WHERE IS YOUR FIRE? Sermon for August 19, 2007
Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3, Lk: 12:49-56
How can the Jesus we know as the Christ child destined to bring peace on earth and good tidings to all be the same Jesus that in our gospel lesson today says he will bring fire and division to believers? We are more use to bumper stickers and hymns that say Jesus Loves Us. We focus on God being a nice God, a God of unconditional love. Jesus gives us many examples about this loving God. So what in the world is Jesus talking about in this Luke scripture? If you are familiar with the Bible you will remember that as early as his infancy, conflict was predicted for Jesus. When the old man Simeon blessed the infant Jesus, he told Mary that Jesus was destined to be in the midst of conflict and opposition, so much so that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul. (Lk 2:34-35)
This reminds me of a story I heard about a Baptist pastor fresh out of seminary was assigned to a small church in the hills of Kentucky. In his first sermon, he condemned gambling, especially betting on the horses. The sermon was not well received. "You see, Reverend," a parishioner explained, "this whole area is known for its fine horses. Lots of our members make their living breeding race horses."The next Sunday the pastor spoke on the evils of smoking, and again, his sermon was not well received - for many of his members also grew tobacco. The third week the pastor preached on the evils of drinking, only to discover after that a major distillery was one of the town's largest employers.Chastised for his choice of sermon topics, the frustrated pastor exclaimed, "Well, then, what can I preach about?" A kindly, older woman spoke up and said, "Pastor, preach against those godless Chinese communists. Why, there isn't a Chinese communist within 4,000 miles of here!"
There are some sermons people do not want to hear because they contradict their dearly held values or their comfortable life styles. Jesus earned a reputation for preaching these kinds of sermons - sermons that were challenging and demanding, radical and divisive. In our Gospel lesson for today we have just such a sermon.[1]
We have been reading Luke ever since Christmas and we are finally at the end of the 12th chapter. Let’s look at the context for today’s Luke passage. This reading comes in the middle of a larger section that describes the dangers of greed, warns about watchfulness, readiness, and faithfulness. Last week our Hebrew scripture also emphasized faith, which I suggested might also be thought of as trust in God. Walter Brueggemann describes faith as "the willingness to trust our lives and our future to God even when God does not appear to be as reliable as other, more immediate supports. Faith is readiness to risk life on the promises of God without holding back." [2] Our Hebrew scripture is written to a group of early Christians when faith was very risky and dangerous, telling them that they had choices, a race to run with perseverance. The author strongly suggests that they “lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.” (12:1b)
Back to Luke:by this point in Luke, Jesus has set his face towards Jerusalem and his crucifixion. As he journeys on, Jesus becomes a source of much conflict and opposition as he begins to claim great power and authority. Jesus has been set on fire; it reminds me of Moses experiencing the burning bush. If you remember, Moses was not led on to peace and easy living, but into great conflict with Pharaoh as well as with his own people. Jesus has claimed his identity as the son of God. Such knowledge has turned him on and led him to teach his followers about the kingdom in the short time he has left. So he emphatically denies that following him will bring peace. He warns his followers of the cost of discipleship. He uses the important kinship, intergenerational ties to illustrate the division that will take place. Is this good news? Depends on what the world was like.
The earthly world that Jesus was part of was deeply marred and scarred, unjust, with life-destroying power. It was a world that evidenced much suffering: poverty, slavery, exploitation, violence, cruel and inhumane punishments, ostracism of those that were different, no rights for women. Patriarchy was the social form; especially rich, white, male Roman’s had great power over the rest of the population. Throughout the gospels Jesus refers to God’s kingdom turning the present way of being and doing upside down. This kingdom can not be brought about without confrontation in this kind of society. So when Jesus talks about fire and division, he’s saying that his followers will be constantly challenged if they follow his teachings and that they must put the kingdom ahead of their loyalty to family ties. Why? Because for Jesus, God’s kingdom is more important than even one’s family. Family obligations are subordinate to God’s kingdom.
We know from Jesus’ teachings and behavior that he had a stomach that churned for the vulnerable and became exceedingly angry at those who made a mockery of the temple by their dishonest dealings. He felt so angry that he upturned the tables and whipped out at the money changers. This was an anger of advocacy and caring, directed against those that made life worse for the neglected, the forgotten and all those not in power.
