Today I would like you to develop a mental picture of water gushing from a rock. Last summer, I hiked the Green Mountains in Vermont and searched to find Warren waterfall. I followed the stream through the woods and then climbed some cliffs and climbed farther, until I came to a rock, and there it was. A waterfall gushing full forced out of the rock. Do you have the image? Can you see it, water gushing out of a rock? The water flowed out of the rock, silently, peacefully, flowing from beneath the moss and it was simply stunning.Once Moses was out in the wilderness and struck a rock and water came gushing out of it. The Feast of the Tabernacles remembered that event. One day, Jesus was watching the priest bend down and dip the water that was bubbling out of the rock, that living, cold, fresh water. Jesus said: "When the Holy Spirit comes and lives in you, out of your heart shall flow rivers of living water."
And immediately, my mind flashes. I see the water coming out of the rock at Warren waterfall. I can still feel the icy water on my barefoot as I climbed from one riverbank to the other to get a better shot of the waterfall. Again I hear Jesus’ words and understand: "Out of the mountain shall flow rivers of living water."
What is this living water? The living water is the Spirit of God, the love of God, God’s compassion and tenderness and mercy and kindness and gentleness for all people. It is the love of God that is flowing out of you. Out of your mouth. Out of your lips. Out of your hands. Out of your eyes. The living, love of God, flowing out from you.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are like little rivulets running through their family and community. They are the cooks who bring meals to students and shut-ins, They are the hands who change the bed of the sick. They are the chauffeur who lifts the wheelchair into the trunk and brings a neighbor to church. They are the volunteer at the hospital, nursing home and hospice care. The spouse who cares for their beloved fallen by a stroke or Alzheimer’s. All these people riverbanks are green, plush green, verdant green, living green, loving green. When the Holy Spirit lives in you, out of your heart shall flow rivers of living water.
