Thursday, August 15, 2019

Bringing Love and Fire!

For as long as I can remember, Jesus has been an incredible source of comfort.  I grew up singing Jesus Loves Me, and to this day I believe Christ loves all the people of the world.  These are attributes that I have valued my entire life, and I cherish passing them on to my kids…

However, Jesus was also a fairly complex individual.  Certainly he always cared about love, grace, and forgiveness, but there was more to him… Take the words of Jesus from Luke 12:49:

“I came to hurl fire to the earth, and O’ how I wish it were already kindled.”
-Jesus

Yikes!  These words are part of our scripture passage this week, and they are not read in very many children’s books.  Nor are these words sung in any of the fun Jesus songs I know. J  This side of Jesus seems totally different from the one I grew up with, and I’m not always sure what to make of that.  I have heard people use these words to condemn others, but I don’t for a minute believe Jesus ever wanted to destroy another human’s life... 

Jesus lived everyday sharing love with fishermen, tax collectors, and the outcasts.  Jesus also spent time reaching out to the scribes, Pharisees, and powerful rulers at the time.  He wanted to bring the good news to everyone!  I think our scripture today is more about burning down the barriers that prevent us from seeing who God truly is. 

Almost every week I travel around the Las Vegas valley visiting all kinds of people, including those nearing the final stages of life.  This can be an exhausting task.  There is fear.  There is pain.  There is also a feeling of loss and grief that can be overwhelming.  However, I really believe these moments are sacred.  There is something special about declaring the promise of love among people who are all ready to listen.  There are so many distractions in our world.  There are so many moments when we give up on ourselves.  I believe Jesus wants us to burn all of these distractions away so that we can hear the real promise of Grace.  That is the beauty of these visits with people.  We are taking a moment to get rid of everything else that doesn’t matter and hear a real promise.  Today, that is my hope and prayer for all of you.  I pray that you could let go and hear a real promise of Grace. 

Blessings!


PB

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