I got a new grill for Father's Day—a very nice gift from my
family. Even better for a guy like me,
who is not the most handy of men, most of the "set up" was done for
me. They pretty much put the grill together; I just had to hook up the propane
and fire it up.
Or so I thought... As they say: The best laid plans. Our
plan was to barbeque on Father’s Day, so that morning I went out to make sure
everything was working right. I hit the
ignition button—nothing happened. DOH! I
was supposed to hear clicking sounds; I heard nothing. Double-DOH!
I knew it was not a lack of fuel for the flame; we had a
full container of propane that we moved over from our old grill, and I could
hear it flowing when I turned on the burner. All that potential for grilling was at my fingertips, but something was
missing. There was no spark to start the fire.
 |
| It only takes a spark... |
This got me to thinking. The flame on my grill hinged on a tiny spark. Without it, the fuel
could flow indefinitely, but (barring a the imposition of a match or a freak
lightning strike) we would never see a flame. The battery seems like a small
insignificant piece—so much so that the instruction manual doesn't even say
where it's located—and yet without it the potential of my grill would never be
realized.
It only takes a spark
To get a fire going
And soon all those around
Can warm up in its glowing...
—Pass it On, verse 1
I think there is an analogy to our spiritual life to be drawn here.
You and I are like
that battery on my grill. We seem very small
in life’s grand scheme, and yet we play a crucial role. We are the means—the spark—that God uses to
turn Kingdom-potential into radiant reality on Earth.
Creation pulses with God-given Kingdom-potential. Every life form lives outs its purpose in its
own unique way but all Creation ultimately exists to glorify its Creator[1]. Human beings represent the crowning
achievement of creation—and Jesus was the ultimate revelation what human beings
have the potential of becoming. Humanity
had strayed far off course, but the coming of Jesus puts us back on track. We now have the possibility of fulfilling God’s
original intent for our lives.
But potential alone
won’t produce a thriving spiritual life. The abundant life remains elusive
until we make an intentional effort to connect to Jesus and “share our spark” so
God’s Kingdom-potential can flow through our lives.
We see a dramatic display of the power of a “sharing a
spark” on Pentecost. While we can debate if the "tongues of flame"
Luke describes in Acts 2:1-11 were
literal, we cannot deny their lasting impact on the world.
God's Spirit was, is, and always will be the fuel for our
spiritual lives. God has always been with God's people, reaching out to relate
to them in different ways throughout history. After Christ’s ascension, God was
ready to be with us in a new way, but
like the propane in my grill, God needed a spark before all that Kingdom-potential
could start to become reality in our world. The Pentecost experience seems to
have provided that spark for the followers of Jesus. Whatever happened in that
room, it had a dramatic impact on all those who had gathered there that day.
They went away changed, and then went forth to change the world!
Before Pentecost, the Way of Jesus was a local movement, but
like a spark on dry brush, the flames of Pentecost unleashed a time of rapid
expansion for the fledgling Church.
From that time on,
"the Church" was launched into the world. Sometimes willingly, other
times as a result of persecution, the apostles went forth from Jerusalem. As they travelled, they "shared the spark" of Pentecost with the world[2].
Within a few short decades what began in and around
Jerusalem had become a worldwide force for transformation. The book of Acts
tells the story of how the Message of Jesus spread from Jerusalem, to Judaea and Samaria, and to “the ends of the Earth”—which
in that day was Rome. Since then, the
Church has literally circled the globe and, despite its very real struggles,
continues to be a force for change in our world.
Along the way, a man named Saul became part of proclaiming
that message. He had his own “Pentecost”
that converted him from one of the Movement’s greatest threats to its greatest
evangelist—Acts 9; Galatians 1:11-12. He even changed his name after it—to Paul. The Scriptures record many of Paul’s letters.
In 2
Timothy, Paul (or more likely a later follower using Paul's name)
encourages his young apprentice to "share his spark" with the
world. Using the parlance of his day,
Paul urges Timothy to "fan the flame"
and activate the gifts God has given
him—2 Timothy 1:6. The elder Paul knows
of young Timothy's potential having served with him for a period of time. The student has clearly left a good
impression on his teacher—and friend.
Now, however, Paul knows that his time is passing—2 Timothy 4:6. It is time for the young
apprentice to, as it were, become the master. Timothy must increase as Paul decreases. What
God wants to accomplish next relies on Timothy "sharing his spark"
with the world.
We too are called to
"share our spark." Though not always as obvious as on the day of
Pentecost or on the “Damascus Road,” Kingdom-potential is present with us
everyday. Our job is to train our “eyes
to see” and “ears to hear” so we will able to “share our spark” when and where
it can be most effective.
I am happy to be part of a congregation that has learned to hear God’s call—and respond. Over the past year, I have experienced this
place to be filled with disciplined and mature disciples of Jesus—people who see what needs to be done and then come
up with a plan for action. Every day at
Good Shepherd, dedicated individuals and groups love God and love their neighbors in a multitude of practical and
tangible ways that are making a difference in our church, our community, and
our world. Perhaps most important, we
seem to be a people who are open to learning new things, changing things that aren’t
working, and “trying something different.”
Maintaining that spirit of humility in Christ will carry us far! I
believe God is pleased with our efforts to date to “fan our flame” and make good use of the gifts God has entrusted to
us.
And God promises us the best is yet to come! Just as was the
case for the early apostles, as we continue to “share our spark,” others along
our way will surely take notice. As pulsing
Kingdom-potential becomes radiant God-reality in the places where we live, work,
and gather together, people will be drawn to the Spirit’s flame. I pray that the light of that flame will guide
Good Shepherd forward into the good and prosperous future that God has planned
for us, a future that enables us to continue to be a beacon of Christ’s love
for many years to come—for Waldorf… and for the world.
[1] In Orthodox theology, a creature’s logos—or its reason for existence—can only be fully realized within the proper skopos—or correct goal—of experiencing deeper intimacy with God. Thus, every creature lives out its unique logos but all Creation ultimately moves
toward the same skopos.
[2] While this is a general statement, here are in fact,
two more “Pentecost” stories in Acts: the Samaritan
Pentecost in Acts 8:14-17 and
the Gentile Pentecost in Acts 10:44-47.
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