Reflection for the Week–March 10

In Revelation 3:14-22, Christ wishes that the Christians in Laodicea were either hot or cold. It is often assumed that hot means ‘on fire for the Lord’ or a full commitment, while cold means, ‘no fire for the Lord’ or no commitment. If this is the case, the question we’re faced with is why Christ would approve of no commitment at all. That doesn’t make sense. Hot and cold, therefore, are not to be taken as positive and negative descriptions, but both are positive in regard to what the church’s actions should be. Steaming hot or refreshingly cold – either gets a thumbs up. The real problem then is being lukewarm, which seems to identify all too many churches today. We need to learn, just as the Laodiceans did, that lukewarm is not an option. If you’d be interested in reading more about this legendary recounting of the end of the world, check out my book Living Apocalypse.