WATER OF LIFE Where would we be without water? Quite simply, we wouldn’t be, none of us. We cannot exist without it. What do you think of when you think of water? I think of life. Nothing can grow without water: plants, animals, people. Scientists are now trying to verify that Mars used to have water. This will prove that the planet used to be alive, they say. Everything needs water. We can survive a lot longer without food than we can without water. The scriptures contain all kinds of references to water. In the Old Testament there are great accounts of how the chosen people were freed from slavery by the use of God's power through Moses: Egypt's water source was turned into blood. Pharoah's army was drowned when they tried to cross the Red Sea in pursuit of the Hebrew people. God destroyed the earth by floodwaters, saving Noah, his family and two of every kind of animal. But we can go back farther than that -- to the beginning, to the creation stories in the book of Genesis. In the first chapter of the first book before the earth was formed, there is water, right along with God. Verse 2 says, "...a wind from God swept over the face of the waters." And if you read that first chapter you will see that for God to create order out of chaos, God had to bring boundaries and structure to WATER. To make the Garden of Eden the paradise that it was, God created a river so that everything could grow. In the New Testament there more references to water than we have time to mention: Jesus nurtured in Mary's womb by water; Jesus being baptized by John; Jesus' first miracle--turning water into wine; Jesus discussing thirst with a Samaritan woman at a well; Jesus controlling a storm; Jesus walking on water; the Laodecian church being the temperature of lukewarm water; the lake of fire; the martyrs who wash their robes; and the faithful who drink and never thirst again. Water is an integral part of our spiritual life: a sacrament, Baptism, initiates us into the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus had to be baptized by reluctant John, says Matthew 3:15, “to fulfill all righteousness” so that we can fulfill our mission to fund a well for our partner church in Machuuquele, Mozambique. From Genesis to Revelation, the beginning through the end of the Bible. Water. In Revelation 22, the last chapter in the last book of the Bible, we learn of the role water will play at the end of time. Listen again to the words as John, in exile on the island of Patmos, writes about what Jesus revealed to him for the churches to take to heart. Let's get the picture, the scenery in our heads. There's an angel. Get a picture of an angel in your minds. This angel points out The River of the Water of Life. This is not the first time The River of Water of Life appears in the Bible. It's in Genesis, it fertilizes the Garden of Eden. In both Genesis and Revelation, The River of the Water of Life fertilizes the Tree of Life. Think about this the next time someone who doesn't study the Bible in a holistic manner, tells you the Bible seems disjointed. Remember that Genesis begins the canon and Revelation brings it full circle. Continue to imagine the description here: we have an angel giving directions, pointing out The River of the Water of Life. It is bright as crystal. You know what crystal looks like: dynamic clarity, with a luminescent quality, see-through properties, pure, so very pure, and shiny. This water is nothing like the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers -- full of mud, pollution, needing complex chemicals to kill bacteria so that it can be clean. The River of the Water of Life is of perfect quality. Why? Because of its source -- the throne of God and the Lamb. The River of the Water of Life flows from the throne. Try to get a handle on that picture. I don't know why I could find no paintings of this river on The River fertilizes the Tree of Life. A tree that spans two sides of a river and produces 12 different kinds of fruit. Twelve symbolizes one fruit for each one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Because of the River of the Water of Life, we have eternal food and health and nothing accursed or bad in the new Jerusalem. Everything, all of our needs will be met. And in verse 16 Jesus identifies himself to John with this picture of heaven to tell everyone on earth to Come. Jesus wants every human being in heaven. Come! It's an invitation. Verse 17 says, Let everyone who is thirsty, come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. The River of the Water of Life is a metaphor for Eternal Life. In Revelation, Jesus explains The River of Water of Life as the gift of salvation that he gained for us on the cross. Just as he told the Samaritan woman if you drink from me, the living water, you'll never thirst again, he gives all of humanity the same promise. Jesus is the ultimate answer to all of our questions. Salvation, meaning the forgiveness of sin, and eternal life are the same. Water. In the beginning of creation water was there with God. And at the end of time, water will be there with God. Flowing from the throne, for us. Water -- the symbol of life. Necessary for all life to thrive, is from God for us. Water. Necessary for heaven and earth. Eternal life is a gift. We can't beg, borrow or steal it. It comes from God. It belongs to God. We can freely receive it, but we can't take it. It's God's gift through Jesus Christ. Do you see how important water is to us naturally and spiritually? I think it's pretty neat that God found a way to simply teach us that all that we need is in Jesus. He's what we need to live, and move, and have our being -- past, present and future. "And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift" (Rev. 22:17). The invitation to a thirsty world is extended. Let Jesus quench your thirst. Thanks be to God. Amen. |