Jesus
stood and cried out, saying,
"If
anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,
out of his
heart will flow rivers of living water."
John
7:37-38
Have
you seen the movie 127 Hours? It is a film based on the true-life
experiences of Aron Raston, a canyoneer who was trapped in an isolated canyon
in southeastern
Raston’s
story was well-known before the making of the film. I myself had read the news
accounts of his rescue when it occurred, and as I had a general sense of the
story, I could appreciate the irony of one of the film’s opening shots. It
shows Raston dashing about his house packing supplies for the day-long hike. He
grabs a clear plastic water bottle and places it in his kitchen sink under a
stream of running water and then leaves it to fill as he goes into the other
room. The camera focuses in on the water filling and then overflowing the
bottle. Finally, Raston returns to the sink, turns off the water and grabs the
bottle. That image comes back to haunt the viewer later as he later watches
Raston strain for a final drip of water from that bottle. How, we wonder, could
we be so indifferent to the precious gift of water?
Water.
It is absolutely essential for life. Without adequate water, we die.
But
not everyone has access to potable water. Did you know?
- Over 1.5 billion people do not have access to clean,
safe water.
- Almost 4 million people die each year from water
related diseases.
- Women in Africa and
- At any one time, more than half the world’s poor are
ill due to inadequate sanitation, water or hygiene.
- 80% of all illness in the developing world comes from
water born diseases.
Yes,
water and the lack of it is a real issue in the world and a matter of vital
concern for us humans.
This
is nothing new, of course. It was the same in the days of Jesus’ earthly
ministry. People needed water to survive, and they needed clean, useable water.
Jesus
used that need to communicate the unique nature of the gift that He offered,
the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come
to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his
heart will flow rivers of living water.” And this water, the same water of
which He had spoken to the Samaritan woman, He observed, would provide
everlasting relief from thirst, “Whoever drinks of the water I shall give Him
will never thirst.” In other words, humanity’s craving and desperate need –
continuing fellowship with Almighty God – were met in the Person of Jesus Christ.
All who craved that fellowship were welcome, and whoever came and drank would
be eternally satisfied through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
And
there’s more than that. Jesus also said that, for those who came and drank,
that water would become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
In other words, an abundance of God’s Spirit would pour from that person and
others would be able, through that abundance, to taste and see that God is
Good, and, ultimately, satisfy their own eternal cravings through Jesus Christ
the Lord.
But
you know all this.
What
I want to ponder with you for a moment is this: in the simple act of giving
away clean physical water, Christians have an opportunity to proclaim the truth
of God’s gift of life in Christ Jesus.
This
can be done in a myriad of ways. It can be done on a global scale. Recently I
became aware of “the water project”, an international non-profit organization
that seeks to address the worldwide need for potable water. This organization
labors to provide clean water to villages around the world as a way of
“relieving suffering, stimulate economic development, and introducing a true
and lasting hope.” And the folks working with that group do it as an expression
of their faith in Christ. As they write on their webpage (www.thewaterproject.org):
“We're Christ-followers and we believe that Jesus has made an unambiguous call
to ‘provide a cup of cold water’ and to answer the needs of those who say ‘I am
thirsty’ (Matt 25).” They add, “The reason we do this work is because
we are Christians. We believe that important distinction allows us to work with
people of all backgrounds and faiths for the benefit of all people. Our
projects do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, ethnic or religious
backgrounds. We serve others. These essential, life-sustaining water projects
speak to what loving one's neighbor truly means. We exist to see the world
changed through this love. It is a simple message of hope in an increasingly
desperate and hostile world.” And that’s cool.
And
it can be done on a local scale. Tomorrow evening, Geneva
Yep,
we can be a part of meeting our world’s needs, both the physical needs and the
spiritual needs. We can get involved in global action with groups like The
Water Project, and we can get involved in local action, by participating in
things like Living Hope’s “Cruising Night Outreach.” Specifically, you
can do two things to help with Living Hope’s outreach tomorrow night: First, we
need donations of bottled water. You can drop them off at the church anytime
today (someone will be at the church until 9 PM) or tomorrow (from 9 AM on).
Second, you can come out and join the fun at the Block Party. Stop by the
table, spend some time helping out, and then walk the streets and enjoy all the
other activities. Join us!
Jesus
answered and said to her,
"Whoever
drinks of this water will thirst again,
but
whoever drinks of the water
that I
shall give him will never thirst.
But the
water that I shall give him
will
become in him a fountain of water
springing
up into everlasting life."
John
4:13-14
- Christian Pilet
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