Fire from heaven.....or What have you done with my Jesus?

"I will bring fire from heaven"

Actually, Jesus says he will 'throw down' fire from heaven.  Reminds me of all those comic illustrations with God throwing thunderbolts down on  unsuspecting people.  Kind of gives me the chills.  Which of course leads to the question, "What have you done with my Jesus?"  Where is that compassionate, calm, kind man who pulled children into an embrace and blessed them?

Just possibly our memory fails us.  Remember how Mary sang about her coming child?  He would lift up the lowly and bring down those in high places.  This coming Messiah would re-create the Divine Creation so that all could experience authentic life - a time of great shalom. That kind of re-arranging requires some heavy duty power - or in this case, fire.

What will that Great Shalom look like?  Will there be hunger?  Will some be stopped at the gate because of their race? their gender? their age? their nationality? their disability? No.  It will be the great feast where all are invited to the table to be filled with good things.

So how do we get from where we are today - to where God's great passion will be fulfilled?  Fire.  Fire is how Luke describe the Divine Passion, a passion that burns away impurities, reassures us of God's presence, and leads us away from death.  The fire of divine love is at work everywhere in the world - in the marketplace, in the temple, in our homes, at weddings and funerals and political rallies.  The Fire of God is working on both sides of any issue, any battlefield, to bring ALL people into life and peace.  Jesus' fire works on me as well as my neighbor and enemy.

This, of course, is judgment.  Systems that oppress are judged; people that oppress are judged; practices that oppress are judged - and re-shaped with the fire of divine passion.  Hunger.  Poverty.  Discrimination.  Abuse.  Our blind spots, our dead spots, our evil spots are burned off!  The power of the Divine Creator is more formidable than any opponent - just check out the empty tomb.

Jesus comes, with the power of the divine passion, to bring life to everyone - not just those we think are worthy, and many whom we think are not.  In order for there to be peace, there must be justice.  It is a justice that those who are powerful and privileged in our current system will resist.  In 1917 women who were silently demonstrating for women's suffrage were imprisoned.  In 1963 fellow citizens of African descent who demonstrated for equal rights were beaten and imprisoned.  It was all legal; but it wasn't justice.  Just look at the cross.

In our baptism, in each of our confessions, and in the challenge of daily life, we offer up to God those portions of our lives that disturb God's Great Shalom.  We offer up those portions of ourselves that bring us and others some measure of death.  We lay it all before the Divine Fire knowing that the fire which destroys, creates and the fire that creates, destroys.  We seek the Spirit's strength so we might walk in humility and gratitude, with compassion and forgiveness......all, so we might know peace.

This is the cost of discipleship.  It brings the peace that passes all understanding, a gift from Jesus.

"I do myself"

Every parent has experienced the 'I do myself' stage of toddler development.  It is that period when their will exceeds their skill and a parent's job is to hover very near by to avoid total disasters.  (And of course, to be able to discern what are totally beyond reasonable jobs for the little one to 'do myself').


Thomas, the famous Doubter, needs to see for himself.  Does he doubt the sanity of the other disciples?  Were they prone to punking one another?  Is he a skeptic in all things, including this so called 'sighting' of the risen Jesus?  Is he hungry, tired or so weighed down with grief he has no room for new knowledge or nuanced emotions?

Or, is Thomas just like every one else.  Until he 'sees', he cannot believe.  Until he encounters Jesus, he cannot believe.  Until the God who raised Jesus from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit is somehow experienced, by him, in person, he cannot believe.  It's not that he doesn't want to believe.  He needs an encounter to move from his disappointment, heartbreak, maybe even despair, to hope.  He needs to see for himself.

So Jesus comes and makes himself known.  Not in judgment, not in sadness, not to mock Thomas or anyone else.  Jesus comes to bring Thomas the peace he needs, a peace that passes all understanding, the very peace which was made possible in the person of Jesus.

Faith is born from an encounter with God.  Faith in the risen one is born in that space between two people when forgiveness happens, or mercy is given, or love is expressed, or life slides into death, or, at the last, peace calms all things.

Locked doors work both ways

The Gospel of John, 20th chapter tells us that on the evening of Easter Sunday, the disciples locked themselves in an upper room because they feared for their life.  Now the writer says that the disciples were afraid that the authorities would find them.  You have to think they were a little worried that a risen Jesus would find them too.  A 'he who we thought was dead' Jesus on the loose in the world might have been too frightening to consider.


Whatever they were thinking inside that room, they certainly needed time to process (great 21st century term).  Perhaps the more level headed amongst them were still trying to make sense out of the women's tales about a missing, risen, alive Jesus.  You and I both know that we have no category in our thinking for such a phenomena; they were wrestling with something that up to that very day was impossible.  Ridiculous.  Out of this world.

A dozen or so people crammed into an airless room, suspicious of each other, and afraid of everyone else.........it wasn't a good atmosphere for rational thinking.  But of this I am certain, no matter what they were thinking or believing, they weren't about to take it to the streets and blab it all over the place.  That kind of thing was dangerous! They locked the door.  To keep the authorities out.  To keep strangers out.  To keep themselves inside.

