Weekly Sermon: 07-05-2026 - Grounded in Creation - Fire

John,

in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him and

without him, not one thing came into being.

What has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overtake it this is

the gospel of the lord praise praise to you oh christ.

We're in a series right now called Grounded in Creation. There's a card out

there with a series in it. And I have to confess, I've published this series incorrectly twice.

And after I got back from vacation, I got it right.

So first the dates were wrong. And then which topic we were doing on which day

was wrong. But now I promise what's out there is correct.

Today is fire, which is fun because, you know, it's a weekend of fireworks.

So but it's kind of hot to be building a fire but anyway we're gonna go for it,

when Leah our daughter was growing up she was a girl scout and I myself was

a first class scout as a kid and my mom was our troop leader for many of those years,

so I do know a thing or two about being prepared, about,

leaving things better than you found them,

and about setting up a campsite.

Not that I really want to be doing that now.

I have a friend in St. Louis who says camping for her is slow room service.

So that's about how much camping I would like to do also. But anyway,

the point is, I know how to camp.

So for one evening when Leah was a Girl Scout, we had a social event with her

troop and all the moms were with the girls and we were gathered in the backyard

of one of Leah's good friends,

and there's a water slide and hot dogs and we were going to make some more so

we had to build a fire in the fire pit and the host mom,

didn't really know how to do this and she was not having any success building

a fire in the fire pit so I walked over and she said, I think I'm just gonna

go get a bottle of rubbing alcohol and dump it,

on the whole thing.

And I said.

You know, all of my Girl Scout alarm bells are going off. And I said,

you know, there's fire. And then there's going to the ER and calling, you know,

the fire department. So clearly, Boots Anderson was not her Girl Scout leader

growing up. And I said, well, no, let's not do that.

I said, why don't you go into the house and see if you can find some newspaper

or, you know, a little news circular that came in the mail and I'll work on

starting the fire. So, yeah.

So that's what we did. And I tried to teach her how to build a fire with newspaper

and little twigs and then bigger, you know, so on. You know how to do that.

So because we all know that fire can be delightful or it can be destructive.

It can bring people together and it warms us up and it can give light and make

yummy things like hot dogs and s'mores.

And it can become the center of a circle where we tell stories and have fun

and get to know each other and are reminded that we belong to one another,

but it has to be tended and it has to be respected,

because we know that fire can destroy.

And that's what happens when something good is handled carelessly or without any good information.

And we know what wildfires can do, which is why it is so important and exciting

that we are moving forward at St. Luke's with a solar panel,

not just to curb energy costs, but to be good stewards of our environment.

And I don't know if you read, but California banned fireworks this year because

of the risk of wildfires and drought.

So we really need to be increasing our stewardship of God's creation,

which is what the screens are about, right? Reducing on fire use.

Now, scripture gives us several images of fire, and we usually think of those as images of judgment.

But in our readings today, fire isn't used as an image of harm or destruction or judgment.

Fire is really an image of God's presence.

And as we celebrate our 250th birthday as a country, there's many good things to celebrate.

And at the same time, as we celebrate all the wonderful things about our country,

there's also those struggles that we're dealing with, with inflation and prices,

going up, and college students having, or college graduates having a hard time,

finding a job, and more migration across the world as people flee war and violence.

So it may surprise us to find God's presence in fire.

But right now we need more than ever the reassurance of God's presence with us.

So let's take a closer look. Moses is out in the wilderness.

He's tending sheep and he sees, of course, the burning bush,

a story we're very familiar with.

And what's unique about the burning bush is that it's on fire, but it's not consumed.

It's burned, but it's not burned up.

God's fire is powerful, but it is not reckless. It doesn't destroy the bush.

It doesn't destroy Moses. It makes the ground holy because God is present.

And God calls out his name, Moses, Moses. And Moses responds, here I am.

And this phrase shows up over and over in scripture. Abraham says it.

Samuel says it. Isaiah says it.

And it is the language of availability. Here I am.

It doesn't mean I've got everything figured out or I'm totally ready or I know

how this thing is going to end.

It just means I'm listening. I'm open.

I'm fully present.

But what is stunning about this passage and what we often overlook is that Moses

is not the only one who is saying, here I am.

God says it first. God says, I have observed the misery of my people.

I have heard their cry and I know their sufferings.

In other words, God says, I am here.

I see. I know.

I have come down to deliver. before Moses makes himself available to God,

God has already made his own self available to the people.

And this is the heart of the story. This is where the story begins.

The holy fire in the bush that burns that is not consumed is not just God showing off.

The holy fire is about God showing up and saying, I am here.

I hear and I see and I'm listening. God shows up to Moses and he shows up to

the people who are crying out for freedom.

God shows up in the wilderness, in the darkness, and God shows up in the uncertainty.

And this is what we keep hearing in Exodus. God leads the people of Israel via

a cloud, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

He doesn't just hand them a map and say, well, good luck.

I got you out of Egypt. Have a nice trip. God goes with them. God is available.

The one who says, I am who I am, says, I am sheer.

His name is connected to his presence.

I am who I am, says, I am sheer.

So the fire is guidance. The fire is presence.

The one in the fire says, even in the jar, I am here.

God is here for you, for what you need, for your families, for your worries,

for your guidance, for your peace in these times of uncertainty.

