The Water of Life

Reflections on Revelation 22:12-21

"Let anyone who is thirsty come.

Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift" (Rev. 22:17)

What does the water of life mean in our lives? For those of us who live in the lakes region of NH, water is part of our everyday experience. It is hard to travel anywhere without seeing lake, stream, pond or marsh. The seasons of the year are evident in these waters of life: from the frozen surfaces of winter hiding fish beneath its protective layer, to the teeming sounds of the spring peepers, to the lush lily pad growth in the summer, and ending with the red and golden color of the grasses and reeds on the banks in the fall.

I wake up each morning looking out on the waters of life in pond on which we are blessed to live. The entire character of my home changes with the pond. In winter, when the pond is frozen and covered with snow, the white expanse dominates my living space. In contrast, with spring ice out, the sun glinting off the now moving water brings reflected and refracted light, brightening my home. On still days, the land and water seem to merge, with the boundary between land and reflected image almost indiscernible. On windy days, the water seems to take on a life of its own, banging against the rocks and sporting wind driven white caps. The water of life outside my door moderates our climate, attracts and waters the wildlife and refreshes us on the hottest of days.

Yet there are times when the waters assume a power of their own. Those who live on the coasts are only too aware of the power of the water--a destructive power which can take everything in its path.

Why is water imagery so important in our faith lives? Water is a gift from God that cleans, heals and refreshes. The power of water also reminds us that there are things more powerful than us. The God who gives the water of life is also with us when the power of water threatens our lives.

Water is at the heart of the gift of baptism. Water is the visible element in this sacrament that binds us to Christ. In the waters of baptism my sinfulness is washed from me and a new me rises to live in Christ. In baptism, the water and Word grant me new life.

"Let anyone who is thirsty take the water of life as a gift." Thanks be to God

Do you want to be made well??

Reflections on John 5:1-9

In this early part of John's Gospel, Jesus is already making a visit to Jerusalem. He goes to the pool by the Sheep Gate, which was known for its healing powers. Three years ago, when I visited the Holy Land, we made our way to what was presumably this same pool--the pool of Beth-zatha. It is no longer filled with water, but there are multiple levels of ledges lining a cavernous area. It would be easy to imagine ill people sitting or lying on these ledges, praying for the miraculous powers of the water to heal them.

Jesus asks one man who has been ill for 38 years, "Do you want to be made well?" What does Jesus mean asking this question? After a week of convalescing following knee surgery, this seems to me to be a weird question. "Do you want to be made well?" Of course someone would want to be made well. Who would want to spend their life as an invalid? Just a week of invalid status is already driving me crazy. Who wouldn't want to be healed, made well and able to be totally functional in society?

So just why does Jesus ask this question. Is it possible the man has become used to be an invalid? After all he has been ill for 38 years. Has he adapted to life as one who is less than whole? Does his life revolve around sitting by the pool of Beth-zatha? Is he used to being pitied and/or ignored?

Before Jesus performs a healing for this man, he wants him to acknowledge that he would rather be on the other side of the healing--out of the pool and into the mainstream of life. Even when Jesus is ready to heal him, Jesus forces the ill man to participate in the healing. "Stand up, take up your mat and walk." The ill man has to take action for himself--he has to believe that Jesus has the power to heal, and he has to take the initiative to stand up.

These words spoken to the man with the long term illness are meant for us, too. Is there some part of your life that is broken or not whole. Are you ill in mind, body or spirit? Jesus asks you "Do you want to be made well? Do you want your life to be whole?" Jesus provides grace for healing. Do you want to stand up, take up your mat and walk?? "Do you want to be made well?????"

Do you want to stand up, take up your mat and walk? Do you want to confront the things that are making you less than whole? Do you want to believe that Jesus has the power to heal the things in your life that are not whole--the messy relationships, the parts of your body that don't work as well as they used to, the lack of respect that you feel, the job that disappeared, or the job that makes you feel less than human? Jesus' command is for you: "Stand up, take up your mat and walk." Confront the demons that are haunting you--pray for Jesus' grace to dispel the demons. Pray to be made whole.

Amen

Who's inside and who's outside

Reflections on Acts 11:1-18

The story of Peter's visit to Cornelius of Caesarea forces us to confront our own stereotypes of who are the outsiders and who are the insiders to the Gospel in our own time.

Peter is challenged by God, first to eat foods which had been prohibited and then to visit an outsider in his home. For Peter to visit Cornelius, who was not Jewish, was a challenge to all that Peter had been taught. Jews did not associate with non-Jews. To do so was to break a religious law and a cultural boundary.

When Peter does visit, he is given the opportunity to tell the story of Jesus' life and death. During his story telling, he sees the Holy Spirit descend onto Cornelius and his guests. God selects the outsiders for a visit by the Holy Spirit.

God's work of boundary breaking did not stop with Peter. God will not be stopped by the boundaries that we humans establish. Whatever box we build, God has a way of transcending.

In Peter's time, the boundary was between Jews and Gentiles. In the 19th century America, a boundary was between master and slave. Masters tried to restrain the ways in which slaves could hear the Good News. But God's Gospel will not be contained by human walls. Many Christian churches in the 20th century confronted the boundary of the ways in which women could serve in the church. Those boundaries also began to crumble.

Look into your own life. What boundaries might you have established that God will want to challenge? Who are we that we can hinder God?

Our God is a boundary breaker and will not be contained. Think of the Lord's Prayer in which we pray "Thy will be done!"