Deer Sighting

One of the clear benefits of the location of our church building is that we share land with “wild” animals. Inevitably, a couple times a year, in the middle of a service, we see one or two deer wandering or foraging in the woods behind the pulpit. Those occasions always serve to remind me of Psalm 42. Plaster Creek is that stream of water that satisfies the deer’s thirst within a few feet of our building. It is one of the features of this property that makes is a good habitat for animals. The water is always available to them. 

Similarly, our church provides much of the sustenance that we need to live. It functions as a basic nutrient for our spiritual lives. In this building we are recipients of the knowledge of God. Through scripture and teaching we get the nourishment that our hearts and minds need to survive and live. The church provides that needed stream of ideas dependably and regularly. It is always pointing us to God’s life-giving commands and principles.

It also provides a stream of worship that honors God and always reminds us of the vitality of our relationship with Him. Worship is like that beacon that continually helps us see who God is, and how his grace continually is available to us. And as Andrew reminded us in his sermon on Psalm 13, our singing together seals those words to our hearts.

We also need to remind ourselves that for over 50 years with Christ Church there has been a stream of saints here that have sought to follow the ways of God, thereby providing a corporate context to live out our faith. That fellowship is nothing short of life-giving. God meets our needs so often with the help of fellow believers.

When we see the deer out back, they usually seem quite relaxed, like they know this is their space. So too, we should come here knowing that God’s plan for us includes this space as a kind of oasis that fits us for who we are and where we’re going.