The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

“All things are permitted,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted,” but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage but that of your neighbor.

—1 Corinthians 10:23–24

Well, it’s October again. Last October, I decided to do something different and write my week’s devotions around various types of “scary” stories. We used monsters, ghosts, zombies, and more to talk about faith. In an attempt to keep things interesting without retreading ground, this year we’re examining faith through another spooky-season favorite: The Twilight Zone. As an added bonus, the episodes we’ll discuss are available on the free streaming platform Pluto, so you can watch along!

The Twilight Zone might seem like an odd organizing theme for church devotions, but I’d argue that it is perfect. Rod Serling, the series’ creator and narrator, used science fiction to explore difficult questions about prejudice, power, and human nature. His stories work a lot like parables. We settle in for a tale about aliens, only to discover that we’ve been watching a story about ourselves. Jesus was pretty good at that sort of thing, too.

So let’s start with my all-time favorite episode, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.” If you want to watch it, maybe do so before finishing this devotion, because I’m going to spoil it.

The power goes out in a quiet neighborhood, and everyone gathers outside to figure out what happened. Then odd things begin happening. One neighbor’s car starts when nobody else’s will. Lights flicker on in certain houses. Someone suggests that aliens might be living among them, disguised as ordinary people.

You can probably guess how well that goes.

Soon, familiar neighbors become potential enemies. Someone’s unusual habits become evidence against them. Accusations escalate into violence. Finally, the camera pulls back to reveal actual aliens observing from a distance. They’ve barely had to do anything. A few disruptions, a little uncertainty, and the neighbors do the work of destroying their own community.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses disagreements about eating food offered to idols. Some believers insist that their freedom in Christ permits them to eat it. Paul pushes them to ask another question: What effect does exercising that freedom have on their neighbors?

“All things are permitted,” but not all things build up.

That’s a difficult standard. We’re accustomed to asking whether we’re entitled to say something, share something, or do something. Paul asks us to consider what our actions are building. Are we strengthening the community entrusted to us? Are we seeking our neighbor’s good?

Maple Street falls apart as people become more interested in defending themselves than caring for one another. It’s an uncomfortable thing to watch because we recognize how easily it happens. A rumor gets repeated. Someone’s motives are assumed. An unfamiliar person becomes a convenient explanation for everything that’s wrong.

The church is called to practice something different. We can ask questions before making accusations. We can refuse to pass along a story we haven’t verified. We can get to know the neighbor we’ve only heard about.

Before we speak or act today, perhaps Paul gives us a good question to carry: Will this build up my neighbor?

There are enough monsters on Maple Street. Let’s be good neighbors.


Rev. Ryan Young