The Church

What is a church?
Four walls, an arched ceiling, frescoes,
statues, pews, hymnals, holy water, a priest
and choir?
Will I find God within these walls?
Is God confined to these artificial structures of worship?
I feel a peace within these walls,
a respect for the church,
but does it transcend my spirit and
provide me with inner peace?
May a church exist among the wall-less forests,
unconfined skies and
mountains that soar towards the heavens like a prominent church steeple?
A church, in reality,
is any place where the spirit of God
penetrates your heart and soul.
My church is found in the mountains,
in the forests,
in the valleys,
in the rivers and streams.
Who is God?
What is God?
Is God a man or a woman?
Maybe neither.
I have found that God is a spirit of goodness that
resides within you.
I may find this anywhere.
Within or outside of the traditional walls of worship.
The mountains rise high,
they intimidate me,
I feel inconsequential in their midst,
like a parishioner before a priest.
I am breathless, in awe,
I feel a tear fall down my face,
I breathe in and out while my
surroundings lift my spirit and
fill me with a peace unfelt before.
The trees and their long branches
reach out and comfort me,
the leaves act as my security blanket.
Their roots are tethered to the earth and
bind us to the land.
I baptize myself not in holy water,
but in the holiest of waters our land offers.
I tenderly step into the chilled lake and gasp,
I am alive,
this is my baptism.
The waters remain in constant motion
on a nearby river,
like time,
which we never have enough of,
fleeting.
I wrap myself not in the scripture or the hymns,
but in the green grassy fields
that lay across the valley.
The wind sways through this land,
I hear my hymn, sung by nature’s choir.
I find God here,
yet there are no walls,
no ceilings, no pews or priests.
My questions have been answered.