Sermon - Fire

Fire

Introduction: Meaningless Nothing

Is life a meaningless nothing? Yes, life is meaningless, asserts the Teacher in Ecclesiastes. The Teacher declares, “Everything is meaningless!”

Yes, life is a meaningless nothing, says William Shakespeare through Macbeth. “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more; it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing!”

Yes, life is trivial and frivolous, says a nursery rhyme. “Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, where have you been?” Pussy Cat answers: “I have been to London to visit the Queen?” And then: “Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, what did you do there?” Answer: “I frightened a little mouse under c chair!”

But we don’t need the Bible, or Shakespeare, or a nursery rhyme to tell us. Many have been expressing their despair: “Sayang na sayang lang, ganito na lamang ba ang aking kalagayan? Kung magkaganoon, bakit kaya ako ay isinilang pa?”

The Bible’s Outlook

Is life meaningless? Is living in this world worthless? Is there another view of what life is all about?

Yes, there is another view, for the Bible affirms, No, life is full of meaning. For men and women are created in the image of God and are meant for goodness, freedom and love.

In the vastness of the universe people may just be tiny specks. Yet, God has entrusted the care of the whole created world to them.

The Bible tells us that men and women are grasped by a dimension of life more than simply temporal, finite and corruptible.

Life is apprehended by a vital and vibrant vision – a vision that is exciting, energizing, uplifting, breathtaking and elevating.

To be grasped by the biblical vision is to be grasped by an awesome, audacious and liberating vision.

Jeremiah’s Vision

The scripture lessons this morning speak of the divine liberating vision of God and the choices we make given such vision.

The prophet Jeremiah has been called “the reluctant prophet,” or, “the prophet of doom”, or, “weeping prophet”, or “the prophet of foolishness.”

Nevertheless, Jeremiah had been captured by God’s vision. Jeremiah saw that God had given Israel through him a vision, destiny and hope.

Jeremiah saw that the political and military alliances with countries around had prostituted Israel. Her spirituality had become bankrupt.

And so, Jeremiah had come to the point of utter disappointment, discouragement and despair.

He despaired, “I will no longer speak for God.” Echoing Ecclesiastes he exclaimed, “Everything is meaningless! I quit.”

Then he realized he could not quit. He had been grasped by a high vision of what God wants, dreams and claims for Israel, a vision that would not let him go.

“I can’t stop!” he exclaimed. God’s “word burns in my bones like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones!”

Our Vision

How about you? How about today’s Christians? How about today’s world?

Isn’t our world on the way to its own hell? Isn’t our society on its way to destruction? Haven’t Christians become hopelessly lost?

The exploitation that comes from greed and leads to destruction of forest reserves, the self-serving words of praise about themselves by many of our leaders, and demeaning words about others – aren’t these situations awful and horrifying?

Like Jeremiah, many Christians are tempted to give up and say, “It is hopeless. Sayang lang ang mabuting pinag-aralan natin bilang Christyano. Bakit nagkaganito na tayo?”

And yet, grasped like Jeremiah by the high vision of the meaning and purpose of life, we cannot turn our backs on the bruised and pained humanity.

No, we cannot and we should not!

Jesus’ Message

Our New Testament lesson is about Jesus’ words, not on forgiveness, comfort and love that we normally understand of him.

Rather, they were words of harsh judgment: “fire upon the earth”, “strife and division”, families split apart, “division between father and son, mother and daughter, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.”

“Fire upon the earth!” Fire burns. Fire consumes. Fire destroys. Families split. Jesus claimed to have come to bring this kind of fire.

Harsh words, but we need to understand them in the context of who is the ultimate authority under which we live.

The question is: what is the controlling vision that will transform and shape our life?

Will it be the God who has come to set human beings free and create a society of gentleness and justice? Or, will it be the god of our own arrogance, that creates chaos, selfishness and greed?

Will it be the God of peace, who has come to reconcile in love everyone to himself? Or will it be a god of our own making, our own ambitions, our own narcissism and our own self-gratification?

Jesus calls us to a radical faith. Not casual. Not frivolous. Not lukewarm. Not trivial. But passionate faith – daring, resolute and courageous faith with a vision, like fire that burns in our bones to care for a bruised and hurting humanity. Fire in your pockets, too, dare give your silver and gold, so we can build together a brand new church - a testament of our audacious passionate faith.

Conclusion

So what has this blazing fire of faith to do with a world of nothingness, pussycat’s frivolous triviality and Filipinos’ hopeless despair?

It is recalled that Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of the last century, when asked about what moved him in his audacious scientific mind and works, answered, “I challenged an axiom!”

Like Jeremiah, we may look foolish and reluctant. Fired however by wisdom from above, baptized into the power of the Holy Spirit, let us challenge the axiom of the contemporary mind set.

Let faith grasp us - audacious, daring, resolute and fiery passionate faith. Yes, let the fire of God’s vision consume, burn and destroy the awesome axiom of meaningless nothingness, the pussycat’s frivolous triviality and our own Filipino hopeless inaction.

Fire in our bones, we decided a year ago to build together a testament to our audacious, vibrant, life-giving and liberating faith – a united and uniting church. Let us dare give our share! Fire in our bones, let us create together a community of hope, peace and love.