Hot Springs, Parks and Church

Ideas and texts that were in my mind as I wrote this sermon:

The universal function of the temple. 1 Kgs 8:41-43; Isa 56:1-8; Matt 21:12-17.
The cities of refuge. Numbers 35; Deuteronomy 4:41; 19; Joshua 20.
Jacob's well. John 4.
The light of the world. Matthew 5:14


Hot Springs, Parks and Church

Bible passages that lie behind this sermon:

The universal function of the temple: 1 Kings 8:41-43; Isaiah 56:1-8; Matthew 21:12-17.
The cities of refuge. Numbers 35; Deuteronomy 4:41; 19; Joshua 20.
Jacob's well. John 4.


In March, Karin and I went on a road trip. We headed south on I-5. We stopped at the rest area just north of Vancouver, WA, then continued south through Portland to Salem. From there we headed east. Up over the mountains and out into the remote back country of southeast Oregon and Nevada.

Following the directions in a guide book, we left the highway in Nevada and followed gravel roads to an amazing spot, Spencer Hot Springs. There were patches of snow on the ground. The surrounding mountains were snow-covered but the temperature of the soaking pool was about 102 degrees. Karin and I settled down into the warm water and spent an hour soaking, talking, admiring the grand scenery all around.

It was perfect.

It was a gift.

A gift from God, from nature. Imagine warm water pouring out of the ground in the middle of a cold, wilderness valley!

A gift from anonymous strangers. The water in the source pool at Spencer is 165 degrees. Far too hot to soak in. However, anonymous volunteers have built a soaking pool and deck a few feet away from the source where the inflow is regulated so the temperature in the pool is just the right.

No one pays these people. There is no organization that directs them. No one gives them recognition. No one knows who they are. We just enjoy the fruit of their work.


Church is like a hot spring. Most of the people who come to church to encounter God are like Karin and me visiting Spencer Hot Springs. Most people at church are visitors. They enjoy what church offers and pretty much take it for granted. They count on the faithfulness and generosity of the relatively few people who do the actual work of making church available.

The life of the church is the life of God. God's life and power and presence are everywhere and ever flowing. While God is everywhere, for many people, church is the specific place and time when they are able to most fully let themselves go into the grace and wisdom of God.

The encounter with God that happens at church is available because a handful of people devote major amounts of time, money, creativity and energy to making church what it is.




Another metaphor. Church is like a park.

Imagine the fantastic beauty to be found in Olympic National Park. The park service did not create the beauty of the place, but without the work of the park employees who built the roads and trails, who staff the visitor's center and patrol the backcountry, most people would never get to experience the grandeur and beauty of that place.

The park makes available a wonderful, inspiring experience.

Again, church is like that. It makes more readily available the glory and wisdom of God. People come to church expecting an encounter with God. They have that encounter because of the work of a select few.

We often think about church in terms of what it provides for us. Do the sermons feed us spiritually? Does the music help us lift our hearts to heaven? Does the church provide meaningful fellowship for us? These are relevant questions.

There is another set of equally relevant questions for Christians to ask. These questions have to do with how well we are serving the people passing through. The visitors that stop by for a single soak. The travelers who are here once, just once, on their way somewhere else.

The Bible makes it clear that the people of God have a responsibility to “outsiders,” to “strangers” and “foreigners.” We can't just take care of ourselves.

Church, our church, is for these passers by as well as for us.

This is dramatically illustrated in what the Bible has to say about the temple.

In 1 Kings, we read the story of the construction and dedication of Solomon's temple. It was a grand project, fabulously ornate. When Solomon offered his prayer of dedication, he talked about God being specially available to people there in the temple because God had promised just that. He talked about the prayers of Jews who needed forgiveness and the prayers of Jews who needed deliverance from calamities of various sorts. The Solomon spoke about the foreigner who does not belong to Israel but has come from a distant land because he has heard about the God of Israel. When that foreigner prays toward the temple, seeking God's ear, then, Solomon said, Let God be sure to hear and act on the foreigner's prayer.

