“When I was a kid, we didn’t have air conditioning—we sat out on the front porch!”
Front-porch life is an American tradition. A glass of sweet iced tea, a rocking chair, and a good book—many an afternoon is spent this way on front porches all around America. Take a glance at an old Norman Rockwell painting, or tune in to an episode of Andy Griffith, and chances are you will see someone spending some quality time enjoying their front porch.
I have been told by many that it was not uncommon to welcome a passing neighbor or friend onto your front porch, and to enjoy the afternoon together. I grew up at the end of a dead-end road—you were either intending on stopping by or hopelessly lost if
you came all the way down our driveway!
It’s a shame that Adam and Eve didn’t have a front porch of their own in the Garden of Eden. It might have saved humanity a whole lot of trouble. I just couldn’t imagine either of them wanting to eat the forbidden fruit when their bellies were already full of
peach cobbler, or strawberry rhubarb pie. And besides, those rocking chairs would be a good place to spend some quality time with God, rocking back and forth and taking in the beauty of His creation.
Some folks say that air conditioning ruined front porch life. Others say it was the television, or whatever else it is that keeps us duly disconnected from the real world but constantly connected to the artificial world of the internet. Maybe it’s none of these things. At any rate, it doesn’t really matter. After all, front porches aren’t going anywhere. I see them every time I drive through Gillespie on the way to the church, or through Benld on my way to the interstate. They’re still there, whether or not we people decide to
populate them.
Besides, it’s not the physical structure itself that matters. Think of front-porch time as a kind of time, a time that has a certain quality to it. It reminds me a lot of what God intended the Sabbath to be for us. God knew that if we didn’t have a Sabbath, a day dedicated to worship, rest, and fellowship, that we would quickly lose touch with Him and with each other. That’s why God gave us the Sabbath, and while it might not be why humans designed front porches, they sure proved useful towards that end. But
anywhere, and any time, can be “front porch time.” And it doesn’t have to be with a crowd of people—front porches are one of those places that are enjoyable with just a few friends, by yourself, or with your whole clan of 1st and 2nd cousins. Just don’t knock down momma’s potted plant while you’re sitting up there on the railing.
The Israelites were the original front-porch people. God gave them twice as much mana on the 6th day, so all of Israel could rest on the 7th day. They didn’t have iced tea, or a rocking chair, or even a porch itself—but it was the same concept. They might not have listened to old records, or drank soda pop—but they enjoyed the company of each other and of God.
Pastor Jacey and myself both wish you a blessed month of June. We hope and pray that throughout this summer, no matter what life may bring, that you can carve out for yourself and your family some front-porch time, wherever that may be. May it bring you deeper into the presence of God, and fellowship with your neighbors. May it be a time of rest and respite in a hurried and harried world.
Pastors Logan & Jacey
