What if church led more people to water?

They tell me that Santa Rosa does, indeed, have hot weather in the summer. They tell me these last two summers have been statistically deviant because of their cooler, wetter conditions. “They” say all of these things, while they sweat and seek air conditioning in 80°weather. I believe them, but I can’t help but smile a little on the inside. I’m biased, of course.  Last year I moved to Santa Rosa from Fresno, where it breaks 100°for three or four months running and no one bats an eye.

But there is something sneaky about Sonoma County summers. When it’s hot outside in Fresno, when you sweat a quart an hour even in the shade, when the asphalt melts under kickstands and leaves divots after it cools, you don’t forget to drink water. But here, there is nothing to slow you down. Sometimes I find myself, at the end of the day, with a dull headache and an achy stomach, and I realize I haven’t had anything to drink that day. The heat in Fresno reminds people how much they need water; the pleasant weather here has, on occasion, helped me forget.

It seems such a strange thing that water is so pervasive–in taps, in streams we cross every day, in the morning mists in the air, even the majority of our own bodies – and yet dehydration can sneak up on us. And it’s simply because we don’t realize how very much we need water to be healthy; we don’t remember to drink it throughout the day to keep replenishing our bodies.

It’s kind of like spirituality in some ways. In spiritual connection, we find ourselves refreshed, replenished, whole, and healthy. And yet it is so easy to pass by those things that call our attention back to our Source every day without recognizing them, without pausing, without drinking them in. When things are pleasant, and life seems to be going along smoothly, it may be easier to forget to take a drink than when we are feeling the heat.

Jesus met a Samarian woman at a well, a woman who had been used and discarded many times, who was shunned by her community, who was from “the wrong” religion and race.  He took a moment to see her, recognize her pain, and talk with her – he let her guide the conversation. He offered her himself, his whole attention, and his acceptance instead of judgment; it was for her, and is for all of us, Living Water – the kind of connection to God and one another that refreshes, replenishes, and revitalizes us at a deeper, more intrinsic level. 

What if church led more people to water? FUMC is trying. Our church creates opportunities for people of all ages to connect in loads of different ways, and many of them will be visible at the Comin’ Home Festival this month. Do you know someone who could use a glass of grace, a sip of Spirit? Bring them along. Let us be a well for the Holy Spirit to fill. Maybe you’ll find a way you’d like to reconnect as well.

Next year, in the western U.S., young adults ages 19-35 are seeking that same connection with one another and with people in Nicaragua (see article on page 9 ). We are joining together for a work trip to help build wells so that all people will have access to clean water. It is a physical need in Nicaragua; it is a spiritual need for us. After all, despite what politicians say, justice is not about making sure people get what they deserve; according to scripture, justice means making sure people get what they need. And water is something we all need.

In your life at this moment, you may be enjoying the climate, or you may be feeling the heat. I hope that, whatever the weather, you see the signs of God’s grace that surround you, that you feel the connection to your Source and to your church, that together we can be a place where all people can find rest, and peace, and revitalization through the love we share.

Grace and peace,

Kris Marshall