Tuesday morning as I headed out for my morning walk, the thermometer told me that the temperature was zero degrees (with, fortunately, virtually no wind). The football game the night before – well let me just say that I had no warm feelings either way. And to be honest, the deep chill really started to settle (from my vantage point) on our area Saturday night at Ford Field. Come Wednesday morning it was down to four below.
What a fun season – what a disappointing end. Personally, I think the game changed radically when cornerback Amik Robertson broke his arm on the Lion’s second defensive snap of the game. It may have been just one more injury with a season with way too many, but it also took out of the game the player who had made one-on-one coverage on a team’s Number One receiver doable. It severely hampered our defense, which in turn dramatically changed our offensive plays. However, let me say again, it was a REALLY FUN season.
The bad thing about playoffs is that every team – except one – ends their season with a loss … with disappointment … out in the cold. The Pistons were left out in the cold last year by missing the lottery. The Wings just missed making the playoffs. The Tigers lost at home to the Guardians in the second round of the playoffs. The Lions had their Super Bowl dreams shattered on Saturday night. Every sports fan here – as in most cities – ended up in the cold.
And then, perhaps putting our dreams regarding the 2025 season momentarily in the deep-freeze, comes this stretch where the temperature is not expected to get anywhere close to above freezing! Schools announcing two-day closures (probably as much to give time to kill winter “bugs” as to avoid the cold) and employers encouraging remote work for an extra day or two. Baby, it’s cold outside. I even had some of my home visits cancelled because the cold outside even effects those who are shut in!
I saw a meme the other day that said, “The key to coping with the cold is to put on as many layers as you can while still being able to fit out the door.” This came to me as a reminder that there are many things that we can do to adjust to the weather (while also causing me to say a quick “thank you Jesus” for the overnight warming center that Trinity Lutheran, Warren is offering again this year). In fact, I believe that a much greater threat that we face is when it becomes cold INSIDE … that is, inside the heart.
Two bible passages come to my mind. The first one contains words of Jesus spoken during the week in which he was crucified. He said, “Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24.11-14) I must admit, it gives me the chills when I see people I know being deceived by false prophets and/or having hearts that appear to be growing cold. Yet the antidote for me is so uncomplicated … to simply keep hearing the good news (the one who endures to the end will be saved) while also sharing that good news as a testimony to all the nations (that is people, not governments). “Jesus, keep the chill outside away from making my heart cold on the inside.”
To me this is what it sounds like happened to the first century Christians living in Ephesus. Through Saint John our Lord said to them, “I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” (Revelation 2.3-5) You can read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to understand what he had to say about their hearts a few years prior.
Which brings me back to this week’s fact – Baby, it’s cold outside! If this is causing you to stay inside more than usual, you might consider using your extra time to read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians – you should find it to be “heart-warming”. If you go out, watch for opportunities to show your warm heart in the midst of the chill … perhaps holding a door open to let someone enter a building ahead of you, fetching an abandoned shopping cart from a parking lot, or visiting Trinity to see what you can do to help (a warm-hearted thing to do in this case is to also have your checkbook in hand).
Thinking warm thoughts will never change the weather (Did you see all the snow in Texas and Louisiana!). There simply is no way that my warm thoughts will change the weatherman’s forecast for the next ten days … which has us getting barely above freezing once. Likewise, it is doubtful that thinking warm thoughts will change one’s heart. In fact, the process moves in the opposite direction … God’s warm thoughts coming to us through his Word warms our hearts, and our warmed hearts then take the chill out of our thoughts.
And as those warm thoughts are expressed as a testimony to all the nations God’s promise is clear – Baby, it won’t be as cold outside (and I’m sure you know I’m not talking about the weather here).
Baby, It’s Cold Outside!