As I was enjoying a long bike ride this week I was amazed at the fact that I had ridden by myself on the path for some way and not realized the terrain and surroundings had changed. I was self absorbed in thought and was not realizing the beauty around me. The trees had gone from maple and elm to poplar and closed in on the path a little. It was a haven of growth completely surrounding me, a tunnel of green. Like moving from the city terrain to the country terrain we drive along and watch the change. Country says fields, farm houses, barns, cows, horses and fields of corn and wheat – City terrain has houses side by side, malls, condos, buses, street lights, box stores on every corner, and a created green space. I stopped and layed down my bike and pulled out my water bottle and my bible. I wanted to review again the passages from this week’s lectionary and see how they resonated in me in order to make some sense and work through it a message with some meaning. Placing my big towel on the ground, being careful to avoid the poison ivy, I plopped down cross legged to think and to read.
It was so quiet and the wind was moving the trees. I was in the middle between two concessions so there was no road noise or any foreign sounds. Nature and God were all around me. I listened to the wind talking to me. I watched the sun as it played peek-a-boo behind the clouds and I waited as the ants, grasshoppers and earth bound critters got used to me sitting there and went on about their business. A chipmunk worked its way through the grass and skittered across the path. A symphony of sound resonating through this tiny little point on a radar screen. My little space that I claimed for the moment. No one else can feel what I feel and no other being can relate to this snapshot in time. Isn’t it easy to be a Christian and follow God here in this setting?
alone with our own theology,
unaccompanied in our views,
solitary in our existence.
How peaceful it all is, and it is there for us to use, attain and grasp. God has provided for us the discernment to see when life gets tough, when the road is rocky, when the sea is turbulent peace is within us to draw this moment out and settle ourselves. We all have many ways we can do this. For some it is gardening, some it is music, some it is reading and others it maybe having tea and chatting with a friend but we all have our own way of stepping back from life and refueling our tank.
What about the flip side of the coin, the balance of the time? When it is not so easy, when there is not such beauty and reflective time to be at peace. When we are in the fire. God is the Potter and we are the clay. (Jeremiah 18) This symbolism has been used to relate undoubtedly that God shapes and mold us as we live. God maneuvers our spirit and if we do not go through the fire we are not finished yet! We are not cured! We are not prepared or preserved. Firing brings strength and power to our belief and resilience …
Luke 12:49 – 56 is Jesus talking about fire. Verse 49 says, “I came to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already kindled! …” How I wish it were already kindled… Jesus not only started the fire, he needed to kindle it and fuel it, he lived it and he set it ablaze. He left it a roaring inferno to forever burn. But in order for it to continue burning it needs fuel and energy. Jesus brought with him love and compassion and most of all he brought faith in unanswered questions.
Rob Bell poses, “The Christian faith is mysterious to the core. It is about things and beings that ultimately can’t be put into words. Language fails. And if we do definitively put God into words we have at that very moment made God something God is not.” (page 32)
God is a mystery unfolding each and every moment of each and every day. God is our living and breathing decision making existence. Jesus came to “shake up” the people of his time and those for thousands of years after. Jesus changed life as it was known and gave God flesh. Jesus fired this world up into a reality of love and God-like existence. He succeeded and we know it ……… because 2000 years later we still ask W.W.J.D.? What would Jesus do? And we do it!!
“The Message” interprets this passage like this ….To Start a Fire…
Jesus knew his message would separate people. “two against three” – “son against father” “daughter against mother’ But he further goes on to address there is a “God-Season” all around us …. As the seasons of Mother Nature move and mould our lives the God-season is also changing us. As we share with others the love and peace of Jesus and his message we endure and weather the changing seasons of God. It isn’t easy as Jesus found out. If we are to weather the seasons of God then we must prepare ourselves to understand them. If we see God as a living entity in us then we must see there is seasons… let us ask the questions to grow and become more “God-like”. Let us look to the west and see the clouds coming; let us look for the wind in the south and feel the hot weather, but also let us grow in spirit as we question our way forward with the living God in our heart and let our spirit soar. Life is not easy at times and if it is easy then you as a community are not growing for adversity breeds compassion, empathy, and kindness.
As God walks us through the seasons we experience each one in all steps of our lives.
Fall – cooler temperatures and a fall off of light. The darkness is now longer than the daylight. Fearfulness of the changing season and the cold, slippery weather ahead can manifest and draw us into a sense of insecurity. An example of this time could be the loss of a loved one or a relationship or career. The security of being “in the know” is gone, unpredictable weather, an ending is on the horizon and you must weather through all the chain of events which are to unfold around you.
Winter – hibernation of emotion. Self indulgence and rejuvenation of inner-self by connecting with your perception of God and what God means. Closure of emotions and shut-down of external invitation. We pull into ourselves and like a bear hibernate in our heart. Drop our leaves, pull the sap back into the roots and fuel the inner core of our being so to weather the fire as the emotion echoes through our spirit.
Spring – a time of new growth and a promise of greener pastures and optimism. Sharing of hopefulness and love. The unfolding of our new self. Like a butterfly pushing out the cocoon the once caterpillar has died in order to be reborn. Buds on the trees, new growth reflecting the change of season is coming full circle.
Summer – full and lush and green, warm tropical weather which invites us to shed our protection of warmth and security. We are vulnerable to the elements and our guard is sometimes relaxed and we are not poised to defend. We are in full view, confident of our growth and expansion … pleased with our firing and like a peacock strut our emotional successes.
Let us identify there are seasons of God; what is your season? Are you experiencing a period of springtime in your life or maybe you are struggling in a time of winter? Do you need to get out and set a fire like Jesus? Jesus self professed he came to bring questions and turmoil. He stirred up the world. He raised eyebrows and he brought thunder and lightening to our existence. Let us answer the questions that is being asked by today’s seekers. Be the answer, set the fire as Jesus did when he was here. Follow in the early Christian’s footsteps share in community the word of God through gathering together and questioning our faith.
