“Set on Fire”
May 28, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today, in addition to being Pentecost, is also the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. Tomorrow, we give thanks to God for all the men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces who were willing not only to serve, but to give their lives in the line of duty – both to protect our country, and also to sacrifice their own lives to protect others. There’s one particular story about those who were willing to sacrifice their own lives, so others could live.
During the Second World War, there were four Chaplains serving with the US Army: Rev. George L. Fox, Rabbi Alexander Goode, Father John P. Washington, and Rev. Clark V. Poling, who was himself originally from Columbus. On February 3, 1943, the troop transport ship on which they were sailing, the SS Dorchester, was struck by a German U-Boat torpedo off the coast of Newfoundland, and started to sink almost immediately. Many of the men on board had been sleeping below deck, were trapped, and started to panic. The Chaplains then started comforting them and calming them down, and then organized an orderly evacuation, handing out life jackets to each one of the men. There ended up being more people in need of life jackets than there were life jackets available, so the Chaplains removed their own life jackets and gave them to soldiers who needed them. They helped as many men as they could into the lifeboats. Then, as the ship continued to sink, they linked their arms together and began saying prayers and singing hymns. Survivors recalled watching the four Chaplains still standing on the deck, praying and singing, as the bow of the vessel finally went under the waves. Only 203 of the 904 men who had been on board were rescued; the four Chaplains were among those who went with the ship. These men are just one of many examples of people who, even when given the opportunity to save their own lives, chose instead to sacrifice their own to allow others to live. They did so not only because duty called for them to do it, but because they were following the example of God, and, being encouraged and motivated by Him, were willing to pay the price to save the lives of others.
Today we also remember, and give thanks, for how Jesus was willing to do the same for us, and each and every person. He sacrificed His own life by dying on a cross, paying the price of His own life. Then, He rose again, and, as in today’s Gospel reading, shows that He has physically come back to life, not as a spirit, but as a living, breathing being again. He then promises us peace – peace for our hearts and minds, which comes from believing that He is victorious over death, and over everything else we may have to face. Just as the Chaplains on board the Dorchester were able to calm and bring comfort to the soldiers who were struggling to get off the sinking ship, Jesus brings us calm and comfort in the midst of all of our struggles, worries, and fears. He then, again, just the Chaplains did, rescues us from everything causing us trouble, doing whatever it takes to bring us to a safer, more secure place. He has promised He will always be with us, and He has kept that promise. There is always hope, because Jesus is always with us. And, after He ascended, He did yet another thing He promised: He sent the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in the form of fire, and gave the disciples the power to tell about Jesus in every language. This also fulfilled what God, speaking through the Prophet Joel in today’s First Reading, had promised: that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all of God’s people, including us. The Holy Spirit is still with us today, and is the driving force for who we are and what we do. The Holy Spirit also motivates us to show God’s love and compassion to people, especially people in need, as the Chaplains did. And, since the Spirit came in the form of fire, today He continues to work His power in us as fire does, in three important ways.
First of all, fire warms. If we think about it, that’s what we use fire for the most. One of the things I’m really looking forward to this summer is spending more time around the fire, warming up at night, getting to hang out with family and friends, and maybe even toasting some hot dogs and marshmallows. Those are two of the things we use fire for a lot: to warm ourselves, and to cook food. So we actually really depend on fire a lot more than we realize – it’s literally something that keeps us alive. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit to make us alive again. Just as fire warms our bodies, we need the fire of the Spirit to warm our hearts again – to love God, and love all people. We especially need our hearts warmed to be able to welcome people again, even strangers who come to be with us, and to be warmed to what they can bring us. The expression to “be on fire” also means to be enthusiastic, gung-ho, and really into something. We need our enthusiasm and optimism back: these were robbed from us during the pandemic. And this can happen when we ask, “What can God do?” – and look forward, with hope, to what He can and will do. This is why we have the promise that we can see visions and dream dreams – and it’s time for us to have vision, to see what God is doing for us, and dream about what God can make possible again. It’s time for us to clear away everything which has been blocking our vision, and keeping us from seeing what God can cause to happen.
Which then leads to the next thing fire does: it clears away. Even though fire remains a constant danger where I come from, and there have been some pretty devastating fires out there in recent years, one somewhat positive effect of the fires each time has been to clear away dead brush and trees, so new plants and trees can have room to grow. Without fire, new life couldn’t be able to spring up and flourish. We’ve also, over the past couple of years, had some things that have kept things from growing among us: fear caused by the pandemic, frustration caused by the results of the pandemic, especially financial struggles, and other tensions. But now it’s time to let the fire of the Holy Spirit clear away everything that has been keeping us from growing and moving forward. We need to be praying for the Holy Spirit to resolve everything which has been making us frustrated or causing tension, and for the Spirit to send fire to clear those things away from us. In the power of the Holy Spirit, it’s time for us to move forward. Which then leads to the third thing about fire:
Fire powers. Most of us are familiar with how engines work: engines are powered by some sort of fuel, which only needs a spark to be able to start a fire, which then gets the engine system up and moving. We need fire power, in every sense of the word. We need the fire of God to drive away everything which has been keeping us standing in one place, and we need His fire to ignite our passion and creativity. It’s like we’ve all been in one vehicle, and we’ve been struggling as we haven’t been sure where the vehicle’s been going the last couple of years. We’ve been trying to drive the vehicle ourselves, especially since we’ve been trying to figure out the right direction to go after everything that’s happened. But now it’s time for us to let God drive again. We are His people, our lives are in His hands, and this is His church. Let’s put ourselves in His hands again. Just as the Chaplains helped to rescue others from being stuck in a place of danger, the Holy Spirit is also offering to rescue us from being stuck in a place where we are in danger of dying. But we have to be willing to take risks, do the unknown and untried. And that can be unsettling: but, just as the Holy Spirit led the apostles to places they never thought they’d go before, and helped them to do things they never thought they’d be able to do, like speak in other languages and prophesy, the Spirit will help us to do the same – to go to places and do things we’ve never dreamed of, but which will be beyond anything we’ve ever dreamed possible. We also need to be mindful of what is powering us, or motivating us: if what we think and do is motivated by anger, or reacting against something, then we will crash and burn, and everything we do will end in disaster. But if we are motivated by love for God and others, and a passion to help others experience the love of Jesus, then what we do will be blessed by the Spirit, and will succeed. Those of you who have been listening closely will notice I’ve been using the phrase “we need” a lot. And that’s because there are a lot of things we need right now, which only the Holy Spirit can provide. As we head into the summer, we are to be praying for ourselves, our families, friends, communities, and church, that the Holy Spirit would give us what we need to be able to grow, develop, move in the direction God wants us to go, and help us have the vision to see it clearly.
And so today, brothers and sisters, receive the Holy Spirit! Receive the power of the Holy Spirit anew in your live and in your heart. Open your heart to accept the Spirit, and let Him warm your heart and set you on fire with passion and enthusiasm for following Jesus again. Pray for God to let you see what He’s doing, what He wants for you, and the motivation to be able to follow His lead. Don’t be afraid to try what is new and unfamiliar, because God can surprise you in ways you never dreamed of. And, in the power of the Spirit, keep going – burn with love for God and for people again, and let yourself be on fire for Jesus!
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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