Furnaces in the Bible are places of testing, of trusting, of purifying.
As we turn in our gospel journey from Luke to Matthew, it turns out Matthew is the only gospel writer to mention furnaces. “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and evil doers, and they will throw them into the furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. THEN the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (13.41-43)
This work is like roasting marshmallows…think about the stick or the fork we use, how gunky it gets after a couple of uses. What’s the best way to clean it off? Burn off all the crud in the fire. And that’s God’s plan for us…to refine us by burnishing away the sin, the guilt, the crud. And so, we are thankful for furnaces!
And so, as we celebrate the boilers that allow us to gather and be renewed, to be made new, first we pray for ourselves and God’s work in us:
Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. We are weak in the faith; strengthen us. We are cold in love; warm us and make us fervent, that our love may go out to our neighbors. We do not have a strong and firm faith; at times we doubt and are unable to trust you altogether. O Lord, help us. Strengthen our faith and trust in you. We are poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor. We are sinners; you are upright. Let your grace renew, and your fire cleanse us, soul and body, in life and in death, in this world of shadows and in your changeless world of light eternal, now and forever. Amen.
And now the boiler:
Almighty God, your Holy Spirit equips the church with a rich variety of gifts to accomplish your will and mission in the world. Today we celebrate the most practical of gifts, the gift of boilers to warm our church, that it may serve as the gathering and meeting place for our congregation and the community. We give you thanks for all those who generously and freely contributed to the costs and all those who worked to bring this project to completion.
Grant long and functional life to these gifts. May the warmth of these boilers fuel the warmth of our love, in service to you. Amen.
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