I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
With apparent anguish Jesus describes his eager, apocalyptic readiness for the Day of Judgment and God's kingdom. He has come for that purpose; and if it must cost his own life, if he like Abraham and Moses, will not see the day; if he must die to bring on that final and definitive intervention of God: so be it!
I'm sure there are many Americans today, with less than two weeks until the federal and state elections, who understand the Lord's eager readiness. Whatever happens, let's get on with it!
The genius of our democratic system is that we stage a popular examination with a possible overhaul of our legislators every two and four years. It's better than revolution every century, like the systems of monarchy and tyranny which had prevailed in Europe for many centuries. If elections are complicated and tiresome, revolutions with their violence and destruction are far worse.
The American system has worked so well that many suppose it's natural and inevitable; as if our laws are just as sure as the laws of physics and chemistry. They think their interest and engagement in the processes of self-government don't matter since what's going to happen will happen anyway. Isn't democracy like gravity?
No. But when democracy fails, gravity tears down every structure that rests upon mutual agreement.
When Jesus told his disciples about the ordeal he would face in Jerusalem, they resisted hearing it. When he explained what his death and resurrection mean to them personally -- that the greatest should be the least, and that leaders should serve and not be served -- they could not imagine it. It was completely beyond their ken.
But when he spoke of division and fire on the earth, they understood that. The world is full of exciting stories of burning, razing, killing, revolutions, and war. They're everyday events even when they are mostly very far away. They may be unpleasant but at least they're normal.
There is nothing normal about leaders who aspire to serve, and people who want to be the servants of everyone else. There is nothing normal about millions of people performing their duties for the common good. They're usually preoccupied with their own interests, and suspicious of anything and anyone who might interfere.
Jesus spoke apocalyptically of division and fire. He expressed a deep anxiety and a desire to be rid of it. Many people share that anxiety but are less eager for the sacrifice that he so willingly made. Some have lost faith in sacrifice as a form of prayer, and are frankly reluctant to pray.
During these last two weeks, as many vote by mail or ahead of schedule, we pray that November 5, 2024 will be peaceful, and that its outcomes -- which will be mixed, confusing, contested, and eventually settled -- will also be accepted peacefully.
Those who don't have time to vote will have ample time and unlimited opportunity to regret their decision.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.