“Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
—Hebrews 10:24–25
Fireplaces, both virtual and real, are shown to be restorative and relaxing during the long months of winter. A small body of research performed in Sweden found that the second most common reason Swedes light their fireplaces is to amp up the coziness factor (the first being to warm up their homes). In Sweden, this is known as “trivseleldning,” which translates to “cozy fire making.” Study participants also attest that their favorite part of the fire was not its warmth, but rather the “beautiful light” and soothing atmosphere it sends around their rooms. The researchers found that watching a fire made people feel less stressed, more joyful, and more pleasantly sociable.
The same principled results that were found to be associated with watching a fire in the cold, drab darkness of a Swedish winter—less stress, more joy, and greater social affability—are likewise linked to the believer’s faithfulness in fellowship with other believers. The author of Hebrews reminds his readers not to neglect the spiritual equivalent of “cozy fire making” (a.k.a., “trivseleldning”). As like-minded believers in Christ, we assemble together to stoke the fire of love and good works within one another. We are called to regularly set forth the soothing atmosphere and “beautiful light” of communal worship and Godly service for all the world to see.
To further illustrate this point, consider how the famous British pastor Charles Spurgeon once visited a man who had not attended his church for some time. The man said he was still a Christian but didn’t think he needed to go to church. Without saying a word, Spurgeon took the tongs from the fireplace and removed one coal, setting it in the corner of the fireplace away from the others. It soon went out. The man got the message: The coals in a fire need each other to stay hot, and Christians need the fellowship of other Christians and the ministry of the preaching of God’s Word to keep them spiritually “aglow”—“lit”—“hot”—“on fire”!
“Oh, for the flame of living fire,
Which shone so bright in saints of old,
Which bade their souls to heav’n aspire,
Calm in distress, in danger bold!”
— William Hiley Bathurst
FURTHER READING: Matthew 5:14–16
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