After the Fire

A few years ago my family and I hiked through a part of Glacier National Park that had experienced a forest fire.  As we walked along I remember looking up at the tall charred black tree trunks.  It looked like such devastation that my first thought was sadness to see so many dead trees.  I could only image what it would have been like at the time of the fire to see all those trees be burned and destroyed.

But as we walked along I also began to notice the lush green plant life and young pine trees that were on the ground below me.  I could see that after the fire, new life was thriving.

I remember as a child learning from Smokey the Bear, “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fire.”  But I have since learned that Smokey doesn’t say that anymore.  Ecologists have learned that not all forest fires should be prevented.  In fact, forest fires are a healthy and necessary part of the lifecycle of a forest ecosystem.  Fire burns away accumulated dead plant material.  After the fire, the forest canopy is thinned out to allow light to reach the ground.  New diverse plant life is allowed to grow and a new chapter in the lifecycle of a forest begins (http://www.smokeybear.com/natural-fire.asp). In 2001 Smokey’s official pronouncement was changed to “Only you can prevent wildfires.”

The Bible also uses the image of fire to teach us about life.  One example is when the Apostle Paul wrote to some followers of Jesus about their efforts to build the church: “the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. (1 Corinthians 3:13).  

To be prepared for the future, there will be times in our lives when we need a fire.  We need times when the dead clutter of our lives is burned away. There are times when the structures and routines of our lives choke out new possibilities and need to be removed.  This can be the work of the Holy Spirit of God who is often described as a fire. This is true for individuals and for churches.   I feel that we are headed into one of those times as the United Methodist Church.

It may be a challenging experience to go through a time of fire, but if we look for God’s presence in the midst of it we can find hope.  Our relationship with Jesus can empower us to trust that there will be a life after the fire.  And that life will be vibrant, lush and full with God.