In Isaiah 56, the prophet goes to some length to assure both foreigners and “disqualified” Jews—that is Jews who were by law excluded from the temple because they were not fully functioning males—that God would welcome them in his house of prayer, because, God said, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

“All nations” were not responsible for building and maintaining the temple. It was a Jewish project. Still, God declared that the Jewish temple was not for Jews only.

Just so, the building and maintaining of our church is not the responsibility of the general population. It is our calling. Still, even though it is “our church,” “our responsibility” it is also to be a house of prayer for all nations, for all peoples. By caring for this church, we are serving far more than merely the members of our congregation. We are serving the world.


So, to all of you who support the church with your time and money, thank you. Thank you for creating this place of heavenly welcome.

And to those who come and benefit from what church offers, I invite you to be part of the community of volunteers that actually keep this place up.

Whenever I visit one of these hot springs, I pick up litter. It's my way of showing respect and appreciation for the people who build and maintain the pools. It's my way of showing respect and appreciation for the gift of hot water, God has bestowed on these places. At some hotsprings, there is hardly any litter at all. At others, there are beer bottles, soda cans, cigarette butts. I pick up anything I find and take it with me.

If you value the experience of God and community church makes available, I invite you to begin taking responsibility for the upkeep of this church.

Our monthly budget is about 8000 dollars. If we have 80 households in the church, that would $100 per month per family. For some of us $100 is a lot of money. For others, $100 is cost of two times eating out.

Our aim is not equal giving. Instead we aim at equal sacrifice. My dream would be that everyone would give something significant.

To go back to our metaphor of the church as a hot spring. Not everyone can spend several days building or repairing a soaking pool. But everyone can help take trash home. Everyone can do something that makes the place a little better than it was when they arrived.

So here in the life of the church. Everyone can do something. Volunteer to mow the lawn or clean the bathrooms. Give money, a little or a lot. Help with the greeting or the clean up after potluck. Help bring food for the North Hill Cafe. Join a worship team to help provide music for yourself and others.

There is almost always something you can do. Look around the church and see if you can spot someone you don't know. Then welcome that person. They may have been longer than you have. Or they may be here for the first time, wondering they are really wanted around here. You greeting, your hand shake, your smile, may be the critical connection between that person and God. This is something you can do, even if this is your first time here.

Some of you might be thinking, there are several different areas of need listed on the envelope or the on-line giving form. Where is the greatest need?

The first answer to that question is always church budget. Money that is given to the church budget can be used to take care of any need in the church.

If you want something more specific than that, you can give to the building fund. This goes to reduce our mortgage.

You can give to our needy fund or welfare fund. This is the fund we have the most fun with. Almost always the people this fund helps are members of North Hill. These are people who have done their part to participate in the financial needs of the church, then an emergency happens. They find themselves in a dire emergency and sometimes, when the funds are available the church is able to help out. And when I say “the church” that means you and me. We get to help.

Two other funds I will mention: Tuition assistance fund. The money in this fund helps young people who wish to attend Adventist schools.

The Young Adult Pastor fund. We have voted to hire a young adult pastor. She will be here beginning in July. This is a bold step of faith. We do not presently have the money in the bank to pay this person. However, we are so committed to reaching out to young people that we have voted to move ahead, praying that God will motivate people to support this work of the church generously.

Most of us get something precious and valuable out of participating in church. That's why we come. If you do receive a blessing from coming to church, I encourage you to deepen your blessing by being part of the community that actually makes church happen.

Make sure you give money to the church every month or every two weeks. And offer your time and strength, your mind and your heart. Volunteer.

As you do this, you will help this congregation fulfill our divinely-given mission—to be a house of prayer for all nations. And your own soul will be enriched.

In Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples: You are the light of the world. This is true of our lives in our homes, at work and at school, at the gym where we work out. It is especially true of our life together as a church. This church is called to be a light to the world. A warm place in a cold world. A free place in an expensive world. A welcoming place in a hostile world.

I invite you to join us in maintaining this light house, this sanctuary, this park, this glorious hot spring, this church.