THE LATENT POWER OF A SINGULAR FLAME!

"How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!" says James (James 3:5b)

One summer day in 1996 when we lived in Alaska I was sitting out on our deck on a warm, clear  sunny day (which were few and far between in Anchorage); so I was soaking it up when suddenly I experienced something falling upon me from the sky like rain - only it was sunny and clear and it wasn’t rain.  It was soot and embers from a raging wildfire burning 40 miles north of Anchorage; a fire that eventually consumed 37,000 acres and over 130 homes; a fire so intense it consumed 10,000 acres in six hours. It was speculated the fire began with youngsters playing with matches in the forest. 

Most certainly one of the greatest risks we face living in and near these great national forests is wildfire!   Since the year 2000, Colorado has experienced some tragic and devastating wildfires that have gobbled up hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat and tens of millions of dollars in property damage and loss of human life.

Every one of these devastating fires began as a very small blaze - a tiny spark - a singular flame. Some were ignited by lightening.  Some were generated by a carelessly tossed cigarette. Some were started by a campfire not adequately extinguished.  And others were tragically ignited intentionally with a singular match.

(Light a match and hold it up) It doesn't seem like very much does it!  But placed in a vulnerable environment of dry forest combined with wind, low humidity and abundant fuels, this insignificant little flame that seemingly could do no more than merely singe my fingers could quickly turn into a threatening firestorm consuming tens of thousands of acres.  It doesn't seem like much, but it contains the latent power for untold destruction!

"How a great forest is set ablaze by a small fire!" says James.

But James was not giving a lesson in forestry.  James is talking about another fire that is analogous to wildfire - the fire of the tongue!  For James it was a profound metaphor!  He was talking about the highly flammable qualities inherent in speech.  And he was so serious about this, and he was so intent on communicating a powerful truth that he chose this metaphor of wildfire to drive his point home!

 

One more thing about wildfire.  It could be said that the largest wildfire in Colorado recorded history was started by words – burning words.  In June of 2002, you likely remember, 135,000 acres burned in a fire known as the Hayman Fire started by a federal forest worker burning a letter from her estranged husband on a windy day during a severe drought.    

 

"How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire."

 

One of the greatest lies (maybe the greatest lie) ever propagated in history is the one that says, "Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me."  It's an unmitigated lie!  And we know it's a lie, for we all have used words as a weapon, and we all have been at the receiving end of words used as a weapon against us. 

 (Light another match and hold it up) It's seems like such an insignificant singular flame; but "how great forest is set ablaze by a small fire."

The Letter of James from which our passage comes is a relatively short New Testament writing.  Scholars disagree as to the exact identity of the James to which authorship is ascribed, but tradition holds it might be James the brother of Jesus.  Anyway, the main concern of the Letter of James is unity within James' Jesus-based-community.  James is very concerned about two tendencies that apparently had developed in his community: 
         One, a stark division between the rich and the poor that mirrored the values of culture; that gave advantage and leverage to the rich over the poor. And James said that cultural division must not exist in a Jesus-based-community. 
         The second problem in his community was inflammatory and undermining speech that was apparently splintering and fragmenting his community; speech devoid of grace; speech devoid of mercy; speech devoid of love. 

One night probably 15-20 years ago, I had one of the most vivid dreams of my life.  I have only had maybe three other dreams as vivid as this one.  I dreamt I was at a large gathering of people, and all the people including myself were engaged in  conversation.  As people spoke their language, the sounds that came out of their mouths and off their tongues took the shape of letters and words like in a cartoon strip, except the letters and words went forth and landed on the people to whom they were spoken.  As the words landed on the people they took root (they embedded themselves) and began to grow. Some of the words grew into beautiful flowers and marvelous artistic expressions - and other words grew into grotesque physical disfigurements.  The nature of the growing expressions depended upon whether the word spoken was a positive word of love and affirmation, or a negative word of contempt or judgment.  It was a powerful dream, and it put an indelible image in my mind. Never underestimate the power of the singular flame of  the tongue in your life!  Every time you speak, your words go forth, take on a life of their own, and root themselves in others for better or for worse.

The sacred scripture is filled with words, lots and lots and lots of words. And words are powerful! Like in my dream the words either create or destroy; end something or begin something; build up or tear down; plant something negative or positive.

In the book of Genesis it says, "And God said, 'Let there be...'"   It's a powerful metaphor that declares that creation emerged from the mind and imagination of God; that the creation and universe is the language of God..

Words seem like such an insignificant singular flame, but. . .

Joseph's brothers, jealous of him, sold him into slavery and then put him out of their minds. But through an amazing series of events, years later Joseph became the second most powerful man in the very nation that had enslaved him - Secretary of Agriculture in Egypt. Due to a severe drought the very brothers who sold him into slavery came to Egypt for help. They were starving and desperate.  Due to Joseph's wise policies Egypt was prepared for the drought and had much in storage. His brothers didn't recognize him. It had been a long time, and after all, when they sold him off he was merely a boy. Now he was a man, a very powerful man who held their fate in the palm of his hand. What would he say? What would he do?  If anybody in history ever had the prime opportunity for the perfect revenge scenario, it was Joseph. With agony he wrestled with the temptation, but in the end he revealed himself to his brothers, and he spoke a word of forgiveness; a word that not only brought that family back together, but a word that enabled God's promises to continue on through their family line - promises that have made their way down to us this morning. (Genesis 45)

Words seem like such an insignificant singular flame, but. . .

In a totally disgusting scene the arrogant self-righteous Pharisees spied on the woman, caught her in the act of having sex with someone who was not her husband, and then dragged her before Jesus.  Mosaic Law said she they both were guilty of an offense punishable by death according to Mosaic Law. But with a few words Jesus not only set the woman free and affirmed her humanity, but redefined the meaning of true religion. "The one who has never sinned cast the first stone." After the Pharisees all left Jesus then said to her, "Has no one condemned you? Neither do I! (John 8:1-11)

Words seem like such an insignificant singular flame, but. . .

Peter, lost in his grief and self-deprecation for having bailed-out on his best friend, hears the risen Lord speak directly into his personal despair.   And because God's love never cuts off the possibility for new opportunity he heard Jesus ask, "Simon, son of John, do you love me? (John 21)  And Peter was found - and set free - and empowered to be a major player in early church history.

Words seem like such an insignificant singular flame, but. . .

In John's gospel it says, "The word became flesh and dwelt among us."  A part of what that means for me is that Jesus was so full of God that he became, in his life, the language of God - he embodied the language of God's love. That is why Jesus is at the center of our community life; and  not law; not ritual, not correct beliefs - but the living Jesus - who embodies the language of God.

We live in a culture that has come to use language in such destructive and harsh ways.  It seems as if both the political and religious arena gets nastier all the time - using inflammatory language to win victories and condescend others; saying whatever it takes to win and assert a position whether it's based in reality or not - whether true or not - whether factual or not.

But we who name ourselves as followers of Jesus are called to march to the beat of different drummer.  The language of God is not merely something we hear with our ears - but a person that we follow - a life we take into our own - with passion and commitment - a life that fills us up to embody in our lives the language of God's grace.