by Rev Fr Fabian Dicom
Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10
Psalm 39:2-4,18
Hebrews 12:1-4
Luke 12:49-53
Theme: Refined by Fire
Fire – We know what it can do. It can burn and destroy. It can frighten and scatter. But it can also give warmth, give light and life.
The ‘fire‘ Jesus speaks of today is not a fire that leaves ashes. It is a fire that leaves freedom. It is the flame of God’s love that refuses to let anything false, anything cruel, anything unworthy of you remained chained to your life.
That flame refuses to let anything false, cruel, unworthy to remain chained to our lives.
Now Jeremiah knew that fire. He did not go looking for it. It found him. It entered his bones and refused to let him be silent. It sent him to speak truth to the powerful, to remind the nation that God has not forgotten the poor, that God’s covenant was not to be sold or twisted for gain.
And for this, he was thrown into the muddy cistern. The darkness where the world puts those it does not want to hear.
Some of you know what that is like. You have spoken the truth. You have stood for what is right and the response was rejection, coldness, or even betrayal.
But Jeremiah’s fire did not go out – because the fire was not his own. It was God’s. And the mud cannot drown God’s fire.
The Letter to the Hebrews says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses – people who have run this race before us, who have carried the flame through storms and darkness.
They are the saints whose names we know, but also the quiet ones whose names are not in books – grandmothers who prayed in secret, fathers who worked quietly for justice, friends who stood beside the lonely when it was unpopular.
They kept the flame because they laid aside the heavy clothes of fear, the heavy baggage of “what will people think?” and fixed their eyes on Jesus.
And now it is our turn.
We cannot run with our hands full of what weighs us down. We must drop the stones of resentment, the ropes of bitterness, and the shields of pretense that keep us safe but silent.
But Jesus warns us – His fire will not let everything stay the same. It will divide before it unites. Not because He wants families torn or friendships lost, but because love must clear away what is false before it can heal what is real.
Sometimes the fire will set you apart from others, even those close to you, because you will no longer agree to call wrong “right” or to call empty living “good enough.”
But hear me:
This is not the division of hate. It is the division of the seed breaking open so new life can grow. It is the division between the prison wall and the one who walks free.
How, then, do we welcome this fire without fear? First, by prayer. Not prayer that is only asking, but prayer that is sitting in God’s presence and saying, “Here I am – light what You want to light in me.”
Second, by honesty. Let the flame touch the parts of your life you would rather hide. The corners where envy hides, where prejudice sleeps, where selfishness makes its home. The fire will hurt, yes – but only like a doctor’s hand on a wound, cleaning it so it can heal.
Third, by action. Carry the fire into the places that are cold and dark. Speak truth when it is tempting to stay silent. Offer kindness where others trade in cruelty. Stand beside the ones the world ignores.
When you let this fire work in you, you will change. Your words will carry more weight, not because they are louder, but because they are truer.
Your heart will see differently – you will notice the tired cashier, the anxious student, the old man sitting alone.
Your faith will no longer be something you “have,” it will be something you live – something that moves through you, like breath in your lungs, like fire in your bones.
My friends, the fire of Jesus is not just for church. It is for your home, your workplace, your neighbourhood, your conversations, your choices, your vote, your relationships.
It is not for guarding. It is for giving. It is not for hiding. It is for lighting up the path so others can see.
And so I ask you:
What would your life look like if you let this fire set you free?
What chains would break?
What fears would lose their grip?
What new courage would rise in you?
Jesus has come to light this fire, and He is looking for hearts willing to burn – not with anger, not with violence, but with the fierce love that heals, the fierce love that frees, the fierce love that refuses to give up on the world.
So today, when you leave this place, carry that flame. Let it be in your voice when you speak, in your hands when you help, in your eyes when you meet another person’s gaze.
Because the fire of Jesus is not meant to destroy – it is meant to set hearts free. And maybe, just maybe, it will begin with yours.
Amen
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