14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
Revelation 3:14-22
Dear God, reading this passage is like watching Casablanca. You just hear all of these lines you’ve heard somewhere, but you didn’t know the source. “Here’s looking at you, kid.” “Of all the gin joints in all the world…” “The problems of two little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this world.” In this case we get the stuff about being lukewarm and spewed out of Jesus’s mouth. I correct and discipline everyone I love. I stand at the door and knock. Anyone with ears to here… Yet, with all of this ingrained familiarity with these words, do we heed them?
Every time I hear about the church in Laodicea, I think about the Steve Camp song from the 1980s called “Living in Laodicea.” I just stopped typing to go and listen to the song and, frankly, it didn’t line up with this passage as much as I hoped it would. The song was more about drifting away from you. I don’t think that’s what the church in Laodicea was doing from what is described here. I don’t think they were the world’s friend. I think they were just maintaining the status quo and so inwardly focused that they were losing their saltiness.
For me, it seems like the best way to guard against this is to stick to those top two commandments: Love you with everything I have and love my neighbor as myself. In my mind, that is the best antidote to being lukewarm. That is the best way for me to hear you. And I have to keep them in that order. If I start to lead with serving others then I can get totally distracted by that and you will start to fade. But if I start with you and then lean into seeking your leading in loving others then I think I will find the balance you call me to.
In consulting The Communicator’s Commentary by Earl Palmer on Revelation, he pointed out what a prosperous city Laodicea was. Apparently, a lot of trade happened there and there were many prosperous. Interestingly, I live in a city that many see as prosperous. We are a tourist town with a lot of visitors just about every week of the year. The town has a wonderful veneer and a lot going on because of the tourists. We have a robust community theater and a lot of good restaurants. It’s abnormally sophisticated for a town of 11,000 people 60 miles from the nearest large city. And a lot of wealthy people retire here. Our churches are filled with people who seem to fit the description of the residents in Laodicea. But there is a huge impoverished population here too. Our school district is 62% free or reduced lunch. Our uninsured rate for health insurance ranks 229th out of 255 Texas counties. There are a lot of resources here, but there are a lot of people who need our help and love.
Father, it starts with me. And it’s honestly pretty simple. Love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and love my neighbor as myself. And I have neighbors who need loved. Some of them are friends in need. Some of them are strangers I encounter along the way. I don’t know everything they need, but you do. Help me to hear your voice as I spend time with you and you call me to love them.
I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Amen
Emails to God 