August
18, 2019
Hebrews
11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56
When you were listening to the Gospel reading, how
many of you thought Jesus was talking about bring fire to the earth and
destroying everything and everyone who doesn’t believe in him? This is what
many people today believe. But, there is a very different way of understanding
Jesus’ words.
Jesus
wants us to be on fire for him and for loving and serving God. John the Baptist
said the one who is to come while baptize believers with fire. So, think, when
did Jesus actually send fire into the people?
Yes, it
was at Pentecost. This fire is not one of destruction, but one of passion.
Jesus’ fire is about passionately loving and serving him and the people God
loves.
Unfortunately,
Jesus warns us, when some members of the family are passionate about believing
in him, and some are just as passionate about not believing in him, it
causes conflict. Mom believes, but Dad doesn’t. The son believes, but Mom
doesn’t. And so forth. Believing in Jesus can cause division.
One look
at the news every day tells us that we are a country and a world divided. I
wonder if Britain will ever resolve Brexit. Is it true that Russia is
manipulating our elections? Does China steal our intellectual property – like the
software in phones? Will there ever be peace in Korea or Afghanistan?
In the
US, some people love our leaders, other people can’t wait for their terms to
end. No, I’m not talking about just this President. I’m talking about the last
200-plus years! There have always been conflicts, and there has always been division.
That is exactly why we have a balance of power in decision-making in our
government.
There
are no easy answers to ending such conflict, and we seem too divided as a
country to find workable solutions. It seems no one wants to compromise to find
a win-win for all sides.
Unfortunately,
the same can be true within the church. Decisions made by the Denomination do
not always sit well with parishioners. Again, this has been true for centuries.
Whether or not to support abolition. Whether or not to ordain women. Whether or
not to merge three denominations into one. Whether or not abortion should be
legal. Whether or not LGBTQ pastors can have partners. Whether deacons should
be consecrated or ordained. And more, and more. It took compromise and the time
and effort to discern God’s will to make each of these decisions to end
divisions.
When we
consider how often we experience division, we have to remember that Jesus
warned us that his coming would mean division rather than peace, even though he
sends us his peace. When one group is on fire for finding justice for a group of
people they perceive as oppressed, there are others just as on fire to say they
are wrong.
It took
a civil war to decide to abolish slavery. In the meantime, the Lutheran Church
and other church bodies split north and south over the issue. Women pastors are
still not well accepted by many people. LGBT pastors are also not well
accepted, especially if they have partners. On some issues, it is still
possible to tell if a congregation was LCA or ALC in its past. So, while there
have been decisions made, there are still divisions within the church as a
whole. The ELCA has decided, but we as individuals can disagree with a
decision, and still belong to the same congregation.
What can
we say? What can we do? My response is to remind us all that when
we see another person, we are also looking at Jesus. And to remind us all that
we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, some of whom have lived simple,
faith-filled lives. And some of whom have lived lives of extreme stress.
In
the first three centuries of the Church, people were so much on fire for Jesus
that they were willing to face lions instead of giving up their faith. It never
occurred to them to outwardly say they believed in the Emperor and secretly
believe in Jesus. They wanted to sacrifice their whole lives to show their
faith in Jesus.
We rarely
have the opportunity to demonstrate our faith so strongly. We live in a country
which protects our right to choose our religion, to practice our religion, even
to have no religion. We rarely need to demonstrate our passion for Jesus the
way early Christians did, and the way some Christians do today in a few places.
Let us rejoice that we live in a country where freedom of religion and freedom
of speech are guaranteed. Let us also rejoice that belonging to the ELCA means
we don’t have to agree with everything that is decided.
So,
let us imagine ourselves to be on fire for Jesus. What idea burns in your
spirit? What concern lights your fire? Are you concerned about abuse in
families? Are you concerned about feeding the hungry? Are you concerned about
the condition of our buildings and grounds? Are you concerned about Veterans? Are
you concerned about reaching deaf and hard of hearing people? Are you concerned
about our country’s broken immigration system? Are you concerned about people
hating other people, for whatever reason?
What are
you on fire about? Those things you are passionate about are things you can
mention at the Visioning event in September.
What
will St Matthew’s be on fire to do?
What
will you want your next pastor to be fired up about?
What is Jesus
calling you to do? What is God calling this congregation to do?
Amen
