From the Pastor |
How often do you think about water? WE tend to take for granted because it is so abundant here. We are able to simply walk to the sink and turn the handle and… whoosh… we have water.
Even during those years where we have had draught conditions… we still have an abundance of water. We drink it, wash in it… even play in it. We are blessed because we have plenty of water and water is necessary for life. Water brings life… It cleanses, restores, and refreshes. But water is also be extremely destructive. Do you know how deep a flashflood torrent needs to be to knock an average human male off his feet? 6-8”… That’s right… 6-8” of water can bring us down. We have seen the devastation that higher levels bring… A few months ago… areas of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico were demolished by water and it will be years before those areas are restored. Water is POWER! In fact, Water plays such a powerful role in scripture that it is amazing that we can still take it for granted. From the beginning of the Bible to the end, scripture is full of passages that link water to Gods creating, blessing and saving work… water is an agent of Creation, Purification and Cleansing, Restoration and Rescue… Why then do we so rarely connect water to our faith? We need water to survive. Human beings can survive a lot longer without food than we can without water. Without it we will die of thirst quite quickly. But, there is an even deeper level of thirst in our lives that is desperately crying out for relief today. It is the thirst of our spiritual lives. This thirst cannot be satisfied with natural water, not even the best bottled water money can buy. Jesus said: “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him…” [John 7:37-39] Jesus is the Fountain of Living Water… It is through him we have access to the Living Water which IS the Holy Spirit. This water never abates… this fountain NEVER runs dry. This Living Water is what gives us power, gives us joy and gives us hope in this world. The Bible makes it clear that this water of life that is placed within us forms a mighty river that flows out from us and touches those around us. We are reminded over and over during Lent of our need to Repent and turn back to God. To make a distinct and conscious change in our hearts, minds and lives. And to do this… not once but over and over again. The same is true in our coming to the water. Jesus says, if you are thirsty, come to me. I am the Fountain of Living Water… come and drink. That is the invitation… however, it takes a conscious decision to actually drink of this water. We can stand by the fountain, admiring the flowing, refreshing water all we want but nothing changes unless we choose to take a drink… To take it inside of us… to be renewed, refreshed and restored by it. It is then, as we drink and bring the water deep into our bodies that it flows through us… filling us and spilling out of us to others. But that cannot happen if we just go to the fountain and take a sip now and then. We need to drink deeply and keep drinking. Replenishing our supply until the excess pours out of us. There are too many Christians in this world that only sip the Living Water. They keep the restorative compound… that grace inside… taking only enough so that they can feel the refreshment. We don’t need to feel it! We need to be filled by it. Only then can the waters of restoration flood this world and make a change. Because, not only are we changed… not only are we saved and restored by the Living Water… but we become the way the waters flow to others… bringing love and peace… bringing restoration to a world that is anything but loving and peaceful. Once again this week we were inundated with the news of tragedy. 17 killed and 14 wounded when a 19 year old walked into the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL and opened fire with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Another community devastated… in grief and mourning… throwing up their hands and crying out… “Why, O Lord… Why did this happen?” This has become all too common… something needs to change… In fact, everyone agrees that a change needs to be made. The problem is that people cannot agree on what that change is. Some call for new and stronger gun laws… others call for teachers and security in our schools to be armed and ready… for guns to be present even in our churches for “protection.” Others call for changes in our mental health care system. The debate rages on and nothing changes. The problem is… These are not the changes we need. There is only one change that needs to be made that can truly impact our society and make a real and lasting difference. The change we need is to turn BACK to God. Our society has strayed so far from the path of God that it is beyond scary. We are a society of greed and selfishness, of violence and fear, anger and hatred. These are the things that drive the people of our society. Is it any wonder there is so much turmoil and strife? So much suffering? Even our good, God-fearing Christians prefer to bury their heads in the sand and hide away where it is safe. Not rocking the boat and afraid to “offend” someone else. We hide our faith away. Sipping just enough of the Living Water to keep our throats wet, but not enough to wash away the negativity and evil… not enough to bring new life and restoration. It is so very far from how God wants us to live. Here in America, we no longer have a real sense of community (at least until tragedy strikes). We care for ourselves and our loved ones and let the rest worry about themselves. We do not Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength… God is NOT a priority in our lives… instead God tends to be an afterthought… not central to our daily lives. The change we long for needs to start right here (point to heart) inside me… inside you! We need to turn back to God… to turn away from the destructive and negative aspects of this world and turn back to caring and kindness… love and peace. We need to take care of ourselves, our neighbors and all of creation, because all these things are being destroyed on the path we are following now. The only change that will make any real difference in this world is the turn back to God. To turn our eyes to Jesus and to drink of the Living Water… allowing it to fill us and to overflow from us… covering this world in a flood of God’s grace and mercy and love. Flooding this world with the love, peace, grace and mercy that is our God. When those waters flood this world... that is when change will finally happen. And it happens through us… each and every individual Disciple of Jesus Christ. We cannot leave it up to someone else. So let us each take time to focus on God… return to God… come to the fountain of the water of life and drink… do not simply take a sip but drink deeply and let the water flow through you restoring and renewing you… then let it spill out of you so that others can see it… feel it… be washed by it. So that others will know what it is they are thirsting for! Herein lies the power of the water: it empowers and equips us to be faithful as we answer God’s invitation to join the renewal of creation, the repair of the world. It is through water that we are united in a community of care, in which we are never alone.
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Yeon Shin
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