I have to confess, I am bad with plants! I have just a few house plants and I still don't seem to be able to keep up with them. I regularly forget to water them until they begin to droop. Some plants seem to bounce back a little better than others. But the harsh reality is, if I let that plant run dry too long, or too many times, it will eventually die. And there are few things more sad then watching something that was once full of life wither and die.
All plants are different, but with rare exception they all need some water from time to time. As I added water to the very dry plant on my kitchen table, I was reminded of how this is often true in our faith life. Our faith needs to be nurtured with some degree of regularity. This is why I often encourage us to do the First 5 or some other form of daily devotion. This is also why consistent weekly worship is so important. It is, in essence, the water that nourishes and gives life.
If I neglect to water a plant once in a while it is probably not going to have a tremendously negative impact. The plant has some reserve, and most plants will survive the occasional dry day. Likewise, if we miss a First 5 or weekly worship once in a great while, our faith is likely to survive. But when we consistently neglect our spiritual development, it will grow weaker with time, and may even eventually die.
I share this metaphor because we are coming into the summer. I know many of us will be vacationing, camping, traveling or otherwise away from our regular spiritual routine. Summer can be a wonderful opportunity for sabbath, allowing both physical and spiritual renewal. But I want to encourage us to be careful not to neglect our spiritual feeding through the summer. It matters that we continue to be fed and watered even in these times of rest. My encouragement would be this. If you are in town, be in worship, even if it means attending one of the 9 a.m. services before you head off for the day. If you are out of town, I encourage you to find a place of worship wherever you are, or tune in for the online worship or rebroadcast.
Our faith is a living thing. Every living thing needs to be nourished, to be fed, to be watered. As we enjoy a beautiful New England summer I pray that we would still find the time to water our faith and keep it growing!
Before I sign off, I also want to let you know that we are providing a Tech Team training for any who might be interested in getting involved in this important area of ministry. It will be held on Sunday, June 26th at noon at our Plaistow Campus. Registration is requested in advance. Please contact Pastor Beth at beth@rock-church.org.
Have a great week. I love you all.
Pastor Steve