Gò0dNews from the Pastor’s Desk
It Happens Every Summer t seems to appear at different churches each year and sometimes even several at once. I am referring to the phrase, “So you think it is hot here?” It shows up on church signs all around us here in the South, especially in the month of August. If you don’t happen to get it, the sign is a subtle way of referring to “H-E-double toothpicks.” You know, the bad place, the opposite of heaven. When I see the sign, it makes me smile. I get the joke and have no imminent fear that I will end up knowing the reality of the statement one day. Since I have no worry about my personal position/relationship with God, I can be amused for a moment. I am not claiming any kind of superiority or something that I accomplished on my own. I was given a gift that lets me have peace and comfort about heaven and hell. So I can see that old, worn-out phrase as the heat of the day bakes my car and me and think, “So true.” However, if I happen to be having a good spiritual day, I quickly lose my amusement. The truth of the statement sinks in, and I start to worry not about myself but others. The reality of a place or a condition that Christians consider hell in should be a real burden. We Christians are the ones who believe in the reality, and we are the ones who also live under God’s commandments. There is a point in the Book of Matthew where Jesus is asked what commandment is the most important. He answers, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). I know most Christians have heard that verse at least 100 times or more. It is probably preached about as commonly as the church sign. The truth in this verse is something that applies to us in every decision we make. The first part of loving God completely is hard enough, but we can accept the direction even if we don’t know how. But the second commandment seems even harder. I have had some below-average neighbors in the past. I have done business with some miserable people who were good at sharing misery. It is easy for me to discount unpleasant people and just move ahead with my week.
6 // June 2021
However, if I take the second commandment to heart, it means that the sign reminding people of hell is an impersonal way of reaching out, in love, to people who are not secure in their relationship with God. I wonder if anyone has been influenced by that kind of sign to investigate the idea and the hint at another choice. The deeper thought for me is that it should remind me, us, of our belief in an eternal life with positive or negative ramifications: that there are people who face that reality all around us. If I love my neighbor as I love myself, I should be concerned and care. Perhaps we should let that kind of reminder wake us up also. We need to remember to show our love by offering
a refreshing drink of cool water, perhaps showing special kindness to people in need. Our lives are filled with opportunities which will allow us to love our neighbors. I believe it is especially important to start in the small things and watch how God works. Perhaps a simple card of encouragement sent to a neighbor or a friend: maybe a smile and a simple hello can make a stranger feel less alone. The idea is that Christianity is not an exclusive club or a place to get the meaning of a private joke. It is a gathering of neighbors who want to live as neighbors used to not so long ago. May God bless you, my neighbors.
About The Author
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by Tom Bowen
Rev. Tom Bowen, Ordained Elder in the CMC Methodist Church, Rome, Georgia.
