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If anyone knows how to accidentally start a fire, it’s Uncle Lewis from Christmas Vacation. His cigar may have taken out the Griswolds’ Christmas tree, but in Week 4 of Jesus and the Griswolds, that fiery moment becomes a picture of what God often does in our lives: He meets us in the flames we didn’t see coming and uses them to reveal His purpose.
This week, we turn to Exodus 3:1–12, where Moses encounters a bush that’s blazing but not burning up. Moses is a man on the run—haunted by his past, convinced that his failure has ended his calling. But God steps into Moses’ wilderness with a fire that doesn’t consume; it transforms. When Moses protests, “Who am I?” God answers, “I will be with you.” In other words, your identity isn’t rooted in what you’ve done—it’s grounded in who goes with you.
Like a Polaroid developing in slow motion, Moses’ God-given purpose didn’t vanish because he messed up. It simply needed time. And the same is true for every one of us. Romans 8:28 reminds us that while God doesn’t cause every fire, He can use any fire—mistakes, pain, fear, even the parts of our story we’d rather hide.
In this message, we’ll explore how the “fires” in our lives—our past, our family, our struggles, our questions—can become the very places God shapes us for His calling.
Takeaway: Your failures are not fatal. God can turn the fire that scared you into the fire that refines you.
