Dear Rose Park,
As you know, I love the stories of the bible, but I think the New Testament parables are my favorite. The Parables of the Lost Coin, Lost Sheep, & Lost Son are of particular importance to my heart. But have you ever heard of the parable of the long spoons?
One day a man said to God, “God, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”
God showed the man two doors. Inside the first one, in the middle of the room, was a large round table with a large pot of vegetable stew. It smelled delicious and made the man’s mouth water, but the people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. God said, “You have seen Hell.”
Behind the second door, the room appeared exactly the same. There was the large round table with the large pot of wonderful vegetable stew that made the man’s mouth water. The people had the same long-handled spoons, but they were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The man said, “I don’t understand.”
God smiled. “It is simple,” He said, “Love only requires one skill. These people learned early on to share and feed one another. While the greedy only think of themselves.”
You won’t find the parable of the long spoons on any page of the New Testament, but you will find the theme of generosity, sharing, and love. You will find countless times through the pages of scripture God displaying for His people what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.
This is all to say, though my last Sunday at Rose Park is October 26, I hope and pray you carry with you a love for neighbor beyond the 26th. I hope and pray you might carry a willingness to lift others up, even when it’s difficult or inconvenient. And I hope and pray you might carry with you a long spoon, always looking for an opportunity to serve those around you.
Grace & Peace,
