From the Pastor |
Genesis 9, 1 Peter 3: 18-22
Of all God’s wondrous gifts of creation, water is surely one of the most important. Water is a basic requirement for life, and we… well we absolutely NEED water to survive. In this country, we take water for granted… We are able to simply walk to the sink and turn the handle and… whoosh… we have water. Even during times of drought… we have enough water to live. We might not be able to wash our cars or water our lawns, but generally we are blessed with a plentiful supply of water. Water brings life… It cleanses, restores, and refreshes. 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, our scriptures are 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… But let’s face it… water can be destructive as well. Think about the devastation that occurs during a flood. Did you know that it only takes a mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood waters to knock over the average adult? Just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars? Think about what would happen if torrential rains lasted for forty days and forty nights. Such a flood would bring total ruination, which is exactly what the Book of Genesis tells us happened. Now many people struggle with the story of Noah and the Ark… but if we look logically at this we can see that there is ample evidence that some kind of worldwide flood did occur somewhere in history. It is hard to deny that when we consider that EVERY area of the world… every continent and almost every faith has a flood story. A story where the god or gods were displeased and sent a massive… worldwide flood and only a few chosen people were spared. That is quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Another thing all these stories have in common? The flood waters receded and life began again. In our own faith tradition… once the catastrophic waters receded Noah was given God’s promise of restoration, and of grace… a covenant sealed by the sight of the rainbow: “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood… I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me… and all life on the earth” The reading from1 Peter makes a connection between that flood and baptism by reminding us that God saved Noah and his family through the flood, and that through the waters of baptism we, too, are saved… not in the washing away of dirt, but as a new beginning. The baptismal waters are saving waters because of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. But, Peter reminds us that through Christ we have a water that truly and wholly saves… water that is the symbol of our baptism… the Living Water. 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] He also said, “… those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” [John 4:14] You see… Jesus is the Fountain of Living Water… It is through him we have access to the fountain that NEVER runs dry. This Living Water… the Holy Spirit… is what gives us power, gives us joy and gives us hope in this world… it cleanses and restores us and brings life. 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. The Bible makes it clear that this water of life that we take in us forms a mighty river that flows out from us and touches those around us. 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 on 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 stream through which the waters flow to others… bringing love and peace… bringing restoration to a world that is anything but loving and peaceful. 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. Is it any wonder there is so much turmoil and strife? So much suffering? It is NOT how God wants us to live. We need to change, however, 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… not of raging destructive water… but a flood of God’s grace and mercy and love. We are called to flood this world with the love, peace, grace and mercy of our God. When those waters flood this world... that is when change will finally happen. And it begins through us… through you and me… and each and every individual Disciple of Jesus Christ. We cannot leave it up to someone else. So let us each take time during this Lenten Season to come back to God… back to the fountain living water and Do not simply take a sip but drink deeply and let the water flow through your entire being 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. Is your soul parched today? Is your spirit longing for a place of acceptance and healing? Jesus says, “Come to me, come to the well spring of life and received God's gift of living water. It's yours for the asking.” Amen.
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Yeon Shin
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