Fire and Division

Fire and Division
Pentecost 10; Luke 12:49-59
He came to bring fire to the Earth,
fire that cleanses and refines,
fire that warms and enlivens.
He wished it was already kindled
while he could shelter the flame,
guide it to make light, bake bread,
separate pure metal from dross.

Then he felt the dark and cold
closing in on him, and he knew
the spark would only ignite
when he was struck down,
and had waited entombed
like a banked hearth fire
for the stirring at dawn
to uncover the embers
and blow them into flame.

Such is the nature of fire,
sometimes smouldering unseen
in the heart of a blackened stump
or carried as a spark on the wind.
Released among dead growth,
it flares to raging power
not to be contained or tamed.

His heart aches for the conflicts
ignited by mis-used Spirit fire,
neighbours and families divided,
excuses made for crusades
and colonization, supposedly
promoting the cross, but prolonging
the agony of God’s beloved, strung up
naked outside the walls. forgiving
ignorance with tortured breaths.

Like us, they did not know
how to interpret the present time:
for them, the imminent fall
of temple and city
to the cohorts of Empire,
for us, climate change
and pandemics, wars
and environmental disasters.

Like us, they did not judge for themselves
what is right, but relied on law
that was far from impartial,
with judges appointed to shore up power,
and corrupt or self-serving authorities.

Jesus lamented then and now
that he has not come to bring peace to the Earth.
Pray that his fire of renewal be already kindled:
the cleansing fire of justice for the oppressed,
the warming heart fire of compassion.
	Barbara Messner 13/08/2025