And yet, and yet…

Growing up, I understood that a fireplace in Texas was a lot like a Texas creek. Just like you couldn’t assume that something called a creek in Texas would ever have water in it, you couldn’t assume often that the elements would line up well enough to actually make a fire in a fireplace.

Cold snaps change that for us. We get to fish out the wood that’s been piled on the side of the house for months (maybe years), fighting off the ants and splinters before rain gets on it. Then you struggle to remember which way the lever goes for the flue so that you don’t smoke out the house. Then you remember that you don’t have kindling, and start a frantic search for newspaper which are now much scarcer to come by (thanks internet). And once you finally light that fire, you learn pretty quickly whether a bird has built its nest up there, or if there’s a fun bunch of hornets waiting to swarm into the house.

But there’s a payoff.

I love it when a fire gets going, the cracking, the warmth, the glow of the embers. There is a peaceful consuming that happens as dead wood gives up its last potential to illuminate with light and heat. In a fire, we get to watch what was once a living thing transform in a burst of energy. And if you have kids, you throw things into the fire to see what they do (within reason…lol).

But when I start a fire, it gives me the time and space to think and observe. There is a lot that we can learn about the tendency and nature of life by watching a fire. And as I learn a lot by analogies, here are some:

For instance: ever taken a burning ember and separated it from the rest of the fire? Even if it’s got a good flame and enough fuel to go on, once it’s separated from the primary fire it will inevitably burn out before the rest of the fire. This leaves the wasted potential of a half-burned log. This happens with people in the church as well. When a person is removed from worshiping with his or her faith family, their spiritual life might continue to burn bright for a little. But inevitably that person’s fervor and spirit will burn out without the connection to the source and the wonder of the Spirit’s moving among his people. Worshiping together matters.

Another one: some people make the mistake of thinking a fire is just something you start and then it handles the rest. This is not so. In order to get a good flame going, you need to tend to it, making sure that the kindling starts, that there’s good airflow getting into the bottom of the fire, shifting burning embers around to unburned spots, and adding fuel regularly once the fire really gets going.

Churches are the same way: so many people think that you can just start a church or a spiritual walk and then just let it run its course, standing back like an observer. Why do so many churches lack life? They take for granted the gift of the Spirit among them and assume that a consuming fire will just remain forever. But there’s only ever been one fire that went on and never burned up, and from that fire the Lord spoke to Moses and told him his personal name and called Israel out.

Churches that fail to share the flame in areas that have not yet been affected (like younger generations) leave so much potential unused. Churches that aren’t actively seeking to engage and illuminate the lives of those who don’t yet know Christ lose their power. Churches that assume that someone else will tend the fire die down quicker than you think. It’s no surprise for so many the experience of church is like poking a pile of ashes.

I can keep going:

A good fire in a home draws those that are cold and in need. A good church draws people home

A fire out of control can burn down a house. A church that doesn’t seek to align itself with the Word of God can quickly change from a place of refuge to a place of destruction and chaos.

A fire is mysterious as it transforms dead things into living flame. Christ’s love is mysterious as it takes those who are spiritually dead and make us alive in him.

Woodsmoke smells good.

[I don’t have an analogy for that last one, but felt like it’d be fun to say it.]

Building fires makes me think. And in a real way friends, where are you building spiritual fires today? Are you participating with the Lord in seeing dead things come alive, or are you poking at ashes?

In the midst of this cold snap, I hope your fireplace beckons people home.

² And the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. Exodus 3:2