TRINITY 9
Sunday 18 August 2019
9.30am Parish Mass
www.ssaviours.org
In recent years there has been a recurring narrative in our
public discourse that centres on the brokenness of our society. It became the predominant theme of the 2010
General Election, as Cameron pledged to fix ‘Broken Britain’, exemplified a
year later by the riots of 2011. Almost a decade later, that same sense of brokenness is
exemplified by the polarised politics of Brexit; a perceivable increase in extremism
and intolerance; and the acute awareness that we are a nation divided. Irrespective of party politics, there is a clear
understanding that something must change, something must shift, and something
needs to be done to bring unity and a renewed sense of community and common
purpose.
Against that backdrop, this morning’s gospel reading and the
words of Jesus himself are exceedingly sharp.
“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….” And so on. This brief passage is quite literally
incendiary. “I came to bring
fire to the earth” said Jesus “and how I wish it were already
kindled!”
Those who were part of this year’s Lent Course, looking at a
series of passages from Luke’s Gospel may remember that one of the motifs used
by the author is that of Elijah and Elisha. Directly, or more often indirectly, John the Baptist and
then Jesus are described in terms which allude to the stories of these great
prophetic heroes of the Hebrew Scriptures. Elijah is of course famed for his chariot of fire in 2 Kings
2, by which he is taken up into heaven, but more specifically, in his battle with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 Elijah
calls down fire from heaven as a show of strength, and then at the beginning of
2 Kings he calls down fire on a hundred of King Ahaziah’s soldiers as he delivers
divine judgement. Later in Luke
17 Jesus says that fire will rain down from heaven when the Son of Man is
revealed.
This Elijah-fire motif tells us that this passage is about
judgement. But not just God’s judgement,
but human judgement – or rather the lack of it.
Jesus says to them “When you see a cloud rising in the west you
immediately say ‘It is going to rain’…. You know how to interpret the appearance
of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” Jesus isn’t bringing peace and comfortable stability. Jesus is calling people to conversion, to a
point of decision and subsequent upheaval. And the decision they make will determine
their future, and will change everything.
The first reading this morning from the letter to the
Hebrews provided a roll-call of those who at that same point of decision, chose
wisely. Those whose faith led them to respond to God’s call to conversion and
change, whatever the cost might be. In
fact, just as Jesus himself did….. Of course very often its much easier not to
make a decision. Not to
choose. To drift, and to enjoy an easy comfort which, whilst upsetting no one,
actually takes us nowhere. And that’s as
much true in our spiritual lives as it is in our political life.
This brief passage is quite literally incendiary. “I came to bring fire to the earth” said
Jesus. Yet we must remember that as well
as associating fire with Elijah-like judgement, Luke’s Gospel (and its sequel The
Acts of the Apostles) makes a very firm link between fire and the
outpouring and outworking of the Holy Spirit. At the start of his account, Luke sums up the ministry of
Jesus with words placed on the lips of John the Baptist: He will baptise you
with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
And of course at the start of Acts in chapter 2 the fire of the Spirit
descends on the apostles as Jesus had promised them. And when you and I get to that point of decision – not just
once, but time and time again, because our discipleship is nothing less than a
constant call to change and convert and be renewed…
When we get to that moment where we are called to respond to
God and embrace whatever upheaval that may bring…. it is always, but always,
the work of the Spirit. The writer to the Hebrews listed the examples of Rahab,
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel by name, but at the same
time makes it clear that its not an exhaustive list. Last Thursday, August 15th, was the Feast of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. The Orthodox call
it the Feast of the Dormition, the Catholics the Feast of the Assumption. But whatever it’s called it celebrates Mary’s
response to God’s call to conversion. That same decision and its subsequent upheaval. And the decision she made determined her
future, and changed everything – overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and at work in
her and through her. And of course we get that from Luke’s gospel too – as well
as the promise from Simeon that Jesus will bring about the falling and rising
of many in Israel, and that a sword will pierce Mary’s heart too.
Luke and Matthew share a common source for this passage –
Luke’s version says Jesus will bring division.
Matthew uses a different word altogether and says that Jesus will bring
a sword….“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the
earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!.... I came to bring fire to the
earth” said Jesus “and how I wish it were already kindled!”
Do you feel uncomfortable in your spiritual life and discipleship? Maybe through the overshadowing of the Spirit
God is calling you to a decision, another change or conversion? Do you feel comfortable in your spiritual life and
discipleship? Well maybe, just maybe,
you’d better watch out….