“Neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.” - Is. 49:10

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

    Whew!  It’s hot!  This weekend there is a warning for extreme heat.  It’s time for that joke that goes something like, “Hey Virginia, Satan called.  He wants his weather back.”

        Heat makes plants grow.  Extreme heat makes plants die.  Heat makes those of you on blood thinners finally feel warm.  Extreme heat sends you to the emergency room.  I want us to think about the difference between “loving each other with warm affection” as 1 Peter and Galatians says and the destruction that happens when warmth turns hot. From Genesis on, the word “hot” - when attached to emotion -  leads to trouble. Cain was the first human to get hot under the collar. Nebuchadnezzar literally held believers’ feet to the fire.  Herod turned the heat up when Jesus was born.

        Now it is natural that believers would feel passionate about the church in general, and about our ministry in particular. But when passion for anything is stronger than love for each other, something’s wrong.  

        With political and civic tempers at record highs as much as the weather, we who are Christian must hold the words of Christ above everything else we think important.  “If I have not love, I have nothing.”

May we all keep Christ’s priorities at the forefront in this fevered time.

Blessings,

Pastor Karen