For Sunday, August
18, 2019 ~Readings:
Jeremiah 23:23-29, Psalm 82, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56
Am I a God nearby, says the LORD,
and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?
I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name…Is not my
word like fire… [Jeremiah 23:23, 25a, 29a]
Arise, O God, and rue the earth, for you shall take all nations for
your own. [Psalm 82:8]
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so
closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith... [Hebrews 12:1-2a]
Do you think that I have come to bring
peace on 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...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?
[Luke 12:51-52, 56]
In the dining room of my paternal
Great-Grandmother, born in 1867, was a framed calligraphed message that read: “Christ is the
head of this house, the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener to
every conversation.” As a child, it both fascinated and frightened me and I often
tried to avoid going into the room, possibly as if that was the only place the
charm worked. I was not quite 12 when she died and, for reasons I do not understand,
I asked if I could have it and it was given. I still have it though packed away
because of its age and fragility. It no longer frightens but when I think of
it, as with this week’s readings, I am caught a bit short, or, perhaps more
than a bit.
God is blunt in Jeremiah: Who can
hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? I have heard what the prophets
have said who prophesy lies in my name…Is not my word like fire? God is
equally clear in the Psalm, when castigating unjust gods who show
favor to the wicked…Nevertheless, says God, you shall die like
mortals, and fall like any prince.
Paul gives us equal clarity for our path
now and going forward by emphasizing the role of faith that kept the ancients
on their road to God, despite all manner of hardship. He points us to Jesus
the pioneer and perfecter of our faith as our guide. Yet not only is God near
by, and Jesus within us, along with the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul
reminds us that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
those who have persevered in the life we have each been given. Are we repelled,
or at least unsettled as I was with the plaque as a child, or comforted and bolstered
by the wonder of a God who knows all we say and do, with Jesus as perfection
when we are so imperfect, and a Cloud filled with support?
In this piece from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus
seems uncharacteristically harsh when he tells us that he came to bring fire
to the earth and division within households. At first glance it strikes
a particularly disheartening chord in these days of fiery political and “religious”
false rhetoric that seems designed to enflame passions and instill fear among
the weak and the poor. Families, friends, nations are torn apart by
mortals-who-would-be-gods. However, the fire of God and Jesus isn’t
intended to burn us to a crisp and turn the Earth into an orbiting cinder, ruled
by the “winners” of the race that is set before us. This fire is
the refiner’s fire of purifying and cleansing, removing the dross – the junk
and rubble that weakens our faith. It is a call, a warning to us to re-order
our priorities, our principles, what we value, our purpose in life. This fire
will hurt as we turn away from the temptations of all the false gold that
glitters, but the reward is beyond all joy that we can imagine. Jesus,
impatient for us to understand, knew at that moment that his baptism of
blood would come first. Our next baptism is upon us.
This mortal life is not meant to be a “rat-race” to the finish. Yet
it will finish at a time unknown and unexpected. As that clock ticks on, I must now ask myself, again, what am I still
trying to hide from that Unseen Listener?
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Lord Most High,
kindle our hearts and refine our souls with the purifying fire of Your
Presence. Guide us to run, with perseverance, the race set before us by Christ, accepting
division with those who have not yet won strength from weakness through
enduring faith.
Arise,
O God
RESPONSE:
Fire
our Faith
~ O Lord Most High,
with the
courage and wisdom of the celestial Cloud of Witnesses beside us, let our
voices be heard by the leaders of our Earth, our Country, and our Community, to
lay aside the sins that cling so closely by destructive and unholy words and
actions. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Arise,
O God
Fire
our Faith
~ O Lord Most High,
sustain and
comfort all who suffer physically, emotionally, or spiritually, and renew all
who offer supportive care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in
need…
Arise,
O God
Fire
our Faith
~ O Lord Most High, accompany
the mournful through the trial of loss, as the choirs of Heaven sing in
jubilance for those now arrived in the splendor of Your Eternal Kingdom. We pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently…
Arise,
O God
Fire
our Faith
~ O Lord Most High, grant the grace of
authenticity to those we choose to interpret the Truth in Your Word, guiding us
as together we sift through the deceits and false prophecy of those who use
distortion for their own secret purpose. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Arise,
O God
Fire
our Faith
The Celebrant adds: O Lord
our God, Who rules the Earth, transform the fires of discord, violence, and
hate that rage across this planet into the cleansing waters of Baptism, revealing
the glory of Salvation beneath the dross of human excess, and the eternal
beauty of the Gospel message. We ask through Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter
of Faith, and the Holy Spirit, the Fire of Wisdom, who together with You are
One God, in the blaze of Mercy, Justice, and Everlasting Peace, forever and
ever. Amen.
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