Sunday, May 11, 2008
By pastor John Jorgenson
The insight from Jesus that His Message is for the thirsty to come and drink is a life-giving and supporting message. Do we realize that, as water is a critical element in physical survival, so also the Gospel of Jesus is likewise a critical element in our spiritual growth and development? Are we aware that, as a result of this new insight into what life is all about, we are to share that gift? As Jesus said, “For out of us flow rivers of living water!” We have a huge supply of water to give freely to those all around us who are dying of thirst every day.
Today we celebrate Mother’s day and this text is appropriate for our festive occasion. Over and over again our mothers have demonstrated by their actions, the basic meaning of the statement of Jesus; “Out of a Mother’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.&rs\dquo; As you and I look back on your and my life we realize that, despite our misunderstandings from time to time, never were we ever left out or denied the love our mothers had for us.
I am sure you are saying to yourselves much the same thing this morning. How thankful we are this morning for the gift of life our mothers gave us. How thankful we are for the gift of unlimited love that accompanied the body our parents provided for each of us to live in. Our mothers nourished that life with the rivers of living water they shared while our fathers shared the importance of being responsible and dependable and being the person we are to be. Our mothers brought joy and happiness. From our mothers we learned the essence of love, which we share with one another. This essence of love, this essential element of life, your mother and my mother learned from Almighty God, who gave us all that we have in the first place.
Now lets turn to our mother and say thank you for that love, personally if she is here. If she is not here, let’s include that idea, that thank you in a thought message, sort a like sending an emotional text message or mental email that expresses our appreciation to her for what we have been given by God through her actions and concern for each of us.
Now lets go back to the text and see just what it was that Jesus urged those people in the Temple to do. “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.’ Now He said this about the Spirit, which believers in Him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
There are three important ideas for us to consider in this text on top of saying thank you to our mothers for what they shared with us. This Festival of Booths was one of three great events that took place every year. Attendance was mandatory for all adult men living within 15 miles of Jerusalem so Jesus was there along with His disciples in the crowd enjoying the event.
The first idea is that of tradition, the history that the event stressed. This Festival of Booths focused on the past when the people were homeless and wandered in the desert fully dependent upon God to provide food and protection. So for a week people gathered and lived in simple booths, or shelters made of branches and leaves so they were not permanent but created only for that short time. Originally the festival was to last for seven days. However by the time of Jesus they had added an eighth day to emphasize the lesson to be learned as a community. It is from reliving our history that values are recalled and their importance appreciated. The danger is the actions can become idols and God is neglected. This Jesus was trying to help people learn.
A second lesson for the festival was its agricultural significance. This was a time of harvest and people were encouraged to respond with thanksgiving to God for all they had received during the past year. One ceremony was kind of a favorite one when a priest went with a golden pitcher went to the Pool of Siloam and filled it with water. He returned through the Water Gate and at the Temple altar poured out the water as an offering to God. The people sang, shouted and waved their palm branches as an expression of thanksgiving for God’s gift of water and a prayer for rain for their crops in the coming year. On the final day of the festival the people marched around the altar in memory of Jericho when after the seventh round the walls fell and the city was taken. It was at this time that Jesus may have made the point, “If any thirst, let him come to me and drink.” It is as if Jesus was saying, “You are thanking God for water that ends thirst of your body. Come to me if you want water to quench the thirst of your soul.” Rather an effective moment for learning I would say.
The final lesson for us is that Jesus is not someone for us to argue about. Jesus is someone for each one of us to know and to love and to enjoy. Jesus has a profound meaning for each of us. It is that profound meaning that changes our lives and we become aware of Gods love for us as Jesus taught. How Jesus does that is individually very effective and important. It is that experience that changes our lives. It is that experience that is important, not the way it was done because each of us is different. What is important is that Jesus changed us and made our lives meaningful. That all of us can share and our awareness of God and Jesus lessons become even greater every day as we work together.
Amen.