Three men died and were waiting to receive entrance through the Pearly Gates. The first man said to St. Peter, "I was a preacher of the gospel, serving faithfully for over 50 years". Peter told him to step aside for further consideration. The second man said, "I was also a preacher of the gospel; I served my church faithfully for 40 years". Peter told him to step aside for further consideration. The third man stepped up and said, "I was not a preacher, just a government worker with the Canada Revenue Agency for 6 months". Peter told him to step right in. The first minister objected, "Why does he get to go in before two ministers?" Peter said, "The truth is, in six months the Canada Revenue Agency agent scared the devil out of more people than either of you did in a long lifetime!"
Jesus' harsh words to the crowds about not being able to interpret the signs of the times were a good wake-up call for those who were gathering to see the spectacle of this upstart preacher-man from Nazareth, but not quite seeing that He was the long-awaited Messiah. These words were meant to reorient their lives to what was important. That is, to reorient their lives to ever be seeking what God is up to right here, right now. We look at the rumblings of war, of earthquakes, of hurricanes and wonder if the end times are upon us. When all the while we are to be looking not there, but at Christ, at the hope he offers, the forgiveness he bears for us and for all people, the promise that his Spirit will roam this earth until Christ himself comes again.
Jesus' words remind us that we need to set fire to the old so that the new can emerge, just like new life emerges from the destruction of a fire. God's love is often bad news to people of privilege and power because Jesus provides a higher authority than the law of the land or religious practice. For example, Christ's birth was a threat to King Herod's power. The church's spiritual source of wisdom, without hesitation or apology, asserts that a nation which fuels its economy on greed (that is, at the expense of others' basic needs) is a nation under God's judgment. The sword of divine justice hangs over all of us.
The gospel was compared to fire because it violently changes the face of things. Fire is the emblem of discord, contention and calamities. If fire refers to judgment, this happens when our godlessness is revealed to us as we inflicted pain and death on the innocent Son of God. Fire is both a source of destruction and a source of rebirth or new life.
Jesus uses the metaphor of fire's destructive power to urge us to follow him and give up our earthly lives. We are materially rich and spiritually poor. Money has begun to obscure some of our more important values. Society has reached new lows in terms of public morality, whether it be sex scandals or traditional values. We are apprehensive in spite of advances in science, medicine, agriculture, communications and so on. Is our fear due to our spiritual poverty? We are afraid because of the emptiness in our lives. We have a God-shaped void that has never been adequately filled.
God is with us regardless of what the future brings, but we have to regain our connection with Him. We need to focus less on our earthly, material resources for security and more on the Rock of Ages. God carves men and women to be with Him forever. He fills them with good things; makes them to love, care, learn and grow; and fashions them into what he was and is. We can do God's work with confidence, but we have to let go of our sinful nature. It entangles our lives, distorts our vision and robs us of spiritual vitality and stamina.
Choosing to love and follow Jesus will create division and conflict. The sword of division about which Jesus spoke is the result of Christ-like love. To love people as Jesus did is to stand for something. To stand for justice is to stand against injustice. To stand for truth is to oppose hypocrisy and falsehood. To be a Christian is to love all that Christ loved and to be an enemy of all that crucified him. To follow him is to make enemies. Jesus was awarded a cross, and he bids us to take up our cross and follow him. We all have worth in the eyes of God, regardless of social status, income, etc. He calls all of us to love each other as he loves us. If we cannot love our neighbour, whom we have seen, we cannot love God, whom we have not seen.
Neutrality toward Jesus is not possible. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, "He who is not with me is against me". Jesus gives us a choice-accept him or reject him. The choice we make has consequences. If we accept him, we risk alienation from friends and family. If we reject him, we face eternal damnation. Either choice causes division-either us from friends and family, or us from God. Today, Christian churches, once open to every passer-by, are being kept locked because they are being vandalized and looted with a vicious contempt.
The disciples also needed God's spiritual fire or else they would die. They needed the fire of God's word to keep their hearts from freezing over and to keep the passion of their souls from cooling down. We are the same way. We have moments when our faith cools down. It is quite beyond our nature to have a burning need for the word of God. We all need the fire of God's word in our lives, or else we will grow cold.
Jesus was worked up because he knew his crucifixion was coming. He had a job to do before then-namely, to bring the message of God's Kingdom to the people and the people to God's love. As he was telling the disciples about living their lives in total commitment to God, he realized that his death was drawing near-and this stirred him up to the point where he became like one of the evangelists we see on television. In other words, he literally spoke of the fires of damnation, judgment and spirit. He brought God's judgment upon the people. He also divided families, communities and nations. What he did then is still happening today.
