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I have to admit, that there are times when I prepare for a sermon, I look at the reading set for the day, and on first sight I wonder "What can I say?" What kind of sermon can I prepare based on that passage, Well today is one of those days! What can I say? Do you remember what............read to us?

"I came to bring fire to the earth" "Do you think I have come to bring Peace to the earth? No, I tell you, But rather division"

Fire, Division Conflict.!

Not quite the words we might expect to hear from Jesus. At first, we may find it difficult to take in, especially if like so many, we believe that the Christian message should result in Peace, good will to all, things will be put right, and all will be well.

But then we have real question when there is some disaster. It may be something personal, or some major disaster. The question is asked,

" Why does a loving God allow such terrible things to happen." It isn’t the kind of things I expect. It doesn’t fit into my idea of how things should be for Christians or for any other religion.

Well one thing is clear, Our Christian faith does not, nor should it, ignore the realities of life. Christian life is not a way of escaping the dangers and difficulties of life.

That is what is partly behind those words of Jesus that we heard this morning. Even so such words do sound rather harsh. It is true that we don’t hear much of this kind of language in the Gospels, and when we do, they come as a shock. But that is what they are meant to be. Words that make us sit up and think! Think more deeply.

 What we have here an example of what is called apocalyptic language. This kind of talk is found in other parts of the Bible, in the OT and NT, and also in other religious writings. It is a way of speaking in a time of crisis, times of confusion and terror. We see it very clearly in the last book of the Bible, The Revelation of St John. The apocalypse of John, words, stories that are addressed to a church in great danger, full of fear and confusion. It aims to reveal, open up make people look at what is happening for individuals, what is really happening in the world, and calls the people of God to respond to what is happening. But above all they call for discernment and understanding.

In this gospel passage today, For Jesus. He wants the disciples to understand the situation, For the followers of Jesus, all it not going to plan, or at least the plans they thought would happen, In spite of what Jesus has been trying to tell them about his death and rising again, they don’t understand. The reality of what is going to happen in Jerusalem.

And for Luke is also addressing the local church 40 or 50 years later, Which is facing persecution. Some were being thrown to the lions in Rome. Is this what we were taught to expect? There is crisis. And so Luke draws on the words of Jesus,

Jesus warns, the result of my preaching will be like fire, yes to do away with all that is corrupt and evil, but it won’t be easy. Look at what happened when the Temple was cleared of its corruption. The authorities wanted Jesus out of the way, killed. Those early Christians were seen as a threat to the Roman Authorities, and they were certainly facing the Fires of violence. And the same is true for Christians through the ages, and even now in Iraq, Afghanistan. Christians are seen as a threat to the status quo.

 Christian Faith is not an escape from Life. Jesus speaks of his Baptism, he wasn’t referring to the ceremony of pouring of water, this action was symbolic of a life long immersion into life, Yes with its Joys and excitement its celebrations and Festivals, but also into its conflicts, and divisions and tensions and pains.

And it is when the crisis comes we hear this kind of language. Apocalyptic- which calls us to discern the signs of the times . But so often it is difficult to understand! We feel overcome. we want to do something to put things right! We want it quickly, now if possible.

Some respond by over simplifying the difficulty. Some just blame God, or even claim this is God’s punishment. One English bishop only last month, saw the floods in central England as God’s punishment.

Or there is a greater danger of responding without discernment, to the apocalyptic picture. This is to divide all the people into the goodies and badies, The Good ones, are those called to fight against the Bad ones, to destroy the evil one, by what ever means. The question here is what kind of God do they believe in? We don’t have to look far today to see that being worked out.

But what are we called to? What are the people of the God, who are called into union with the crucified and Risen Jesus called to be and do?

We need to look at that last book in the Bible, the Revelation of John, perhaps the most misunderstood book of the Bible, and the most misused. There we see another response to apocalyptic pictures. It is a call to live our lives in union with Jesus. Jesus, crucified and Risen. He has already overcome the enemy. The Victory has already been won. Through his death and Resurrection, He is the Lamb of God, We are already delivered. We do not have to try to deliver ourselves by our own efforts, through our anger and taking revenge with the force of arms.

As Christians we are called to leave the judgement to God. The People of God are called to celebrate the power of the resurrection, to demonstrate the power of the powerless One, The Lamb. and to celebrate, not to withdraw from the life of the real world . This is the call to true worship, to be open to God’s call to share in his way of serving. What is done in worship here this morning , is a continual reminder of the Victory of the Risen Lord, and as we come forward in thanksgiving, in Eucharist, to receive the risen Lord, we pray, O lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the World, Have mercy upon us. We are invited to be resurrection people, but open to the reality of God’s world.

If those difficult words of Jesus in our Gospel have opened up new insights. Is that not what Jesus intended?

I would like to end with some lines from a poet, Godfrey Rust, who explores the activity of the Lamb and the response of his disciples. A response in an apocalyptic world.

Who is our enemy, and what can we fight him with?

Where are our allies? Where was God on September the eleventh?

He was begging in old clothes in the subway

beneath the World Trade Centre.

He was homeless in Gaza, imprisoned in Afghanistan,

starving in Somalia, dying of Aids in Angolan slum,

suffering everywhere in this fast shrinking world;

and boarding a plane unwittingly in Boston,

heading for a meeting on the 110th floor.

When the time came he stretched his arms out once again

to take the dreadful impact that would pierce his side.

His last message on his fading cell phone

once more to ask for forgiveness for them all, before

his body fell under the weight of so much evil.

We bring our cameras to his massive tomb

for any chance of resurrection, now we know

the kind of story that it really is,

united by this common enemy,

sin’s terrorism-that we never dreamed

could bring such devastation. This is war:

We line our weapons up: faith, hope obedience,

prayer, forgiveness, justice:

the explosive power of love. ( Godfrey Rust. www.wordsout.co.uk)