Take Me to the Water
Mark Lucht
His delight is in the law of the Lord….
He is like a tree planted by the stream of water
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:2-3
The river.
It flows in peace, and as it passes it becomes an expression of time.
It cleanses. It feeds. It swells, and it ebbs.
It takes away the old and renews with fresh water.
And gives another chance.
At the dawn of a Sunday there is peace upon the water.
Some ducks discuss their day.
Two fishermen in a bass boat.
In a storm the river reflects the wrath of the skies,
and answers with its own angry floodwaters.
As the workday commences the river echoes the sounds of a lake freighter, towed downstream by struggling tugs straining and smoking and followed by a congregation of gulls looking for lunch in the prop wash which has churned up a multitude of surprised fishes who, until now, were having a pretty good day.
This is life as we know it.
When the freighter has passed the peace returns to the stream.
Geese gather among themselves and prepare for the day ahead.
Swallows show off their aerobatics as dragonflies drift past, flying united.
Two guys in a bass boat.
The spirit of the Lord is just everywhere you look.
Distant church bells from the neighborhood announce that it is time for worship.
No one ever steps in the same river twice,
for it is not the same water
and he is not the same man. (Heraclitus)
Lord God, we praise you for the flow of life which feeds us,
and strengthens us, and renews us.
And sends us out to seek our own ministry to your world. Amen.
Encounters With Christ 