Ladies and gentlemen, I am here because I heard there would be a fire breaking out in the church. I looked outside and didn’t see any smoke or anything, so I had to assume the fire hadn’t started yet. I’ve been doing some inspections around and haven’t seen any evidence where a fire might start either, so I am assuming someone is trying to start a fire here. My assumptions were confirmed when I read through that little thing y’all call a bulletin here. There’s a prayer in there that talks about kindling a fire. Further, I read a little bit about some folks who were playing with fire in one of those readings in there. Such things aren’t good folks. You all know our county is under a burn ban because of the current drought. Starting a fire now is very, very dangerous. The dry conditions could lead to a massive outbreak that would forever change the scope of our landscape around here. So, I am going to take some time this morning to give you a few lessons in fire safety and discourage you from starting such a fire.
I am sure that your parents taught nearly all of you that you shouldn’t play with fire. Why? Well, everyone knows when you play with fire, you will get burned. Some people get lucky and are burned just slightly with some skin irritation. There’s no lasting damage or change to them. They are fortunate because they can continue to go about their business without anyone noticing anything ever happened to them. Others aren’t quite as lucky. Sometimes they get burned rather badly, and there is severe skin irritation and blisters. You have to carefully manage such burns and care for them until they heal. If you aren’t careful, they can leave scars–evidence that you weren’t careful when dealing with fire. Finally, there are some very unfortunate folks who suffer third degree burns. Their skin is charred to a crisp. Scarring is permanent. They are forever changed by their dealings with fire. You don’t want this to happen. People look at you differently. Some might think you are strange. Others will shake their heads in pity.
Do you need an example? Well, let’s talk a moment about that little story in the bulletin that is marked with the words First Lesson. There was a story in there about some people who were touched by fire. Apparently, these folks were burned pretty badly because they started talking all kinds of gibberish to one another. They couldn’t even talk straight because of their experience with fire. I’m telling you, that’s a major danger sign right there. They ran out into the streets and started telling everyone about their experiences with this fire, and more and more people wanted to experience it too. Can’t you see the danger in playing with that fire so much? Can’t you see the danger in inviting others to reach out and touch this stuff that could burn them? I mean what would happen to them if they were marked for life by a severe burn?
You see, I know a few people who have been barely touched by this fire. They’ve felt the redness on their skin and in their hearts. It makes them very uncomfortable. They start realizing the implications that such fire has for their hearts and for their lives. It scares them. It makes them realize there is a huge change that will happen to them if the fire gets a hold of them. They are not sure they want this to happen. And so even though they’ve experienced this fire, they try to avoid it. They’ll even try to put it out whenever they come near it. They’ll talk badly about the fire and tell their friends and family to avoid it because of how it affects them. Stay free of the fire, they’ll tell you.
And then there are those who have handled the fire a little too much. They’ve been burned by it. They have blisters. In some ways they’ve enjoyed playing with the fire, but they only want to play with it on their terms. They don’t want anyone else to see what they are up to. So they hide the blisters. They cover up the redness. They don’t tell anyone about the fire they’ve seen and heard and touched. They keep coming back for more, but they walk away just as easy because they don’t want the fire to burn too deeply.
Finally, there are those who are consumed by this fire. These folks are scarred and marked permanently. You can see that they’ve played with fire, and their lives have been forever altered. You can see it in the things they do, the activities they are involved, and how they live their lives. They talk about their time spent with the fire; they talk about how it burned them; they talk about how it still affects them to this day. Strangely enough, which is hard for this fireman to understand, is that they have no regrets about being burned by the fire. In fact, they seem to encourage others to approach the fire and get burned themselves. They argue it’s a good thing that affected their lives in ways beyond comprehension. In some ways, I’d like to argue with them about this. But I can’t argue that their lives aren’t changed.
Believe me, I’d like to, but those who have been burned by this fire exhibit some very intriguing qualities. They are always ready to jump in and lend a hand to someone who is in need. I’ve seen a few give the shirt off their backs to help someone who is down on their luck or someone who is suffering from severe grief or depression. I’ve seen these folks dig deep into their pocketbooks to support causes throughout the world and in their communities. I’ve seen these folks walk with an air of humility even though they try to live exemplary lives. I’ve even seen these folks give up buying stuff they wanted to support local charities and such. Can you believe that? Most of them are always ready to stand up for those who don’t have a voice or have little power. They aren’t afraid to stick their necks out and risk it for people most of the society has written off. There really is something different about them. But, when I’ve talked to them about it, they tell me I have to get burned by the fire. I have to become scarred just like they are. I have to go through some pain as the fire touches me and works through me. They say it will make all the difference in the world.
Does that make sense to you? It absolutely floors me. I can’t believe that getting burned like that while intentionally playing with fire is a good thing. And here’s one other thing that blows my mind.
Sometimes a group of these people get together and they work to make this fire happen. They do all sorts of interesting things to promote this fire and see that it starts burning once again. They become passionate about it. They become worked to a point where they want the thing to erupt and consume entire communities.
Could you imagine that? Could you imagine an entire community touched and burned by such a thing? Could you imagine a whole community of people who carry the scars of being burned? Could you imagine an entire community of folks who do things differently, have a different idea of what is important in life, and who encourage others to become like them? Could you imagine a group of people who give of their time, of their ability, and of their money freely without worry so that a difference can be made?
I can’t conceive of such a thing. I mean, that might upset the whole way the world works. It might mean a totally new way of doing things and making things happen. It would be very, very dangerous to let such a thing happen. That’s why I am here to put out any fire that might get started. We can’t have that kind of change. We can’t have that kind of community. We can’t have that kind of church. Can we? Amen.
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