Bar None

Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Hatred is not a feeling that I have encountered very often. In fact, in all my years as a pastor, I’ve only experienced it once. It happened when I wandered into a pub in the parish that I served. The inn was known to be a haven for bigoted Protestants, whose hatred for Catholics caused some of them to vandalize church statues and smash stained glass windows. I was known for working with the other churches in the parish, and that my mother was a Roman Catholic, so I guess I was on somebody’s hate list somewhere in the town.

I entered the pub because I was looking for a parishioner, who was an alcoholic, whose family asked me to find him. He hadn’t been seen for several days, so I went around the drinking places to locate him. I could feel the intense malevolence as I walked into the bar. I was not welcome and the barman let me know it. “Oh ho,” he sneered at me, “Look what has fallen into my web. Look who’s here, boys.”

If it had been part of a John Wayne western, the piano player would have stopped playing, someone would have gasped, and there would have been an almighty fist-fight. I must admit I was scared, but I had a mission to complete, so I asked about the missing parishioner. I never got a reply and the place was silent for a minute. I left the pub and when I stood outside, I could hear roars of laughter coming from the bar.

I guess it was nothing compared to what the early Christians went through, but it chilled me to the bone. Years later, I heard that the bar-tender had been “knee-capped” with a sledgehammer, and that some of the drinkers in the pub were arrested for selling drugs to raise money for weapons in Northern Ireland. Justice caught up with them and their hatred destroyed them.

As Western Christians, we live pretty comfortable lives, but around the world there are brothers and sisters in Christ who lay their lives and livelihood on the line every day, as they confront corruption, bigotry, violence and ignorance in their communities. We should keep them in our prayers and thoughts. We should help them by strengthening our faith and eliminating prejudice. Hatred has no place in God’s Kingdom. Only love, righteousness, and peace should prevail.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have called us to be Christians and we are grateful for our salvation. You expect us to be faithful and to fight against corruption, greed, bigotry, and hatred. Give us hearts and minds that are focused on Your ways and fill our hearts and minds with Your words. Protect our brothers and sisters who valiantly defend the faith in places of persecution, against people who are prejudiced. In Your Holy Name, we pray