Looking for the Oasis

In the desert, we can see where the water collects by looking for the trees. There may be a subterranean spring, but usually it's more likely that the rain water collects there on those rare rainy occasions. But, nevertheless, there's something there, some hidden or rare moisture enough to feed the foliage, to make it put down roots and grow, to offer shelter and sustenance to the other desert dwelling creatures.

A community of faith may be like that. There are obvious ones--housed in buildings that have a certain look to them. Or there are others that are harder to spot because they don't "look" like a church, you have to be guided by signs. They may be borrowing a space that blends in with the landscape...a storefront, a school. You might happen to visit one that looks like a church, but once you get inside...you wonder. Is there "water" here...really? Or, conversely, you may suddenly find yourselves in a circle of friends or acquaintances gathering at any random place, and suddenly you are overpowered with a sense of something sacred, something spiritual occurring, living water that you didn't expect.

My suspicion is that most of us are not looking so much for a "church," or a "church" experience...as we are looking for an oasis. As we sojourn through our lives, we are looking for a space that can offer some shade to rest, but also some source of living water, some spring, some cool collection of moisture that can quench our deep thirst for something that matters. We know it when we find it...but we also know, despite appearances, when we don't find it - when what we find rather is dry lifelessness.

We can keep looking for the oases in our lives. We need them. We need to find rest and acceptance. We need to feel refreshed and reconnected to what really matters in life. We need an oasis in our desert sojourns.