Lisa Fithian is a grassroots activist in the global peace-oriented movement for social justice. She has been arrested 30 times for intentionally creating crises—situations that force the powers that be such as the transnational corporations, the media, security forces, to cease doing business as usual and look at the inequities that they may be perpetuating and then hopefully to change those policies. Fithian explained: “When people ask me, ‘What do you do?,’ I say I create crisis, because crisis is that edge where change is possible.”[3] I wonder if this is the kind of thing Jesus is talking about when he says he comes to bring fire to the earth. “Was he not saying, as Lisa Fithian says, I have come to bring crisis because business as usual means injustice and death?”[4]
Jesus is talking about a fire that would inflame people to care and to serve and to bless others. This fire can lead people through the darkness and culminate in the coming of God’s kingdom. Is this kind of fire burning in you? What turns it on and how do you express it? How does your family feel about this fire? Or do they even know it is burning? Have you ever had trouble with anyone in your family because of your faith and how you carry it out? When you make a decision to commit yourself to Jesus, you must be prepared for opposition from those that do not agree with you, those that think you are wasting your life, going in the wrong direction. If Jesus’ fire takes hold of us, it can make us dangerous and divisive, a person that can not be bought off or intimidated. I’m thinking of the Quaker Tom Fox, one of the team of Christian Peace Makers, who was kidnapped and eventually killed by the opposition in Iraq. Here was a man who completely believed in living as Jesus lived which included being a pacifist and treating all, even one’s enemies with respect and kindness. In his blog the day before he was killed he responded to the question of why he was in Iraq:
"If I understand the message of God, his response to that question is that we are to take part in the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God. As I survey the landscape here in Iraq, dehumanization seems to be the operative means of relating to each other. We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exists within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization. We are here to stop people, including ourselves, from dehumanizing any of God's children, no matter how much they dehumanize their own souls."
Tom had told his family and friends that if he was captured or killed they should not take revenge on those responsible. As Bob Burnett, a Quaker writer and activist said,” We feel that it's better to honor our personal integrity, our relationship with the divine, than to play it safe.”[5]
My sisters and brothers, I pray that I could have this combination of fire and peace within to fully react in love to all with whom I come in contact. The command of love that Jesus emphasized stokes division with others and within our own hearts. It’s not easy to follow Jesus. Tom Fox paid the ultimate price by giving his life. Neither the world nor the church will benefit from a lukewarm faith, so I call on all of you to honor and give thanks for that transforming fire that is available to your from our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you hear Jesus calling to you, calling you outside the comfort walls into the life of the real world? Will you answer the call? Where is your fire?
[1] Frank Rothfuss, “Jesus’ Focus on the Family” found in e-Sermons.com.
[2] Inscribing the Text: Sermons and Prayers of Walter Brueggemann
[3] From article for the Christian Century by Theresa Berger.
[4] Ibid.
[5] www.commondreams.org
How can the Jesus we know as the Christ child destined to bring peace on earth and good tidings to all be the same Jesus that in our gospel lesson today says he will bring fire and division to believers? We are more use to bumper stickers and hymns that say Jesus Loves Us. We focus on God being a nice God, a God of unconditional love. Jesus gives us many examples about this loving God. So what in the world is Jesus talking about in this Luke scripture? If you are familiar with the Bible you will remember that as early as his infancy, conflict was predicted for Jesus. When the old man Simeon blessed the infant Jesus, he told Mary that Jesus was destined to be in the midst of conflict and opposition, so much so that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul. (Lk 2:34-35)
This reminds me of a story I heard about a Baptist pastor fresh out of seminary was assigned to a small church in the hills of Kentucky. In his first sermon, he condemned gambling, especially betting on the horses. The sermon was not well received. "You see, Reverend," a parishioner explained, "this whole area is known for its fine horses. Lots of our members make their living breeding race horses."The next Sunday the pastor spoke on the evils of smoking, and again, his sermon was not well received - for many of his members also grew tobacco. The third week the pastor preached on the evils of drinking, only to discover after that a major distillery was one of the town's largest employers.Chastised for his choice of sermon topics, the frustrated pastor exclaimed, "Well, then, what can I preach about?" A kindly, older woman spoke up and said, "Pastor, preach against those godless Chinese communists. Why, there isn't a Chinese communist within 4,000 miles of here!"
There are some sermons people do not want to hear because they contradict their dearly held values or their comfortable life styles. Jesus earned a reputation for preaching these kinds of sermons - sermons that were challenging and demanding, radical and divisive. In our Gospel lesson for today we have just such a sermon.[1]
We have been reading Luke ever since Christmas and we are finally at the end of the 12th chapter. Let’s look at the context for today’s Luke passage. This reading comes in the middle of a larger section that describes the dangers of greed, warns about watchfulness, readiness, and faithfulness. Last week our Hebrew scripture also emphasized faith, which I suggested might also be thought of as trust in God. Walter Brueggemann describes faith as "the willingness to trust our lives and our future to God even when God does not appear to be as reliable as other, more immediate supports. Faith is readiness to risk life on the promises of God without holding back." [2] Our Hebrew scripture is written to a group of early Christians when faith was very risky and dangerous, telling them that they had choices, a race to run with perseverance. The author strongly suggests that they “lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.” (12:1b)
Back to Luke:by this point in Luke, Jesus has set his face towards Jerusalem and his crucifixion. As he journeys on, Jesus becomes a source of much conflict and opposition as he begins to claim great power and authority. Jesus has been set on fire; it reminds me of Moses experiencing the burning bush. If you remember, Moses was not led on to peace and easy living, but into great conflict with Pharaoh as well as with his own people. Jesus has claimed his identity as the son of God. Such knowledge has turned him on and led him to teach his followers about the kingdom in the short time he has left. So he emphatically denies that following him will bring peace. He warns his followers of the cost of discipleship. He uses the important kinship, intergenerational ties to illustrate the division that will take place. Is this good news? Depends on what the world was like.