Bet you recognize that attitude, that reluctance to take the news about Jesus to the streets.  You know, I believe in God deeply but I don't talk about it with other people.  I don't want to offend.  I don't want to look like a fanatic.  I don't want to lose friends, business, or dinner invitations.  I keep my faith to myself.

We have all kinds of locked doors to protect ourselves. We lock out those of questionable background.  We lock out those who talk about God differently from us.  We lock out those who don't know our special way of doing things.  We lock out those whose children are unruly.  We lock out those who can no longer make the stairs or hear the preacher or drive their cars.  We lock out those who speak a different language.

We lock out anyone who qualifies as 'other.' which of course is the most ironic, if not sad.  In the name of Jesus, we lock out the very people Jesus went out of his way to invite in.  Jesus who spent his entire ministry changing the locks, throwing open the doors, welcoming everyone and anyone, is now the reason we keep to ourselves.  Jesus found a way to speak with every stripe of human being; we huddle behind all kinds of barriers and avoid speaking to the stranger.

But when we lock others out, we also lock ourselves in.  We huddle in our worship spaces, repeating the prayers of the centuries, singing the most familiar music, as our numbers slowly diminish.  We lock the future out - and the fear inside only escalates. The very peace which we know in Jesus suffocates in our locked spaces, our locked minds and hearts.

....and we lose Jesus and the peace that he brings to us, the peace that he is to us, and the power of life that comes with that peace.

Yet, hear the good news.  No lock is going to keep Jesus from coming to you.  This crucified and risen Jesus will not be stopped by a cross, a tomb, a locked door...or a barricaded heart.  In him is peace, and that peace is a whole new life.  There is no end or limit to it.

Jesus appears to the grieving and frightened disciples not to scold or to judge, but to bring them peace.  That is the gift he continues to offer to every single person, a gift so powerful that once it is yours, you cannot lock it in either.

Doors.  Locks. Fear.
Jesus. Peace. Life.

Behind locked doors

For those of us allowed the privilege of proclaiming the gracious love of God in Jesus on a weekly basis, the story of "Doubting Thomas" is familiar.  It is always the lesson assigned to the first Sunday after Easter.  If you been preaching for 20 years, you have wrestled with a message about Thomas 20 times.

Many times the message is about faith v. doubt.  Since I believe most folks have moments - months - years of doubt, I think this kind of reflection can be helpful.  I'm pretty sure I've preached a couple of these myself.

But this year, I want to talk about doors.  The story tells us that the disciples had locked themselves in an upper room because they were afraid.  Now the writer of the gospel of John says they were afraid of the Jews, but if you know a little bit about the community for which John wrote, you begin to realize that 'the Jews' was shorthand for anyone who strongly opposed this new way of believing.  So we might substitute 'the Jewish leadership' for John's constant harping on 'the Jews'.  I expect the disciples were afraid of the Romans who had the authority to arrest and execute whomever they wished,   But to compromise, let's use the phrase 'the authorities.'

The disciples were afraid of the authorities; they didn't want anyone to know where they were - huddled together, with the rank fragrance of sweat pooling in the small, airless room.  Ten men plus some women crammed in this room, scared to death - not just of the authorities, but of one another!  Who knew if there was yet another Judas in their midst?  I expect they kept a close eye on one another.....

....which brings me to doors. They locked themselves in.  They closed themselves off from the rest of the world.  They were suspicious of strangers and not really sure of one another I would guess.

None of which stopped the risen Jesus.  Not the door.  Not their fear.  Not their total failure to stand by him in his most agonizing hour.  Jesus simply appeared.

If a cross, a stone and a tomb can't lock you in, do you really think a locked door is going to keep you out?  Jesus simply appears - to bring a word of peace, which is a word of forgiveness and love.  "Do not be afraid"  he says.  A tall order on any day of the week.

Jesus steps into the center of their grief and paralyzing fear, not to scold or judge, but to bring peace.

.....which is what Jesus is doing today as well....stepping into all those locked places of our lives, places which hold grief, anger, wounds, fear, doubt, hunger....and offers us peace.  Not judgement.  Not guilt.  Peace.

Walk any street and consider what truths are hiding behind all those locked doors. Consider all the hurting people hiding themselves away.  Know that this Jesus won't let a locked door stop him from bringing a word of peace.  You can count on it.  You can count on him.  He's right there waiting to be peace in your life.

Do not be afraid of this one from God.  He comes in peace.

A gift and reminder as we start a new week

Guide Me into an Unclenched Moment   by Ted Loder

Gentle me,
Holy One,
into an unclenched moment,
     a deep breath,
        a letting go
           of heavy expectancies,
              of shriveling anxieties,
                  of dead certainties,
that, softened by the silence,
     surrounded by the light,
        and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
     upheld by the unfathomable,
        entranced by the simple,  
           and filled with the joy
               that is you.


May you find a moment of peace, a time of stillness, a taste of joy today.


Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle  by Ted Loder, p. 23

Let's start with forgiveness.........

