First Baptist Church
of Hamilton, New York

Founded in 1796, First Baptist is an American Baptist church with an ecumenical congregation. First is the "Mother Church" of Colgate University.

Announcer excerpts

August 2009

Loving the Monster

Marylynne Robinson in her wonderful book Home tells the story of a wayward son of a preacher in a small town in Iowa. Jack Broughton never seemed to fit in to the ways of the family and after disgracing himself in the eyes of the town and the family leaves home. Years later when his father is retired and ill he returns to a home which is looked after by one of his sisters. Coming home means coming home to what he has done, and to how others can now accept him. In particular Jack, whose given name is John Ames Broughton and has been named after his father's friend, the Presbyterian Minister, The Reverend John Ames, now has to encounter once again his father’s friend. Looking for friendship he finds there is ambiguity. The story deals with the problems of giving forgiveness and receiving forgiveness.

Being a part of a community which accepts us as we are is what home is. We are at home when forgiveness is offered. But that forgiveness has to be accepted. This has led me to ponder what goes into the forgiving heart. It cannot be a simple forgetting – as the Reverend Ames realized. Forgetting does not make the past go away. There must be an accepting of the person for what that person is. What drives the possibility of there being such an acceptance is illustrated nicely by an observation by Malcolm Boyd who remembered the film of Frankenstein which he saw as a young child. He was turned off by this horrible monster frightening everyone with his horrible face and distorted features. "My worst nightmare would have been to run into Frankenstein on a forbidding country lane on a dark, rainy night." Remembering my own cringing reaction to the movie as a child I can well understand the visceral dislike of the creature who so ably was re-created by Boris Karloff.

But Boyd goes on to say that a half century later he looked at the film at home. As the story unfolded what he realized was that this creature which he had seen as a frightening monster was really a victim. The monster really wanted to be loved. He was not able to communicate that need because of the way he looked, and his frustration was that what he needed was not given.

Forgiveness really needs love, and the expression of the need for forgiveness is a longing for love. A world which is dominated by visions of hatred and character destruction needs a new way of looking at itself. St. John of the Cross said: "When our hearts are free from liking and judging people merely according to their natural gifts we are not held captive by external and changing charms. We are instead free to love people as they really are, and we can penetrate more easily to the core of their personality, their true goodness. When we love in this way our love is selfless and pleasing to God."

John S. Morris

First Baptist Church
27 Broad Street
PO Box 73
Hamilton, New York 13346
315-824-2780