LET'S GET FIRED UP!

A Sermon for The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
August 19, 2007
by Pastor Laura Gentry

Luke 12:49-56
Jesus said to his disciples, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 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.” He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (NRSV)


Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today’s gospel lesson is considered one of the “hard teachings of Jesus” for obvious reasons. He says, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Fire? He came to bring fire to the earth? What can this possibly mean? Of course, we remember the powerful Pentecost story. In it, Luke tells us how the Holy Spirit roared loudly and filled the upper room. The Spirit then rested upon each disciple with tongues of fire and drove them out to share their faith in Jesus Christ in all the languages of the ancient world. Perhaps it is this fire that Jesus is alluding to in this passage—the consuming fire of the Holy Spirit which dwells inside and stirs people to action. After all, John the Baptist warned Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire! (Luke 3:16).

Jesus tells the disciples that he wishes this fire were already kindled. He cannot seem to wait for the Spirit’s fire to rage out of control within the hearts of God’s people. The early Christian Church showed signs of this kind of spiritual wildfire. They risked their lives to gather for worship. They set out to foreign lands to spread the good news, even though many ended up in prison. They did not withhold their blessings, but shared freely with the whole community. They were as zealous as a blazing forest fire! This is the fire Jesus is so desperately longing for! This is the fire that he wants kindled. But before it can be kindled, Jesus must pass through another kind of fire.

Jesus tells his disciples: “I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!” This statement may sound confusing because we assume Jesus is talking about Holy Baptism. At this point in the Jesus narrative, he’s already been baptized, so why is he talking about more baptism? Well, you see the literal translation of this Greek verb is “to dip” or “to be immersed in.” Jesus must be talking about the experience of the cross, in which he will soon be immersed. He must go through this terrible experience in order to triumph over death—the reason for which he has come to the earth. Though Jesus is fully God, he is also fully human and is under tremendous stress about his impending death. Yet this “baptism” is what is necessary to bring fire to the earth and to set the world free from the sin and death.

But then, Jesus goes on to say something extremely disturbing. He tells them, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” Then, he goes on to describe the various factions which could form within one’s own household. “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.” This is not a bible verse you’ll find on any refrigerator magnets or greeting cards, is it? It’s not a very popular one because it is difficult to swallow such talk of division from the one whom we call the “Prince of Peace.” Why on earth would our beloved Jesus bring division?

It wasn’t safe to be a Christian in first century Palestine, you see, because it was a state under Roman control. Jesus gathered large crowds was hailed as the “Messiah,” a messiah many thought would lead the Jews to military victory over their oppressors. This was a threat to Roman rule and so hundreds of thousands of religious people—both Jews and Christians—were crucified by the Romans in order to suppress any rebellion. Therefore, following Jesus was a dangerous thing. The decision to follow him meant that you were risking your life for his sake. This is the kind of important decision that families like to agree upon. When families can’t agree, it arouses passionate feelings. If a son, for example, announced that he was going to follow Jesus, his parents would fear for his life and try with every ounce of effort to talk him out of it. If they couldn’t, they would probably disassociate themselves with him for fear of their own safety. Jesus does not want such division, but he knows that it is inevitable in such a hostile environment. This is why he warns his disciples not to take their decision to follow him lightly. It may cost them everything!

Though we live in a country that has freedom of religion and we can worship freely, without fear of arrest, following Jesus is a costly decision for us too. Christianity is not a safe, “feel good” religion by any stretch of the imagination. The vision which Jesus gives us of God’s agenda for our lives is just the opposite of our cultural values to make money, take care of ourselves and our families and try to remain as comfortable as possible. This is not God’s agenda at all. Look at our second lesson for today where Paul names off all kinds of people of faith. None of them had an easy time of it. Following God took all they had.

God demands total—not partial—allegiance to his cause and this is a threat to people who do not share such commitment. Our relationships with others, even those closest to us, are affected by our commitment because it shapes our values, priorities, goals, and behavior, and forces us to change old patterns of life. Yes, change! It’s frightening that our faith can stir up such change and it may well alter or even terminate our important relationships with others.

This is radial material that our lectionary invites us to contemplate this morning. Jesus came to kindle the Spirit’s fire on earth, a fire which has been raging these two thousand years. It beckons us to look at the Spirit’s fire in our own hearts. Have we allowed it to take control of our lives, to redefine us in such a way that it changes our lives and even affects our relationships?

The passion and power of the Spirit is uncontrollable—with power and fury, it is like fire. It seeks to crucify our old selves with Christ. And as our old, selfish ways die, so may some of our relationships. It takes such commitment to allow this kind of transformation to take place! It requires fiery, passionate faithfulness to Christ. But this faithfulness is infinitely worth it because with the death of our old selves, comes the rebirth of our new selves. Out of the ashes of our broken lives, God brings new life, new beginnings, new peace.

May this fire consume us, whatever the cost! May our faith take priority over all other allegiances and bring us to new life in Christ. That’s what we want in our hearts—new life. So set’s get fired up this morning! Let us hear Christ’s words and allow them to move us so deeply that we get fired up enough to give the Spirit permission to set our hearts ablaze with love, and welcome the changes this brings.

Now may the peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

© 2007 Laura E. Gentry