The World is On Fire

“I have cast fire upon the world, and I am guarding it until it blazes.”  – Logion 10, The Gospel of Thomas

The world is on fire right now!  We are aghast at the rate of its aggressive spread – across Spokane, Bordeaux, the Sonoma Coast, really – the whole world.  For those of us in Napa Valley, we fear the smoke taint and are traumatized with the recollection of our own fires of recent years.  The August heat – being the last dogged days before schools start, and many head back to the workplace after holidays – remind us of how much the world has changed, even in the last few years.  That world is hotter and the reach of that heat is farther – throughout Europe and the Middle East, Asia and beyond – than all of us would have hoped for.  We pray for those who face loss, trauma, illness, and more in the midst of these flames and heat.  The world is indeed on fire!

Fire is a critical spiritual metaphor for many things.  The scriptures speak of trials being fiery, and the flames of fire over those in the room at Pentecost suggest that fire is both purifying and holy.  In the Gospel of Thomas, a writing by Thomas the disciple of Jesus found in the Nag Hammadi discovery of texts, he writes that Jesus says these exact words.  “I have cast fire upon the world, and I am guarding it until it blazes.”  Here we can be sure that Jesus does not mean physical fire, but the fire of the spirit and that blazing is the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  It reminds me of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who after Jesus revealed himself to them, stated “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).  That is the fire that Jesus is guarding within each and everyone of us.

Our role is to nurture and kindle that flame within our hearts.  Remember GOD DWELLS IN YOU!! And the Spirit is there to teach and nourish our souls, to strengthen our relationship, trust and faith in our Creator, and to build up the love for his people, and the world.  I love this idea that Jesus is “guarding the fire until it blazes” in every heart.  The stories we hear on Sundays through the sermon are designed to do just that – nurture the soul, kindle the flame, keep the fire blazing in each of our hearts and lives.  And what it requires of each of us is to show up – physically and emotionally – and be available to God’s presence within us and God’s dwelling in those around us.

Every Sunday when we gather in the Sacristy and pray for all those who gather, we ask the Lord to “feed His Sheep” and to fill the Sanctuary with His Spirit.  My prayer for you all is that you are fed spiritually through the Service and experience the powerful love of our God, empowered to rejoice and walk in His Spirit as you move back into the World.  As we pray for the world, which is truly on fire, I pray that your hearts are ablaze with God’s power and love eternal.

Amen!

Deacon Diana