The Emerging Church

From Pastor Tim’s article in the 3/9/16 Weekly Update

The Temple of Quechula had been non-functional since 1966 when it disappeared beneath the surface of the water in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Originally built in 1564 by Spanish colonists, it was abandoned in the 1700’s and then submerged when a dam was built causing the waters to slowly rise above the ancient structure.

There underwater, it lay. Silent and empty the church served no one, taught no one and impacted no one. Only a building devoid of worship remained under the surface.

Until recently, that is, when the waters of the Nezahualcóyotl reservoir receded because of a drought and the water level dropped an amazing 82 feet. Slowly, the church building began to be visible above the surface of the water and those who had not seen the church in decades came to see it once again. Ferries transported people to walk inside it and wise businessmen began selling food to tourists who were suddenly coming from hundreds of miles away.

It took some pretty severe drought conditions to bring the church to a place of being seen and entered once again. In a strange way, the submerged church has now become useful only because of the severity of the drought.

The spiritual drought in our country is every bit as severe. The water line has dropped time and time again as new evaporations have struck with the force of a locomotive. The thousand year-old pillars have toppled and the search for a baseline morality is growing more difficult with each passing day. What will become of us in the midst of this horrible season of dryness?

My prayer, the deepest longing of my soul, is that the Church of Jesus Christ would begin once again to emerge from the depths of its invisibility. I long to see the Church restored to a place of being seen and experienced: a place where men, women and children can enter and be impacted by the presence of a Holy God.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if the very drought of spirit that our nation is enduring is the tool that God uses to ultimately revive the sunken Church and allow its voice to be heard once again?

Rise up O Church of God . . . may we experience the revival of a body that has emerged from the depths to once again breath, speak, walk, love, care and proclaim!

By Your grace make it so, O God!