Jesus' demands for total allegiance divided families in his time, and can do so today. When he comes to announce the kingdom, there is division because the kingdom requires decision and commitment. The message of justice and healing was met with hostility. The fire Jesus came to kindle begins at home because our spouses and children are free to grow beyond their roles and beyond our expectations. God's way is not easy. Jesus' way and the world's way can't coexist. It's one or the other.
Jesus' baptism was nothing less than his own crucifixion and death. This baptism was baptism by fire. True baptism leads to resurrection, life and peace. Division and fire are for a season, not for an eternity. The fire of baptism leads to a new life. If we think of Christ as our example, we realize that we need to shape up. We are in desperate need of forgiveness and moral power. In the Middle Ages, the image of Christ had more fiery judgment than it does today. We need more judgment in the image of Christ today because of the sinful nature of the world. We have so eliminated the judgmental impact of Christ that there is no spiritual tension and conflict left. We need the fire of Christ's spirit today. What we treasure in Word and Sacrament is God's transforming power that finally makes us sensitive toward those who are different from us in any way.
Can we see ourselves as a great cloud of witnesses, willing to run the race that is set before us, following Jesus, who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith? God calls the church to find the anger that lets it know it's still alive. Too often Christ is left for dead in this cold world. We often become desensitized to many of the things around us. We cannot understand the present time even though Christ is right in front of us. Some feel that the secular world's issues or the dirty business of politics shouldn't taint the sanctified holy life that we live together as Christians within the church community. That, my friends, is totally untrue. God's fire forces us to become concerned for social issues and justice-a concern that is contrary to the secular world. Jesus' teachings and actions challenged the status quo, and they still do. Jesus declares war on the world's injustices. The call to follow Christ is a call to relieve and, wherever possible, to remove the causes of suffering. It goes against what the world says is important.
Jesus' fire creates a new life in us that is better than the old one. It will cause conflict with the world and even with those we love, but it is better to be true to yourself rather than to someone else's notion of yourself. We are able to be fortified to truth, justice and inclusion. We symbolically attach ourselves to Jesus and the church. It means we belong first to Jesus and second to the world. It means we belong first to the church family and second to the human family. Jesus asks for-no, DEMANDS-this radical commitment-a commitment that seems radical to the world. It creates conflict, difficulties and struggles that strengthen us for our walk with Jesus and our mission in the world. God will help us overcome the struggles our new life will cause. The fire of the Holy Spirit burns away the dead branches that litter our lives and inhibit our spiritual growth. It also empowers our joining with Jesus. It is a sign that the church is alive and well, and that the family is adjusting to God's love and God's peace.
Being a Christian can make us feel like foreigners in our own land. It's as if we are carrying a passport from another place. And we are, for those who are first of all citizens of God's reign, Jesus' vision and values come first in our lives-all because Jesus has come to set a blazing fire on the earth, and that fire burns already in us. That fire is the kingdom of God, and that kingdom is more important than even one's family.
How can we live as faithful followers while keeping integrity with Christ's teachings? First, we can use the teachings as a benchmark of our faith. Does our faith cause problems with our families, friends or jobs? As we walk with God, people will disappoint us and let us down. Circumstances will be hard, and the enemy will hassle us. Second, we can consider these teachings as a backhanded compliment, especially if our faith causes some people to feel uncomfortable with us. Finally, we can consider these teachings as a goal.
Spreading God's Word won't hurt us. Sure, we will feel the pain of rejection, but without spreading the Word, we can't build the church. If our faith matters to us, we MUST make it matter to others. If not, then our faith is merely deathbed insurance. We can't hide because God will find us now or in the end. Some of you might remember a 1970s TV show called "Maude". One of Maude's favorite sayings was "God will get you for that". My friends, if we do not follow God's teachings , and if we do NOT spread the Good News of the kingdom and salvation, God WILL get us for that!
When we get tired of following Christ's teachings, all we have to do is follow the advice Paul gave in Hebrews 12 verse 2-"Keep your eyes on Him and keep on running to win". In other words, all we have to do is keep our eyes on the prize-namely, eternal life. Endurance doesn't mean casually accepting a setback and quitting the race of life early. Instead, it means doing whatever it takes morally and ethically to win. God wants for us the fullest, richest and deepest life we can have because he loves us. In return, he expects us to do Christ's work in this place, and in our own generation. In his name and by his power, we are to confront the world of evil and evil people. We are to discern not only what time it is, but what time it will soon become-and with the time we have left, we must get to work.
