A Welcome Place

It's neat when object lessons appear outside your window.  I was working last week in Building 6 of Balboa Hospital and looked out the second floor window.  Dry brown grass and coastal sage scrub stretched over the hills.  But right in front of the window a large waterfall had been constructed, a huge contrast to the deadness all around.  Because of the life-sustaining water, about a dozen little birds were chirping and swooping from the chain link fence onto the river rocks.  They gathered together and splashed around in the water until they looked fuzzy and damp.  Then they flew back to the fence to sun themselves.  The scene brought a smile to my face.  Even birds love a refreshing bath.

In a way that noisy little oasis reminded me of what Christ is for believers.  In a lifeless world consumed by sin, Christ provides a way to be cleansed, refreshed, and sustained.  There were a handful of birds utilizing the fresh flow of water, and it seems like few ever make use of the Living Water offered by Jesus Christ.  How happy those birds were to be free from the dust and mites they had collected on their feathers!  How joyous we are when our sins are cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus!  There's nothing better than fellowship with God, and fellowship with like-minded believers excited about the love of God and walking in it is a close second.  The birds were different varieties, but they all came for one reason:  the water.

I suppose that is an ideal scenario.  People come to a church building for all kinds of reasons:  they are trying to make their wife stop nagging them, are trying to find a husband or wife, or feel obligated to do something for God.  I have heard a woman frankly admit the only reason she attended church was for the air conditioning!  I'll bet there are occasions when a big crow decides he would like some water and frightens off all the other bathers.  Church groups have their bullies too.  They will use politics to get their way or manipulate through financial control.  Sometimes they are subtle, other times overt.  Church attendance doesn't make a man a Christian.  Not all people come to a church because of their relationship with Jesus Christ.  But what a wonderful place it would be if Christ was the only draw!

Jesus has plenty of Living Water for all, to whosoever will admit their lack and need.  Let us invite others to share in Christ's love through joyful fellowship.  Instead of feeling threatened, let us open our arms wide!  Christians comprise the Body of Christ, and let's be as welcoming as He is to us.