As many of you know, Teresa, Windham and I took at little vacation at the beach last month. We did a lot of the things you’d expect a family to do on such a trip: we played on the shore; we saw a couple movies; we did a little shopping. But among the greatest pleasures of our vacation for me was an all-too-rare pilgrimage to the sacred shrine of sugary goodness: Krispy Kreme.
My love for these “hole-y” little tastes of paradise has deep roots. As a boy, I made many a pre-dawn trip with my father to pick up Krispy Kreme doughnuts for my church’s Easter sunrise service. As a college minister, I built friendships and explored the journey of faith with students over boxes of “Original Glazed” and steaming cups of coffee. Even now, when my desire for good health leads me to avoid empty calories, there’s something about those deep-fried circles of dough that draws me in invites me to indulge.
Of course, as all true doughnut lovers know, the best time to visit Krispy Kreme is when the “Hot Now” light is on. What divine inspiration seized the chain’s founders and led them to erect a shining beacon in the windows of their stores, proudly proclaiming to all who passed by: “Now…right at this very moment…joy is freely available, wrapped in a hot, fresh pillow of heavenly manna”? All I know is that if I ever see the “Hot Now” light burning, you can take it to the bank that I’ll be turning in to enjoy a doughnut…or three.
It makes me wonder: What if churches came equipped with a “Hot Now” light? What if—right on the corner of Church and Elm—there was a glowing neon sign that declared for everyone to see: “Now…right at this very moment…something so good and warm and inviting is taking place that you’d be missing out if you didn’t stop and visit”? Of course, this begs at least two other questions: First, “What would have to be taking place in the life of our church family for it to be worthy of such a bold announcement?” And second, “How often would the ‘Hot Now’ light be burning?”