The earthly world that Jesus was part of was deeply marred and scarred, unjust, with life-destroying power. It was a world that evidenced much suffering: poverty, slavery, exploitation, violence, cruel and inhumane punishments, ostracism of those that were different, no rights for women. Patriarchy was the social form; especially rich, white, male Roman’s had great power over the rest of the population. Throughout the gospels Jesus refers to God’s kingdom turning the present way of being and doing upside down. This kingdom can not be brought about without confrontation in this kind of society. So when Jesus talks about fire and division, he’s saying that his followers will be constantly challenged if they follow his teachings and that they must put the kingdom ahead of their loyalty to family ties. Why? Because for Jesus, God’s kingdom is more important than even one’s family. Family obligations are subordinate to God’s kingdom.
We know from Jesus’ teachings and behavior that he had a stomach that churned for the vulnerable and became exceedingly angry at those who made a mockery of the temple by their dishonest dealings. He felt so angry that he upturned the tables and whipped out at the money changers. This was an anger of advocacy and caring, directed against those that made life worse for the neglected, the forgotten and all those not in power.
Lisa Fithian is a grassroots activist in the global peace-oriented movement for social justice. She has been arrested 30 times for intentionally creating crises—situations that force the powers that be such as the transnational corporations, the media, security forces, to cease doing business as usual and look at the inequities that they may be perpetuating and then hopefully to change those policies. Fithian explained: “When people ask me, ‘What do you do?,’ I say I create crisis, because crisis is that edge where change is possible.”[3] I wonder if this is the kind of thing Jesus is talking about when he says he comes to bring fire to the earth. “Was he not saying, as Lisa Fithian says, I have come to bring crisis because business as usual means injustice and death?”[4]
Jesus is talking about a fire that would inflame people to care and to serve and to bless others. This fire can lead people through the darkness and culminate in the coming of God’s kingdom. Is this kind of fire burning in you? What turns it on and how do you express it? How does your family feel about this fire? Or do they even know it is burning? Have you ever had trouble with anyone in your family because of your faith and how you carry it out? When you make a decision to commit yourself to Jesus, you must be prepared for opposition from those that do not agree with you, those that think you are wasting your life, going in the wrong direction. If Jesus’ fire takes hold of us, it can make us dangerous and divisive, a person that can not be bought off or intimidated. I’m thinking of the Quaker Tom Fox, one of the team of Christian Peace Makers, who was kidnapped and eventually killed by the opposition in Iraq. Here was a man who completely believed in living as Jesus lived which included being a pacifist and treating all, even one’s enemies with respect and kindness. In his blog the day before he was killed he responded to the question of why he was in Iraq:
"If I understand the message of God, his response to that question is that we are to take part in the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God. As I survey the landscape here in Iraq, dehumanization seems to be the operative means of relating to each other. We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exists within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization. We are here to stop people, including ourselves, from dehumanizing any of God's children, no matter how much they dehumanize their own souls."
Tom had told his family and friends that if he was captured or killed they should not take revenge on those responsible. As Bob Burnett, a Quaker writer and activist said,” We feel that it's better to honor our personal integrity, our relationship with the divine, than to play it safe.”[5]
My sisters and brothers, I pray that I could have this combination of fire and peace within to fully react in love to all with whom I come in contact. The command of love that Jesus emphasized stokes division with others and within our own hearts. It’s not easy to follow Jesus. Tom Fox paid the ultimate price by giving his life. Neither the world nor the church will benefit from a lukewarm faith, so I call on all of you to honor and give thanks for that transforming fire that is available to your from our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you hear Jesus calling to you, calling you outside the comfort walls into the life of the real world? Will you answer the call? Where is your fire?
[1] Frank Rothfuss, “Jesus’ Focus on the Family” found in e-Sermons.com.
[2] Inscribing the Text: Sermons and Prayers of Walter Brueggemann
[3] From article for the Christian Century by Theresa Berger.
[4] Ibid.
[5] www.commondreams.org
posted by Sermons given at Deering Community Church @ 12:52 PM
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