And then in the gospel of John, God gives us the same promise in yet another way.

In him was life and the life was the light of all people. the light shines in

the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.

It's the same language as the pillar of fire that led the Israelites and just

affirming that this light was present from the very beginning of creation,

and that the light of Christ who was there from the beginning is the fire of

God's love made flesh in a human being.

And here it is saying it's not just for a few people.

It's not just for this group who is going through the wilderness.

It is life for the people who have for the whole world, not for people who get

it, not for people who have it all together.

John says it is the light and the life for all people.

It is available for everyone.

Jesus is for all.

And this matters, especially today, because there's a lot in Christianity who

use of fire in the Bible the wrong way. Fire with rubbing alcohol thrown on it.

Faith separated from love and grace.

Faith and fire and threat and judgment and exclusion.

Fire is a way to scare people into faith or shame them into obedience or decide

who is in and who is out as if that is our job.

But when we look at fire, the fire of God in these stories, we see something completely different.

The bush burns, but is not consumed. The pillar of fire leads people toward freedom.

The light of Christ shines for people in darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.

And later at Pentecost, we have the same thing, don't we? We have tongues of fire.

Again, a fire where no one is harmed.

No one is burned. No one is pushed away. Instead, people from every nation hear

the good news in their own language. So God's fire creates connection. It expands the circle.

It makes the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection understandable.

It doesn't make the church smaller. It makes the church become bigger and wider

and inclusive of the whole globe.

And once again, fire makes God available to all people.

This is the fire of god not a fire that consumes a fire that calls and frees

and guides and lights the way that's a fire that works that's god's fireworks,

it's god's fireworks the fire of god's spirit alive in all people and bringing

light and joy and guidance and presence.

And that's the fire where God is the one who first says to us.

I am here with you.

I am here with you.

And that empowers us to say with Moses, here I am, God.

Here I am also God.

So Jesus' resurrection from the dead fills us with his spirit and with this

loving fire of God that says from within our own heart, I am here always with you.

And it is then within that calls us from this deepened place to help us seek

and listen and respond to God with love.

So God sets us on fire so that we become light.

God sets us on fire so that we become warms.

God sets us on fire so that we become the ones who help others find their way.

And that's not abstract. It's very real.

This week, I learned that we had a child in our preschool who hosted a lemonade

stand this past week and asked for donations for our outdoor food pantry.

And the family filled the food pantry

last week and took a picture of this absolutely stocked food pantry.

The next day, it was empty.

Many people are desperate. They need help. The need in our community is deep.

But when people are struggling to buy groceries, when parents are tired,

when neighbors are afraid,

when people wonder if anyone sees them or hears them or knows they're suffering,

God still says what God said to Moses. I have seen.

I have heard. I know.

I am here. And then God still calls ordinary people like families in the preschool, like you, like me.

You know, Moses wasn't looking for a new job. He had one. He was tending sheep.

He wasn't looking for a confrontation with a Pharaoh.

But holy ground showed up in the middle of his ordinary life.

And guess what? That is still how it looks.

And that is how it looks. Ordinary people saying, I see you,

I hear you, I'm praying with you, have a burrito and have a cup of coffee and

here's some snacks and some Panera bread for later in the day.

You know, it may be too hot to light a fire right now, but you could light a

candle indoors or you can sit outside in the evening without your phone and

ask God, what is the holy ground that you are showing me this week?

The answer will come as you get grounded in creation, because even without fire,

God's presence shines and shimmers in the creation all around us.

Holy ground for that preschool family with a lemonade stand was at our food

pantry because a lot of people still need food and that food pantry needs to be refilled.

Holy ground might show up in someone who needs welcome.

Holy ground might show up in someone who is sick or grieving or newly sober

or barely hanging on or a neighbor who someone has not knocked on the door just

to check on them in the heat.

Maybe holy ground shows up when someone has been told by religion that they do not belong.

And through your invitation to St. Luke's, they finally get to hear you do belong.

You are loved. You are free in Christ. You are inside the light of God.

God is present and available to you.

And in that moment, God calls out our name and we get to answer, here I am.

Not because we're perfect or we know exactly what to do. You know,

a lot of the times I don't know exactly what to do.

I just ask God to help me and somehow words come out of my mouth.

But because God who calls us is already fear.

The God of the burning bush is present. The God of the pillar of fire is available.

The light of Christ is already risen here.

The spirit who comes like fire is present.

And so today our prayer is simple. God, make us a burning bush people.

Let your love burn in us. Let your spirit light us up. Burn away our fear.

Make us available, fully available to the God who is fully available to us.

So when you show us your holy ground this week, and a neighbor who needs food

and a friend who needs welcome, and someone who is grieving or newly sober or barely hanging on,

and someone who has been told by religion that they do not belong,

help us answer with our lives. Here I am.

Say it with me. Here I am. And again, here I am. Amen.

Go now, grounded in the goodness of God's creation, earth beneath you,

mirror around you, water within you, fire to guide you,

plants and creatures beside you, and galaxies above you declaring God's wonder.

Honor creation and share your gifts. They walk gently for the sake of your neighbors

and generations to come.

And go into peace as you love, serve, and welcome all.

Thanks be to God and be to will.