This week on Geek Devotions; Celeste takes a look at Rob Zombie’s The Munsters and talks about why we have to love our neighbors; even the weird ones.
Written Devotion
Rob Zombie has released a new film called, The Munsters, and let me tell you, it truly feels like a love letter to the old series. The movie ends with the Munsters moving into their iconic home, waking up and discovering that their neighbors are not what they are used to seeing. Nor are their neighbors what they expect. So today on Geek Devotions, we are talking about loving your neighbor, even if they are weird.
As we said in the intro, the new Munsters movie is a love letter to the original series. It had the campy feel, the ridiculous humor, and several nods to the series. In the final portions of the movie, the Munsters move into their house in the series. The following morning, they get the first glimpse of their neighbors in the daylight. Having lived in Transylvania, the sight of all these people they aren’t used to seeing startled them. Back home, people looked like ghouls, goblins, and various monsters, yet, folks in California were what we would call normal. This sight frightens and disturbs Fred and Grandpa.
Lilly sits them down and gives them a speech about how they should be kind to their neighbors no matter what they look like. And this led my brain to Matthew 5:43-44.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 5:43-44 (Tree of Life Version | TLV)
We may not be in the same situation as the Munsters, but we, as Christians, are not of this world, and as a result, we are told here to love our neighbors and pray for those who persecute us. Pray for those who don’t like us for whatever reason. It’s tough to hate someone and still pray for them because God begins to change your heart and make you see them as he sees them. But we are also called to love our neighbors, which can be anyone from the people who actually live next to us, or it can be someone whom we see daily. This is not a command to only love those who look like you, talk like you or believe like you. It’s a command to love all people just as God loves all people.