Our gospel reading for this Sunday from Luke chapter 12 opens with Jesus saying “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! (vv49-51) Jesus goes on to paraphrase Micah’s prophetic words of family members pitted against each other and to accuse his audience of hypocrisy and failure to see the truth around them.
This sounds so violent; not what we want to hear or think of from Jesus the Prince of Peace. There is honesty in this picture: Jesus himself knew first-hand the hurt of close family trying to rein him in from his work and to downplay his actions, the apparent thick-headedness of his disciples, and the stress of communicating his urgent message to confused and resistant listeners with their own agendas.
The reference to the words of Micah (7:6) comes towards the end of a prophetic book focused on the failure of Israel to stand firm in faith and to hold God at their hearts. Threaded through the devastating portrait is the message of God’s compassion and promise. Micah captures the picture throughout history of the conflicted narrative of God’s people and their failures and strengths in recognising and responding to God’s love and calling, the constant cycle of acceptance and rejection that is the ongoing ebb and flow of our desire for relationship with God and his never-ending offer of that relationship.
This narrative of confusion and confliction is particularly evident in times of uncertainty and anxiety; now is surely such a time in the world today. We are challenged to ask ourselves who are we listening to? Where are we seeking answers and hope? Who are the false prophets surrounding us today, and how do we navigate the pain of the rejection of God by those close to us?
If reading Micah is daunting, and Jesus’ words seem harsh or frustrated, the extract from the letter to the Hebrews gives us a catalogue of those who have trusted, stood firm and are “so great a cloud of witnesses” that “encourage us to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us” following the lead of Jesus. (Heb 12:1)
The finding that increasing numbers of young people are seeking spiritual connection and are wanting to be part of a believing and worshipping community is linked to a longing to find answers to life’s big questions and find a path through the self-interest, violence, tragedies and innocent suffering that pervade daily existence, and is a window of hope. Research shows that people of faith on average live happier, healthier lives than those with no faith, and have greater resilience in the face of trouble. I wonder how the blessing of that perseverance is recognisable to others around us and is part of the cloud of witness for those who are seeking?
Surely the fire that Jesus brought and longed to see kindled is the bright spark of life kindled in us at baptism. Jesus longs to see us grow to blaze with the fire of his Spirit, to burn with his good news and God’s promise in this chaotic, conflicted world so that those seeking meaning and hope may find their way to him. That’s a huge responsibility that we are accepting when we accept baptism. It makes us part of the immeasurably long and ongoing story of belonging to God our Father, Brother, Life-flame, God who is always “nearby, not distant from us (Jer 23:23) and has purpose for us.
If that seems daunting, let us remember the words of Teresa of Avila: “Be who you were created to be and you will set the world on fire.”
With the fire of the Holy Spirit, God has already equipped us to be who he made us to be, and we can pray every day, in the words of Morning Prayer, our thanks, delight and hope for that life:
“As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever.”
Lucy G
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