During this holiday season, the satellite television companies have a channel dedicated to a Yule log fire burning 24/7 in the background. I’m partial to the classic yule log, which is just a crackling fire. Last year we watched the Modern Yule log, where they had a little mouse peaking his head out of a stocking, the elf on the shelf sliding back and forth, and the cuckoo clock, well cuckooing. We even recorded 2 hours of the classic yule log this year, so that when they remove the channel from the lineup, we can still enjoy its peaceful crackling.

The Yule log, is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a Christmas tradition in a number of countries in Europe. For celebrating Christmas, the yule log symbolizes the battle between good and evil: as the fire grew brighter and burned hotter, and as the log turned into ashes, it symbolized Christ’s final and ultimate triumph over sin. The log was a huge block, lasting for the Twelve Days of Christmas, and it was not burned completely its first year: part of it was saved to light the next year’s yule log.

That’s one big log to burn for twelve days! Constant burning fire is in the Bible too.

The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. (Lev. 6:12 [NIV])

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. (Acts 2:3 [NIV]) The footnote for this verse states that the fire is a symbol of divine presence.

Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit. (1 Thes. 5:19 [TPT])

I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you… (2 Tim. 1:6 [TPT])

Song of Songs 8:6-7 The Passion Translation (TPT)

6 Fasten me upon your heart as a seal of fire forevermore.
This living, consuming flame
will seal you as my prisoner of love.[a]
My passion[b] is stronger
than the chains of death and the grave,
all consuming as the very flashes of fire
from the burning heart of God.[c]
Place this fierce, unrelenting fire over your entire being.
7 Rivers of pain and persecution
will never extinguish this flame.
Endless floods will be unable
to quench this raging fire that burns within you.
Everything will be consumed.
It will stop at nothing
as you yield everything to this furious fire
until it won’t even seem to you like a sacrifice anymore.

Footnotes:

1. Song of Songs 8:6 The ancient Hebrew word for “seal” can also be translated “prison cell.” He longs for his bride to be his love prisoner, in the prison cell of his eternal love.
2. Song of Songs 8:6 Or “jealousy.”
3. Song of Songs 8:6 The phrase in Hebrew is “a most vehement flame” and is actually two Hebrew words. The first is “a mighty flash of fire,” and the second is “Yah,” which is the sacred name of God himself. The Hebrew shalhebet-yah could be translated “The Mighty Flame of the Lord Most Passionate!”

So join me in keeping your inner Yule Log burning each and every day. Because when you shine your light and let others see the fire burning in you, they’ll want to pull up a chair and bask in the warmth of Jesus too.

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