Water

Our church buildings sustained substantial damage in the perfect storms we had last week.  Water found its way into the building through a 35-year-old cast iron pipe that failed as well as through cinderblock walls in the east corridor which were not sealed properly when installed in the early 1980's.  Water is one of the most important and fascinating compounds in the universe, but much like it carved the Grand Canyon from solid rock, it erodes and decays even churches built in its path.

As destructive as water can be, all life depends upon water. We would die without it. Therefore, it is not surprising that God uses water to bring about His plan of salvation.

Ancient people made associations with water based on its physical properties. One property of water is that it can dissolve other substances, making it useful for cleansing. This idea can be seen in Jewish law, which includes numerous ritual washings.

It is also evident in the story of Noah's ark. Sin was so rife in Noah's time that God cleansed the earth from its inhabitants by means of a great flood. Only Noah, his family, and the animals with them survived. The story of Noah's ark is a sign of salvation and new life.

Moses led the Jews who had been enslaved in Egypt to freedom through the waters of the Red Sea and forty years later Joshua led them through the waters of the Jordan and into the promised land.

The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan reminds us that God's promise to Abraham's descendants had yet to be fulfilled.  If we think like First Century people, we understand that water is a mysterious force.  It can swallow up a person or a boat in seconds.  Therefore, they saw baptism as a kind of death.  So baptism represents both new life on the one hand and the mystery of the cross and communion with Jesus' death on the other. 

Throughout our history, we have seen how God has involved himself in our affairs through the use of water: from His breathing upon the waters of Creation to our own baptism in Christ. 

Water also plays a significant role in our own lives.  When we walk into the sanctuary, we bless ourselves with water to remind us of our baptismal promises.  We also see the damage it has done to our church building.

Father Tim encourages everyone to take a look at the damage and to keep an eye on our progress as we uncover the underlying causes of the problems and set them right – giving our church building new life.  Please pray for each other and our efforts.