Here in the prairies, we know there are 2 kinds of fires.
The wildfires: uncontrolled and devastating – the kind we know are increasing from our human indifference to the planet.
And the controlled fires that farmers will use to clear a field after the harvest is in.
A controlled burn will clear the field of the residual stubble to make planting the next crop easier, and help remove any weeds or undesirable growth before it can ruin a crop.
The resulting ash can provide nutrients to the soil; and in springtime, a controlled fire helps warm the soil just a little bit earlier than what mother nature might otherwise allow, therefore getting those seeds started as early as possible.
So, from a prairie perspective, fire isn't always a bad thing; it can be quite useful in the longer term. We just need to consider what KIND of fire we’re talking about.
So when Jesus today speaks of bringing fire to the earth, I don't think he's suggesting utter devastation. In fact, throughout Luke's gospel, the use of fire is controlled and careful, and for beneficial purposes of purification and refinement.
In Luke, fire symbolises God’s presence, and thus God’s power to effect change.
Fire is not meant as the fearful cataclysmic force; it is a meaningful symbol of change and preparing for new growth.
We still acknolwedge that this passage sounds harsh and disruptive, like a horrifying statement of judgement. It can paralyze us with the terrors of hellfire and damnation.
But I don't think that's what Jesus wants us to take away from it.
The Jesus I love doesn’t want us to live in terror and fear; Jesus wants us to live in love.
To delight in peace.
To relish in grace.
To believe in the Good News of God so much so that it overtakes every aspect of our lives.
But - in order for us to do that, we must clear away whatever it is that is preventing us from doing that.
To remove from our lives whatever is stopping us from fully knowing the joy of the Lord and trusting in all of God's promises.
To intentionally reject whatever it is that is blocking our hearts and minds, our souls and bodies, from the truth of God.
Closed minds, cold hearts, our need to be right: these things bog us down and prevent us from growing in the love of God.
This can be difficult, because we live in relative comfort. Our society is privileged, we have it pretty good, and we don't want to give that up.
We don't want to consider that there may be a need for us to change, that change can be good, and at times necessary.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" works well, when we perceive ourselves as doing just fine on our own, thank you very much.
So what Jesus proposes in his entire life and ministry, and especially to the comfortable crowds he's talking to, is that they examine their own system - and break it.
Break the individual support for greed, classism, and narcissism.
Break the systematic endorsement of racism, oppression, and violence.
Break the processes that slip further and further away from the common good – not unlike what we see happening in so many places around the world today.
Burn the whole system down, and prepare for new growth.
No wonder that Jesus openly admits that there will be divisions, as some people will want to follow his teaching and work for a more just and holy world; and some people will not want to embrace that dramatic change, as they realise what it means for them.
And my goodness – what it means for us.
Consider our own world: there are people we get along with, and people we do not.
We see divisions in worldviews and ideologies, in politics and practices, in large scale and in small.
Even use of the word "Christianity" can highlight a broad spectrum of understandings and applications.
Divisions over matters of religion, even in households, are not new.
Sadly, though, we are at a point where there seems to be lesser opportunity for civil discourse instead of raging debate, with more fervent and longer-lasting implications than we can yet fathom.
There are divisions: in households, and communities, and churches, and society,
as Jesus was telling us that following him meant things might get uncomfortable as he was calling for things to change.
However: when we have harvested the fruits of the Spirit, we can burn away the leftovers. We can intentionally and carefully engage in a spiritual prairie fire: a controlled burn to reset the fields of our hearts for a new season of spiritual growth.
So we burn off whatever may be creeping in before it can take root: anger, malice, indifference. Whatever wild seed is hidden in the soil of our hearts, we need to address it - recognise it - face it - and remove it.
Because until we do, we will not be able to grow the good fruit in the way that God has created us to do.
The negative realities that we carry in our hearts will choke out the potential of what God is continually planting in our lives - we (as individuals and as the church) have the potential of being the fertile vineyard so beloved in Isaiah, a potential too often destroyed by our sour grapes.
We burn off the remnants from seasons past; the leftover stubble once the crops are removed. We benefit from what supports and enriches us while letting go of anything that traps us.
We are called to live in faith and BY faith, we are given great examples of the power of faith in the letter to the Hebrews.
Our faith will not make us perfect in all we do, but it will sustain our ministries as we aim to walk ever closer with God.
Faith will pull us from our 'comfortable pew' into the mission field that lies beyond our doors.
Faith will challenge us, stretch us, cause us into ever-deepening reflection and discernment to where and how God is calling us: and when we respond faithfully to that call, that same faith will show us grace beyond our wildest imagination.
We also burn off our complacency, allowing ourselves to be nourished in ways that may surprise us: like the ashes of fire nourishing the soil of a field.
We consider the words of holy scripture and the wisdom of centuries of God's holy messengers. We are blessed with the opportunity to gather in freedom in worship and in prayer, in study and in conversation, in support and in fellowship. We receive the gift of God's revelation wherever and whenever we are willing to accept it; and we are changed by it; empowered by it; inspired by it.
So yes: Jesus is coming, with fire. And the fire is for us. The fire to clear and nourish us as God's field for new growth. It is now up to us to respond to that holy fire.
Let us pray.
Holy God;
Prepare us to be your fields for new growth.
Set our hearts on fire with a deep love for you.
Kindle in us a desire to serve everyone and everything that you love.
Help us to celebrate this gift of fire, to share its power with those we love, and to never extinguish it in our lives. Amen.
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