“Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 The Message Bible)
This morning as I looked out the kitchen window, I paid attention to the retention pond between the houses in our addition and the playground of the neighborhood elementary school. The lights over the playground, shining in the darkness of the hours long before dawn, made it possible to view the still waters clearly. Initially I wondered if the pond, a retention pond, served a good purpose from the homeowner’s perspective, especially since during heavy, unrelenting storms, many of the split level homes in my community have experienced flooding to a small degree, resulting in water damage. So, after making coffee, the real reason I ended up in the kitchen before daylight, I went to do a little research on retention ponds. I learned a lot, including the advantage and disadvantages of retention ponds and the need to take care of them, maintain them on an ongoing basis to ensure they serve the purposes for which they were built.
Assuming the role of the student, I learned some other facts, such as. (1) Although retention ponds provide a habitat for aquatic life, it may not be possible to achieve it immediately after the pond is created. (2) To accelerate the process, you should plan ahead and provide the right habitat for your aquatic life. This includes creating a healthy ecosystem with plants that will absorb excess nutrients in the water, provide food and shelter for fish, and keep the water clean. (3) Fish will find their way to the pond after a while, but you can speed up this process by bringing them in yourself and introducing them to the new habitat.
Immediately after my morning research, I thought about today’s churches as types of retention ponds. I related to the time needed to create a well-established church and the importance of planning, planting, building, and maintaining every house of God. Moving to another level of God-consciousness, I thought about the Great Commission given by Jesus in the opening verse. It speaks of recruitment and retention. And, if you look at it closely and you zero in on Jesus’ words about “instructing them in the practice of all I have commanded you,” it is not hard to think of how our churches must be quality built; built where Christ is the foundation, and the word of God is presented to sustain the lives of those who come into the church. Unlike some actual retention ponds that become eyesores and do not fulfill their purposes, we, the churches of our present day, we must focus on recruitment and reproduction, and not merely maintaining a good environment for those who are already in the church. Let’s face it! The emphasis on recruitment and the related outreach activities of the church have been challenged because of our pandemic years. Great efforts are extended to keep the “fish” that regularly occupy the church pews, those seats in our “retention ponds”. And while some “fish” will find their way to the “pond” eventually, we need to speed up the process of restocking and replenishing our church rolls. We can do that by reviving our efforts to bring in the fish ourselves and introducing them to a new and life-sustaining habitat in which they can reside, the kingdom of God. This morning we have quickly went from the environmental discussion of retention ponds to the discussing the evangelistic work, the recruitment of individuals to our spiritual ponds, the churches that are continuing through these challenging times, times where “fish” are not finding their way to the “pond” like they need to and/or used to. How can we help our “ponds” be filled with living beings that need to benefit from a new habitat? How can we retain them in “the pond?” The answer is twofold in this meditation. Just follow the words of Jesus above or the words of Jesus below. Think on these things and respond accordingly. Be blessed!
“And he saith unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19 KJV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King