Faith vs Religion

August 26, 2007 13th Sunday After Pentecost

Hebrews 12:29 For indeed our God is a consuming fire.

Fire raining down from heaven is a fire of terror and awe. Last week we talked about Jesus' fire is kindled here on earth and that we see at Pentecost how the kindled fire works in us. Jesus fire is the fire of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. God is not a terrorist, although there is a lot of confusion among Christians and Islams a like that God is indeed a terrorist. These are only our own internal feelings of fear and hatred being reflected onto God. Jesus is revealed as the one who gives us peace and love, not fear and hatred. So, here again in Hebrews is the fire connected to God. "God is a consuming fire." What God consumes is the darkness and deadwood that lies within us, that is our sin, and what is left is purified. God's consuming fire is a purifying fire.

Luke 13: 10-17

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

God appeared and acted at the Synagogue that day and the Synagogue leader tried to throw him out. In fact, it appears that he was trying to drive everyone away. He is angered by what God had done that day saying over and over again that there are six days on which work was t0 be done. In other words, religion is happening here at the Synagogue not God.

The reason we have the religion that we do as Lutherans, that is, the liturgy and music is not to get more Lutherans just like us to worship with us. If we only reach out to Lutherans just like us we won't grow. What we do here we do for God and for God's people. Jesus is acting right here and right now among us. God did not rest; He is still at work. The Living Lord Jesus Christ is present. He was present at the Synagogue two thousand years ago and He is present here among us at His Table.

We gather together every Sunday because Jesus is here. The crippled woman came to the Synagogue that day because Jesus/God was there.

Our message to the community around us ought to be, "O come and see and taste and hear! Jesus is here.

Jesus' Fire

Luke 12:49-56

Jesus the Cause of Division

"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! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided:

father against son

and son against father,

mother against daughter

and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. 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?

We used to put red ropes in the back pews so that more people will sit toward the front. I am glad to see that we willing sit toward the front of the sanctuary. You may have noticed that I was quoted in the Grand Rapids Press this weekend. Newspapers have asked for my opinions in the past. The last time was quite comical it was when I was in North Dakota. I won't take up service time to talk about it now. It concerned Elvis.

The fire Jesus speaks of is already kindled. Not too long ago we heard fire mentioned in Luke before in chapter 9: When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

Jesus sends a group ahead to tell them that he was coming. The message that the big guy was on his way went unheeded. James and John thought this was a good opportunity for Jesus to show God's Judgment in the manner of Elijah and rain fire on the Samaritans. Jesus strongly rebuked them.

The word that Jesus uses to rebuke them is a strong statement that implies rebuking with conviction. The fire that they want is a fire of terror that the Samaritans would see coming at them and then it would consume them. This is the understanding of an angry god.

The fire that Jesus wants to kindle is kindled in Luke's second book, Acts. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

The fire did not descend from heaven but appeared. The fire is here among us, and this fire does not consume but enlightens. This fire is the Holy Spirit, and it burns in each of us. We are not "little Christs" as the publishers of Luther's Works misused Luther's words. We have become such little Christs that we aren't even noticed. We are like Plankton on Sponge bob Square pants small and deluded. We are deluded when we think of ourselves as being so small we need to see how Jesus is here with us and we are giants.

This fire makes us quite alive. God is not angry, although seeing Him that way makes sense to a nation that has weapons that can rain fire down on their enemies. The burning we do is with fossil fuels. Burning oil and coal has certainly given us a quality of living unprecedented in human history. This has caused global warming and has caused the polar ice caps to melt faster than the most pessimistic model has predicted. The reaction has been to claim the gold and minerals under the Artic Ice Cap. We humans will have to find a method of making energy without burning fossil fuels. Let's remember that before electricity we got energy from eating.

Jesus' fire does not consume but enlightens, causing us to be the lights of Peace, Wisdom and Life, not Death, Destruction and Consumption. Our age needs this Spiritual Fire.There is no shock and awe value in Luke's writing. This fire is Life not death.