them into the best place.