Vicar's  Reflection

 

Living Water

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Jesus promised to all those who were thirsty that if they came to him, believed in him, and drank from him then streams of living water would flow from them. (John 7 37-39)

The Holy Spirit came upon and filled the disciples, to over flowing, with the power of God.  It bubbled out in words, and I dare say actions, that told and showed everyone who was present the love of God; Peter’s first sermon and ‘about 3000 people were added to their number that day’ (Acts 2)....what a start.

 

The people then were thirsty; the old ways had become parched, dry and lifeless, not only the political life, being under the rule of the Romans, but also the religious life.  It is into these dry and parched places that Jesus spoke about streams of living water bringing life and refreshment to people.  He had spoken to a Samaritan woman at the well and had talked about this same water....living water give me this water she asked.  Can we be as brave and ask for the water of life.  Have you seen the water aid appeals on the television.  The difference fresh life giving clean flowing water can bring is priceless.  The happy smiling healthy children are a picture of delight.

 

Now think about our current situation.  Lock down has in several ways brought us a drought.  A drought of social contact, of touch and embrace, of personal contact and relationships.  A drought of income, security, confidence in the future and drought in all sorts of areas of society.  There is a dryness in society, that is beginning to be watered by a relaxation of the lockdown.... Let’s hope this is a gentle watering rather than a torrent that opens the flood gates of infection by COVID19

 

There is of course another drought that we have felt, a drought in faith.  Our faith has been tested in many ways.  Whatever water we have had, we may have held onto it and sipped it, like people going through a desert rationing the water and not shared it.  We have not been able to worship in places we hold dear with the people we hold dear.  There is this dryness.  How is this drought to be broken?  Where is the water going to come from this living water of the Spirit of Jesus.  It is from Jesus himself we come to him as thirsty people. 

 

We come as individuals and for us the challenge is to let Jesus water the dry parched places of our lives in our hearts.  Our relationships that may be parched dry, anxieties that have dried up our hopes.  The things that we gave and did for others dried up by the lock down isolation.  And the drying up of the joy of our relationship with him.   Think about the happy children in the water aid advert as they turn on the tap and clean refreshing life given water pours out.  That can be you and me as we turn on the tap of God’s life giving Spirit.

 

We also come as churches and the challenge is to see where the living water of the Spirit needs to flow in the life of our churches, in worship, fellowship and mission.  Where our worship has become dry and parched, where our fellowship has dried up because we can’t meet, and where our mission has shrivelled because of drought, it all needs watering.  Where is the water ....is it in the zoom meetings, the whatsapp groups is it in the waves and conversations we have across the two meter divide.  Is it in the compassion of neighbours is it gently flowing in our neighbourhoods.

 

As we begin to look ahead to opening the churches sometime in July, we hope, let us open the tap of God’s life giving water to refresh our church...

Have a refreshing drink....

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Rev. Stuart Dimes