20th Sunday in Ordinary Time © 2019

INTRO:

It was on a HOT August summer Sunday and just like this past July and August here, we were having all that thunder, lighting and pelting rain.

Also us HIGH SCHOOL kids, my sister, brother and I, were ALONE that weekend as my parents went on a golf weekend. We were expecting them home late Sunday afternoon!

Well, we kids had a party (sorry, we weren’t supposed to) and the three of us were mad dashing around the house to get everything back in order before their arrival home.

SOUND FAMILIAR to any of you!

Well, unbeknownst to us…. the northwest corner of our house was struck by lightning and burning!!!!! We didn’t pay attention until we smelled and saw SMOKE coming from the upstairs bedrooms!!!

Of course we called 911 and there we were ….. Out on the street with fire engines and water… you name it ….. It was quite the scene…..

AND HERE COMES MY PARENTS CAR.

Our house was ON FIRE!!
Their faces aghast!!

And we never got all the evidence of the party cleaned out!!

JESUS says to you and me today….
“I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing!!!”

Well, our house was blazing alright, but, JESUS was referring to PEOPLE, good people,
Who just may be sleeping a bit?
Who just may be apathetic on earth?
Who maybe are not caring about anybody, but, themselves?

He wanted us ABLAZE, set on fire for:
HIM, which means:

CHARITY TO OTHERS
HELPING THE POOR
BEFRIENDING OUR NEIGHBORS
WORSHIPPING OFTEN
AND PRAYING DAILY

Remember how it was said:

“I baptize you with water,
But, He will baptize you with FIRE”?

Jesus wanted us to know that following HIS WAYS and being set on FIRE for Him could mean some difficulties for us.

It is not always easy living Jesus’s ways!

*Just trying to get everybody to church on the weekend in your homes I remember is not always easy!

*Avoiding gossip and silent judgement of other people and their proclivities are always difficult to avoid!!

It is just not easy, but keep working at it!

CONCLUSION

So, LIVE FOR CHRIST and His ways. Make sure your home life includes a fiery passion for living JESUS’S ways!