"The Church As An Oasis"-Rev.A.LaMar Torrence
Exodus 15:26-27
I. Introduction
A. Sister Maya Angelou’s poem “On the Pulse of Morning”: A Rock, A River, A Tree Hosts to species long since departed, Marked the mastodon. The dinosaur, who left dry tokens of their sojourn here on our planet floor, any broad alarm of their hastening doom is lost in the gloom of dust and ages. But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully, Come, you may stand upon my Back and face your distant destiny, But seek no haven in my shadow I will give you no hiding place down here. You, created only a little lower than The angels, have crouched too long in The bruising darkness, Have lain too long Face down in ignorance Your mouths spilling words. Armed for slaughter. The Rock cries out to us today, you stand on me, but do not hide your face. Across the wall of the world, A River sings a beautiful song, it says, come rest here by my side. Each of you a bordered country, Delicate and strangely made proud, Yet thrusting perpetually under siege Your armed struggles for profit Have left collars of waste upon My shore, currents of debris upon my breast. Yet, today I call you to my riverside, if you will study war no more. Come, Clad in peace and I will sing the songs The Creator gave to me when I and the Tree and the Rock were one. Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your Brow and when you yet knew you still knew nothing. The River sings and sings on. There is a true yearning to respond to the singing River and the wise Rock. So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew The African, the Native American, the Sioux, The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh, The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher, the privileged, the homeless, the Teacher. They all hear .The speaking of the Tree. They hear the first and last of every Tree Speak to humankind today. Come to me, here beside the River. Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River. Each of you, descendant of some passed on traveler, has been paid for. You, who gave me my first name, you Pawnee, Apache, Seneca, you Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of Other seekers--desperate for gain, Starving for gold. You, the Turk, the Arab, the Swede, the German, the Eskimo, the Scot, You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare Praying for a dream. Here, root yourselves beside me. I am that Tree planted by the River, Which will not be moved I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree I am yours--your Passages have been paid Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need For this bright morning dawning for you. History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. Lift up your eyes upon this day breaking for you. Give birth again to the dream. Women, children, men, Take it into the palms of your hands. Mold it into the shape of your most Private need. Sculpt it into the image of your most public self. Lift up your hearts each new hour holds new chances for new beginnings. Do not be wedded forever to fear, yoked eternally to brutishness. The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change. Here, on the pulse of this fine day You may have the courage To look up and out and upon me, the Rock, the River, the Tree, your country. No less to Midas than the mendicant. No less to you now than the mastodon then. Here on the pulse of this new day You may have the grace to look up and out And into your sister’s eyes, and into Your brother’s face, your country And say simply Very simply With hope Good morning.
B. This was a new morning for the Israelites, It has not been a month yet, since they witness the Spirit of the lord defeat their oppressors and Pharaoh. This was a process of faith developments whereby God would prove them. The people would be challenged to stop relying on their perceptions to trusting God’s promises. This is a time of proving. They would experience moments of bitterness as well as moments of blessings. Times were inconsistent. The only thing that would be consistent in their lives is the word of the Lord. So right now they found themselves encamped by the waters to rest for awhile. Their ears would be soothed by gentle sounds. Their eyes would find joy in the refreshing environments. This was a time of refreshment, revival, and restoration. This would be a time of healing.
C. Exodus 15:26…” I will put none of the diseases upon you, I put upon the Egyptians; for I am the lord your healer. Jehovah Rapha) Literally, I am a healer/physician. I yet believe that the word of God is a prescription for the world’s ills today. Our brokenness can be mended by God’s holy word. Our sorrows can be turned into joy through his word. Our hunger can be satisfied by every word spoken by his voice. Whatever is our condition, God has the remedy. Whatever is our complaint, God has the solution. The answer to our soul’s question, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” – is this, yes there is and it is Jesus. Jesus is our hope, our objective, our mission, and our destiny. He is our all and all. In him we move and have our being. And as his people- his body incarnated- we should want to become more and more like him every second of the day. We want our minds stayed on him. We want our souls filled with his spirit. We want our hearts overflowing with his grace. Jesus is what we desire to become. He is a deliverer. And whatever Jesus did in his earthly ministry; we want emulate his life in ours. So, we want to deliver. He is healer, so we want to heal. He is the bread of life and living water- so we want to feed the hungry, and quench the thirst of a dry and disillusioned world. To be more like Christ is our desire.
D. The church should be an oasis for the lost and weary seeking refreshment, renewal, and rest in their lives. We should the tree under which they find their shade in the heat of conflict, chaos, and strife. We should be the rock, on which they sit and refresh and receive visions and directions concerning the future. We should be the river from which they drink to refresh and revive their parched spirits and souls. We should be the oasis in the midst of a desert society.
II. The Rock
A. The rock is a symbol of hardness. Therefore the breaking of the rock exemplifies the power of God. We have a tendency to harden our hearts towards Gods. But to be reflective of his power and his glory we must open our selves up to him and his will.
i. Proverbs 28:14 “Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.”
ii. Psalm 85:7-9 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah] in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did.
B. The rock is a symbol of God.
i. 2 Sam 22:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge…”
ii. Ps 61:2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call, as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
iii. Isaiah. 35:6-7..”For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool and the thirsty ground springs for water.
III. The River:
A. Psalm 46:4 “There is river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God…” Because of scarcity of water, the people especially appreciate it.
i. They love to go and sit by a stream of running water.
ii. Men long for a taste of the water of their native village.
iii. A town or village is known throughout the country for the quality of its water.
IV. The Tree:
A. John 12:13 “so they took branches of palm tree and went to meet him crying, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord…”
B. Rev. 7:9 ”After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”
i. Palm branches were considered a symbol of victory and to come across a place where they was an abundance of palms was a sign of victory and peace. For us to be a place of healing, a people of healing, and oasis- our lives should be a manifestation of victory. The world should never come across us and find us with spirits of defeat. We are to go into the world and declare to the people that in Jesus and with Jesus you can have victory.
