The Summer Heat…. Who Is Bringing It?

Well, we lamented about the cool Spring temperatures, then suddenly came June and 60% of the days had temperature above the averages for June. (Didn’t someone warn us to be careful what we wish for?)

I have noticed the phrase …”bring the heat” has different meanings in different situations.

• Last Sunday, the ‘heat’ was too intense in the sanctuary without our A/C working properly, so we moved worship to Fellowship Hall where it was cooler.

• In some instances, a person may tell another person to “bring the heat” as another way of saying bring your best ‘stuff’ as I can handle the challenge.

• We often hear that kind of talk in a ‘sports context,’ where one team says they are up to whatever challenge the other team presents when they “bring the heat.”

• The Bible often uses the imagery of heat and fire to describe God's process of refining and purifying His people, much like a furnace purifies gold or silver (see Proverbs 17:3). Here, "bringing the heat" can refer to God allowing or orchestrating trials and pressures in believers' lives to test, strengthen, and purify their faith. This "holy heat" is not punitive, but transformative… meant to remove spiritual complacency and draw believers closer to God.

• The metaphor of heat as trials or affliction is common (e.g., 2 Corinthians 4:17, Daniel 3:19-27). When the "heat is turned up," it often signifies a period of testing where faith is refined, and believers are called to endure and trust in God's purpose.

• The arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was marked by "tongues of fire," symbolizing the Spirit's power to embolden and energize the disciples for witness and service. "Bringing the heat" thus reflects the Spirit igniting fervor, passion, and courage—moving believers from fear to bold, transformative action for God.

• This congregation has endured a number of challenges over the years and has shown a resilience and commitment to being faithful to God’s will in this world.  While we may not want the summer heat to be too intense, we can handle it… and we will continue to gather and worship as a community. 

• I look forward to seeing many of you at our outdoor worship this Sunday… you won’t have to “bring the heat,” as the weather forecast says it will be ‘comfortably warm.’

Blessings to all,

Jim Hubbard

**(FYI… Buildings & Grounds is working on its final recommendation to Session for our longer-range HVAC strategy which will include some immediate actions and some longer-term actions that will be in concert with the immediate actions. Unfortunately, no immediate action won’t be ‘immediate” due to equipment ordering and lag time from order to arrival to installation. Full disclosure will be made once a path forward is approved by Session. Please know that a direction forward has been under development with input from multiple HVAC experts and system providers for more than a year with a lot of moving parts and financial cost estimates shifting during that time. There is no easy answer when replacing a system that has been in place for decades.)