A Fire That Won't Go Out
The Acts of the Apostles, 5:27-32
“And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” -Acts 5:32
There’s an old preacher’s story about a young girl Alice, who discovered a box of matches. Alice lived on a farm, and had watched her father light lanterns and her mother light the stove. She took the box of matches into the chicken coop to see if she could figure out how to light one. After a few attempts, she did light one, and smiled proudly at the flame. As the flame worked up the matchstick, she felt the heat sting her finger and thumb, so she dropped the match. Instead of burning out, the flame licked a piece of straw, which came alive with fire. Frightened by the appearance of the new flame, Alice covered it with the closest available material: a handful of straw. The handful of straw seemed to extinguish the flame, but Alice noticed that a little smoke seemed to rise from it. So she scooped up a big armful of straw, and buried the evidence of her experiment. Satisfied that she had finally taken care of the problem, Alice brushed the dust off her hands, and ran into the yard to play. Soon, the chicken coop burned to the ground.[1]
One could say that events recorded in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles is like the story of Alice. The religious and political leaders of ancient Jerusalem had seen a dangerous spark in Jesus of Nazareth, and they thought that burying him might be the solution to their problems. Instead of marking a decisive end, the crucifixion gave them only a few days rest before things began to smolder. The disciples spread the message of Jesus’ resurrection, the fire grows, and anxious opponents do their best to stop it. They bully the disciples and imprison them. When they do, it’s like throwing straw on a glowing match. Each time they try to extinguish the flames, the Church comes back stronger than ever. By end of the book, gospel fire is spreading throughout the Empire.
In the lectionary schedule of scripture readings, our second reading from the Acts of the Apostles is paired with the first reading from John’s gospel. The event John records comes from a bit earlier in the story, and this time the disciples are not portrayed so favorably. The disciples have not yet become bold, but rather hide in fear. Like little Alice, they believe the flame of the match has been snuffed out so decisively that there’s no chance of a flame ever again. Then, miraculously, the light appears right there in the middle of the room where they are hiding, sparking new joy and hope for the future.
I was thinking about the scripture texts this week as I listened to news about the war in Ukraine. It’s not the only story of violence and heartache to which we should pay attention. But it’s the one that currently seems among the most distressing. You’ve probably heard about the atrocities in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv. As the Russians withdrew, hundreds of civilian bodies were discovered, many displaying evidence of having met death in gruesome ways. Almost as shocking, it’s reported that President Putin rewarded the army brigade accused of committing these war crimes, giving them a new honorific title, and praising its men for distinguished military action and defense of the Fatherland and state interests.[2] If there is a contemporary character that Americans can agree to despise so quickly and easily as the high priest in our scripture reading, a person who seems bent on turning peace to war and joy to sorrow, and putting out the fire of freedom, then Putin probably is the one.
A threat so large and constantly visible in the news is relatively easy for us to identify. But other threats to our well-being, and the health of the church, sometimes operate in ways more subtle and stealthy. What in our community threatens to extinguish the flame of the gospel? One year ago and more, we experienced the theft of checks from the church mailbox. This year, we’ve experienced a couple instances of internet-based phishing scams, criminals asking kind-hearted members to send gift cards or even banking information. But threats of this nature seem not nearly so powerful as the threats of many seemingly good causes competing for the time and energy the church needs in order to shape lives through Christian worship and Christian education.
Thirty-six years ago, when I was interning for ministry at Trinity Presbyterian, East Brunswick, New Jersey, a topic of conversation was the way that school sports had recently moved to schedule practices, even games, on Sundays. For decades, Sundays had been reserved for church and family activities, but no longer. Wednesday nights typically were church nights, but this traditional night off for school musicians and educators also was beginning to disappear. Today, many people can no longer remember the time when church activities and school activities functioned in a mutually supportive relationship. It’s become routine for me to suggest the need for life balance with the educators in my family, and in the strategic planning forums that have been held by our school district. I imagine that some may think I sound naïve, and might respond mentally, if not verbally, “Of course, the church has a place, and we appreciate your support. But don’t you think your dream of life balance is too idealistic, and your expectations for church involvement too ambitious for today’s society?” But from my perspective, all around us, too many good activities demand our children and youth give them first priority, and, in the process, threaten to keep Jesus buried in the tomb, and smother the fire of God’s spirit.
Still, if God is real, and Easter is true, the fire never will be extinguished, at least not everywhere and in every respect. I think the history of this church provides some evidence of this claim. Many times during its 203 years, First Presbyterian Church has faced threats that would have permanently sunk many small businesses.
If you’ve ever wandered down the hallway, and given some thought to the history display, then you’ll see that for its first forty years, the membership never exceeded 25. During the Civil War, the congregation nearly ceased to exist. That was a time when it looked like the future of the church was dead and buried forever.
During the 1990s, before I arrived on the scene, leaders of this congregation wondered whether their options for redevelopment had disappeared, in a building with a hodgepodge of eight different levels, plagued with such things as asbestos content in the floors and ceilings, and a roof design prone to serious leaks, no matter how many dollars were spent for its repair. I remember how people smiled when they heard the ambitious plan for a new building on a new campus, how for years certain folks in the community greeted me with a wry smile and the question, “So have you built that new building yet?” At each critical step along the way, just the right circumstances transpired, just the right people gave their blessing, and just the right amount of resources were found so that here we are today in this new building, with enough land to fulfill whatever dream God calls the congregation to achieve, as far as you and I are able to see into the future.
After we moved into this building, the session spent almost one year in strategic planning work. Some of the ideas didn’t seem to gain too much traction. For months and months, we spent energy thinking about the single area of technology, evaluating our internet presence, interviewing service providers, and finally setting up a new website that provided user-friendly ways to actively manage content on a weekly basis. We completed this project in the fourth quarter of year 2019, and from the perspective of some, it might have seemed like a lot of work for a little accomplishment. Then along came year 2020, and with it, pandemic restrictions. Our focus on technology and web design had happened at just the right time to allow us to transition to our ministry of live-streaming. We never missed a week of worship, and were supplied with the tools needed so that was possible. In the moment, I would have told you that nothing about this experience was easy. But from the perspective granted by the passing of time, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that God prepared us a future we could not see. While don’t have everything we want, we have received everything we need to sustain mission and ministry.
The fire that is the spirit, energy and life of this congregation never has gone out, though for a time it may have dimmed.
I think it’s something like what Gamaliel said just a little bit further on in the fifth chapter of Acts. He was a Pharisee, respected by all. After reflecting upon all the events of the early Christian movement, and all he had seen and heard in the apostles, he said: “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”[3]
Sometimes, the dictators of the world will try to put out God’s fire. Some may try to block out the claims of religion that would change their priorities or disrupt their agenda. Dangerous circumstances will threaten to douse the warmth of God’s flame. Even when I’m tired or frustrated, I’ve learned to believe it will burn anyway. Jesus will claim attention, anyway. And in a world as distracted and sometimes dangerous as ours, that is good news.
NOTES
[1] Heidi A. Peterson tells a version of this story in “Fanning the Flames,” The Christian Century, 11 Apr. 2001, p. 14.
[2] Bryan Pietsch, “Putin honors brigade accused of war crimes in Bucha,” The Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/19/ukraine-russia-war-bucha-brigade-award/ accessed 20 Apr. 2022.
[3] Acts 5:35-39.
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