It’s been an interesting weather pattern here in Denver lately.
So, okay, it’s my first winter here. So I sound like a friggin’ tourist. So what?
Anyhow.
Weather has always intrigued me. If I weren’t a musician, I’d probably be a meteorologist. I’m particularly facscinated with the effect the mountains have on the weather. Denver is actually a semi-arid climate because of an effect called the “rain shadow.” When clouds pass over a mountain range, the moisture lifts and it rains on the mountains. By the time the clouds are past the mountains, the moisture has been pretty much wrung out of them, and sometimes it creates a desert on the other side–or at least a drier climate. Denver is on the far side of the mountains.
The past couple of weeks, this effect has been really apparent. Storm after storm has headed our way. It’s been snowing like crazy in the mountains. Day after day, you can see the stormy clouds over the mountains, and sometimes you can even see a little bit of snow falling over them.
Here in Denver? Nada. Just some clouds. It snowed a little bit here last night, but nothing compared to some parts of the Rockies.
So the other day, I’m watching the almost-snow clouds dropping their snow on the mountains and not on Denver, and I’m thinking, there has to be an analogy in here somewhere about the church. And there is, kind of.
When I started telling people, like my Dad, that I was moving to Denver, people (like my Dad) said things like, “What is there in Denver besides snow?” Apparently Denver has this reputation as the snow capital of the nation or something. Kind of like Tulsa has the reputation of being the Jesus capital of the…but we weren’t talking about Tulsa.
Anyway, for people who like snow, it’s almost like there’s a promise of snow to be found in Denver (and don’t get me wrong, it does snow here). But at times like this when the rain shadow thing is going on, it’s like the snow gets soooo close, but not. If you were looking for snow in Denver, you get disappointed. Meanwhile, the mountains are getting pounded, making the skiiers very, very happy (and Interstate 70 very, very crowded).
The point is, it seems like we as the church hold out a lot of promise to the world around us. We carry this message of hope that Jesus is Living Water, and many of us have actually experienced His presence in ways words can’t really describe. But in many ways, we’re like those mountains. Instead of acting like a conduit to bring Living Water to thirsty land, we act like a barrier instead, with all the extra baggage we tack on to our faith that isn’t even necessary. Our religion and cliquish subculture wring all the water out of the clouds, so the promise of rain goes unfulfilled to the world around us.
It reminds me of a verse in Proverbs:
“Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.” (Prov. 25:14, NASB)
Make no mistake…I believe Jesus is no disappointment. He’s as good as we say He is–and more so. But when we present a version of Jesus to the world that is clouded with a bunch of stuff that isn’t really Jesus, our boasts are false. They are clouds and wind without rain. Or snow, if you prefer.
As I ponder verse 14, I can see verse 13 of the same chapter. This is interesting, too:
“Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.” (Prov. 25: 13, NASB)
And as I ponder that verse, I see that this is more than just an issue of false boasting; it’s also an issue of being a faithful messenger. Jesus said that He sends His followers into the world, just as the Father sent Him. So the challenge becomes, not just how to stop wringing the water out of the clouds…but how to be a faithful messenger. How do we faithfully communicate the Jesus we claim to have, so that it truly is a refreshing snow?
Just throwing it out there…
Wayward Son
Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo.
I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
View all posts by Wayward Son →
Over the years, I've learned that most of us believers work so hard at being a good Christian in the workplace that we wear people out. We quote verses, wear witness t-shirts and hats, have Christian bumper stickers on our cars and then wonder why nobody wants what we have.
So, maybe it'd be better to just care about other people and allow Jesus to live through us. Who knows? He might even use us once in a while for His glory.
Maybe we spend too much of our time and energy trying to stay on the mountaintop, when we're supposed to go down into the flatlands where the people who need the snow are.
Thanks for that sharing – I really appreciate the image.
My hunger is that people may really meet Jesus. Too often we just say "come to church" meaning our meetings because we don't know how to introduce them to Jesus.
— and I am talking about myself in this.
Yet there are those who really keep coming – they are the ones who know they are loved and accepted. I pray they may meet Him – the source of love and life itself.
Richard
YES! Wonderful image. Living north of you but also in the Rockies I see this effect all the time. When my kids were younger we lived in Indiana. There we got Lake Effect which meant several feet of snow every winter. Wonderful cold deep growth producing (once it melted) snow. I'm sure there's an anology there too. Anyway, Thanks for the nugget to chew on today.
Ahh ha refreshing thoughts.
When are the preachers going to get past preaching about the next big thing. The next big move of God. What are we all waiting for?
Times a wasting, let's just do what the Father is doing, and be about our Father's business.
He has the plan, not man.