"God, I want some of that healing and mending.  How about you fix those others who are causing all the wounds of this world?  I want a kinder, gentler world."

"I can work with that," Jesus says.  "You are forgiven."


"I don't want to be forgiven.  I want peace and quiet."

"Well, you can't get peace and quiet unless you get a handle of how loud you are yourself.  You contribute to the noise you know.  You have bruised a few people in your time."

"But those were little things.  Not important.  I'm talking about all the big things:  oppressive economic systems, racism, those foreigners who want to live in my neighborhood, criminals.  Those kinds of things."


"All those big things start with very little things.  Decisions and choices made day by day.  By people just like you.  I remember that little nastiness with the check out clerk when she got the change wrong."

"She should have been paying more attention to me, and less to her 'friend.'"

"Yes, lack of attention is indeed an on-going problem.  And blindness.  Folks cannot see themselves in the mirror.  It's an epidemic.  Still I forgive you."

"I'm not in need of forgiveness.  I need a kinder, gentler world."

"Well, how about we start with forgiveness and see where it goes from there?"

Come holy Jesus

Infant holy, infant lowly

for his bed a cattle stall;

Oxen lowing, little knowing

Christ the child is Lord of all.

Swiftly winging, angels singing, 

bells are ringing, tidings bringing;

Christ the child is Lord of all!

Christ the child is Lord of all!   

ELW 276

That is the story we prepare to hear again.....that the infant born in a cattle stall is a holy infant.  God's unique incarnation.  The Anointed One.  Lord of all Creation.  Prince of Peace.  

The beginning of the end.

The end of sorrow and  hate.  The end of fear and longing.  The end of oppression and racism.  The end of all that deals death and crushes God's beloved creation.

Tonight we tell again the story of the moment when the world shifted and 'all that is' began the journey to 'all that it will be.'  It is a tortuous journey that saps our energy.  We struggle to keep Jesus in sight as we wrestle with fear and death and hatred and our own sinful behavior. Each day we try to remember that our hope needs to be in Jesus because nothing else in all creation can save us. 

Tonight we will hear how the hope of the world has been born.  

Don't keep that good news to yourself.  All creation needs the gift of life that Jesus brings.  Let the whole creation cry, "Come, holy Jesus."

A blessed Christmas to you all.  

No peace at all

Years ago I was taking a walk with a neighbor and her two year old.  The little one wanted a piece of gum.  "Piece, piece!" she begged.  Mom said, "I have no gum." The little one was nothing if not persistent.  "Piece, piece" she cried.  Mom answered, "I have no piece......no peace at all."

Being the Mom of a two year old often feels like that.....no peace to be found anywhere.  But then I think that being a teacher or mechanic or retail clerk or town highway worker....or a thousand other places that demand, demand, demand from us sets us up for a moment of longing for peace.

Even so, we know that the longing for peace is much larger than our day to day frustrations.  It has something to do with our dog eat dog world and with greed and hunger for power.  It has something to do with our fear of strangers and struggle to protect ourselves and our own.  It has something to do with those who have and those who have not rubbing up against each other.  Somewhere under our normal activity is a tension and pressure that keeps us from relaxing into a state of peace.

Jesus came so we might know peace but he wasn't naive about the work it would take to separate us from all the stuff we have and all the habits we have developed.  Jesus knew that achieving peace among nations and peace among peoples and peace within families would be a great deal like ripping off a bandaid.  There is no way to do it that it isn't going to hurt.

But we need to discard the old bandaid so real healing can happen and wholeness can be experienced.  We will  come to realize that we cannot have our cake and eat it too - we cannot live with one foot committed to 'the way things are done now' and one longing for God's vision of peace for all.  As long as we dither, we will have no peace.....and until Christ comes again, the world will not truly know the joy that is life in God, the creator and maker of all peace.

Are you looking for peace?  Seek Jesus.

Disturbing the peace

"Do not disturb."  Hotels give you this convenient little door hanger to alert the staff that you want no interruptions.  Wouldn't it be nice if we had just such a discreet way of signaling the world - or our family - or the person sitting at the next desk - that we would prefer to be left alone?

Please don't interrupt the flow of my work.  Please don't waste my time with pictures of your grandchild.  Please don't bring around holiday goodies that I can ill afford to eat.  Please don't come with your fresh cup of coffee to talk football, politics, shopping horror stories or to complain about your boss, wife, mother-in-law, neighbor.  Please don't.....just go away.

We want a little peace.

Or do we?  Is it possible that what we want is for folks to stop questioning our lifestyle, habits, intentions or actions?  Could it be that we are happy, happy, happy with our life and really don't want to know about anyone else's?  Might it be that we are not seeking some level of calm, but rather insulating ourselves from everything that makes us uncomfortable?

Real peace can only be built on truth and justice and so requires a great deal of disturbing - disturbing complacency and smug contentment, disturbing greed and hoarding, disturbing power structures and systems.  The prophets knew this; Jesus died to change this.  Peace is not a lack of conflict; rather it is conflict reconciled.

This Advent take up the work of disturbing the peace for the sake of your neighbor.  It's your calling.  It's the only path to true peace.