Love and Fire
“Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire”
I shared this quote a couple of weeks ago in our Sanctuary Service. It bears repeating, especially now on the heels of Pentecost and the Spirit of God portrayed as fire in Acts 2.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French anthropologist and strong Christian. As an anthropologist, he learned that civilizations tended to wax and wane. Humans like us throughout time make discoveries, progress, and we make mistakes. Within our progress, we tend to digress, to wander from what we learn, or to lose perspective on what we’ve gained. Too often, he found, we imagine too little, think too small and act too independently.
He also lived at a time when his native country had been torn apart by two world wars, especially World War II with its Nazi occupation filled with horrors, widespread division, hatred and deep mistrust. He ministered to his people throughout those years, and then during France’s vast disillusionment in the aftermath of recovery.
As a Christian, he understood the gift of God’s love, the power it conveyed, and where it came from. In keeping with the metaphor of fire of love, in many ways Chardin also recognized the significance of this life-changing discovery. To finally get it right, finally to understand and to live out the blessedness of love, is the ultimate calling of every person. Just as the discovery of fire revolutionized the ancient world, the fire of today—the love of God alive in us—changes how we live and view the world.
During the lovely month of June, don’t overwhelmed. Begin small. Take the fire of God’s love in your heart and mind, and start a gentle revolution in your own spot: your home, your office, your school. Just a spark will do. Love someone in an unexpected way, start a fire, tenderly fan the flames, and see what happens.
Happy June Everyone!
Love,
David
David Jordan
Senior Pastor