Views From The Pews – Pentecost 10 – Sunday, August 17, 2025

My Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Jesus said: “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49)

When Jesus began his ministry, the first thing he did was invite Peter, James, John and the other apostles to completely change their lives by following him. When he began preaching, the first thing he said was, “Repent and believe in the good news.” And “repent” quite literally means to change. Jesus came not just to die for the world, but to change the world. 

And that is still his mission, and the mission of the church. We are here to be changed, and to change the world. We are here to be shaped by the Word, and to be sent into the world, to help bring in God’s kingdom. And that means changing things. And that is not going to be easy. 

Jesus himself, in today’s gospel reading, says: “I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!” He knows that the change he has come to bring will be resisted, and that ultimately it will cost him his life. He is human enough to experience the stress of this. So we should expect to experience some of that as well. 

Fire, Jesus said. He came to set fire to the earth. He came to set our hearts on fire for the love of God. He came to start a fire within each of us. A fire that we must not let the world put out. For it is a fire that leads to a deeper love, a stronger faith, and, yes, a more magnificent peace than we can find anywhere else. It is a fire that starts in baptism. It is a fire that is rekindled whenever we gather with other Christians. And it is a fire that we want to spread. We want this fire to blaze beyond these walls. We want it to break through the firewalls in our lives and in this world. We want it to burn out of control, until every heart feels its flame. And until the very face of the earth is renewed.

Fire, Jesus said. He came to set fire to the earth. He came to set our hearts on fire for the love of God. He came to start a fire within each of us.

Contributed