If we find ourselves in the desert, could there really be rivers of living water flowing from us?
“On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”
So, when Jesus stands up on the last day of the feast, what a proclamation for those with the collective memory of the trauma of the wilderness. “If anyone is thirsty, let that person come to me and drink.” As they heard Jesus’ words, I wondered if they remembered the stories of how God provided in the desert? As they heard Jesus’ words, I wondered if their parents had handed down treasures of manna, birds and water? And if we find ourselves in the desert, could there really be rivers of living water flowing from us?
The festival of booths or festival of Tabernacles was the greatest of feasts for Jewish people. For 8 days some of the practices included people leaving their homes and camping out in “booths” in community to remember the 40 years in the wilderness. They would listen to teachings, they would tell stories of how God sustained them in the wilderness. It was also a time of rejoicing, marching, praying, and cleansing with many centering rituals and images. A time of remembrance and revelation.
So, when Jesus stands up on the last day of the feast, what a proclamation for those with the collective memory of the trauma of the wilderness. “If anyone is thirsty, let that person come to me and drink.” As they heard Jesus’ words, I wondered if they remembered the stories of how God provided in the desert? As they heard Jesus’ words, I wondered if their parents had handed down treasures of manna, birds and water? And if we find ourselves in the desert, could there really be rivers of living water flowing from us?
If Jesus is our source, then yes. If the Spirit’s flowing river is tapped, I wrote of the places where we need to be filled back up as God declared God’s own self the great shepherd of the people of Israel. Today, Jesus echoes his Father’s character and says, “If you are thirsty. Dry. Parched. Weary. Come to me. I have wells of living water in me.” Jesus promises that our throats need not be parched. Our souls need not stay dry. Our bodies can be renewed and rejuvenated. If we are a desert, Jesus is the deep well within. And we in turn will become wells where the flow of God’s wild and wise Spirit flows to bring life to the parched places of our workplaces, homes, communities.
Yes, indeed tap into the Holy Spirit then overflow onto others.
Comments