Dazzling Beauty

~~~ Revelation 22:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 95 ~~~ Luke 21:34-36 ~~~

Just think for a moment how amazing our world would be if
we were only allowed to use words
depicting truth, beauty, and love.
That would truly be the miraculous 'new earth'
we read about this week.

The best written words bring alive in your
minds eye pictures and feelings.
If you have ever gazed upon the water as the sunlight
danced about like tiny diamonds then you can
 picture the passage from Revelation today.

An angel showed me the river of life-giving water,
sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God...

There is one significant note to make here...
this river is sparkling like a crystal, not from
the sun as we experience it;
this river is sparkling from the glorious face of Jesus.
It is the full glory of God that creates the dazzling beauty on the water.
This water is the life giving water...alive with pure redemption...
alive with resurrection...
This water gives new life to all who believe in the source.

“Behold, I am coming soon.”
Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book.

Today is the final day of this liturgical year.
Let us begin to prepare our hearts
for the coming of the Lord.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

The weeks of Advent remind us of just how human God became.
He comes into our world as an innocent infant.
Blessings of innocence.
~~~Peace~~~

In the Heat of the Day

~~~ Third Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~Exodus 17:3-7~~Psalm 95~~Romans 5:1-2, 5-8~~John 4:5-42~~

...the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

The Samaritan woman came to the well as she routinely 

did to draw up water from the well.

It was a gathering place for the whole community.
She came alone in the heat of the day.
She was an outcast; she isolated herself.
Most others did not come to the well in the middle of the day,
 but rather in the cool early morning.

She may not have even been thirsty at that particular time,

but she came to carry the water back to her home for later.

It was her only choice, she would need water for later in the day.

She had no idea this day would not be like every other day.

Her routine was about to be changed forever.

The woman at the well was given grace 

as she listened to the words of Jesus.

His words flowed into her heart and soul and she was satisfied.

The thirst she did not identify was satisfied.

All living creatures need water to survive.

Without water a person quickly becomes dehydrated.

We find this woman dehydrated by her previous life of sin...
she had had at least five previous partners not necessarily her husbands.

 Jesus satisfies our thirst with living water.

Water that quenches our thirst for all of eternity.

This living water is not felt and has no taste.

Jesus comes to relieve us from our own dehydration.
He offers us water that will never subside...
water that will always satisfy our thirst.

Jesus met this woman at the well...
the well was a central meeting place...the well was significant.
Things happened at the well...friendships were made.
Even marriages took place at the well.

Jesus, a Jewish male, reaches out to this Samaritan woman.
He breaks open all social boundaries.
Jesus never let perceived boundaries prevent him
from reaching out to a soul in need.

The next time someone asks you for a drink...
who knows it just could be Jesus reaching out to you.

Blessed as Jesus comes to us when we are attempting to be invisible.
The woman at the well did not intend to meet anyone that day.
What a surprise God had in store for her.

Her soul was saved through her encounter 

with the source of the water...

Jesus Christ.

Peace.

Rising Waters

 ~~~ Ezekiel 47: 1-9, 12 ~~~ Psalm 46 ~~~ John 5:1-16 ~~~

 

 

Living along the coast, I have learned the real danger of flash flooding.

When the water begins to rise you often do not

have the time to evacuate.

The quickly rising water can pose a life threatening

danger in a matter of minutes.

 

Ezekiel is being led little be little, step by step
 into deeper and deeper waters.

An angel is leading the prophet on this journey,

but his anxiety level was surely increasing.

 

The water was flowing out of the temple.

It was not like walking into a river or a stream.

The water was rising.

With each step the water goes from ankle deep to waist deep;

clearly it was getting deeper.

 

Until finally the water was so deep Ezekiel had to swim.

It was the angel that brought him safely to the bank of the river.

 

This is water imbued with power from God.

This water is rich with life producing qualities.

This water has the power to change salt water into fresh water.

This water flows right from God himself.

The giver of life created this water to continue his creative life giving quality.

Now God uses this water as a sign of his ability

to bring forth new and abundant life.

The power of God remains with us...he is in the water...

thus it is the living water.

 

 

When the essence of God is present one does not need

to enter into the water to be healed.

The desire of the heart makes the healing possible.

 

"Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.”

 

The desire to be healed was burning inside of this man.

Jesus answered the silent prayer of the man to be healed.

Jesus proved to this man, who had been ill for thirty eight years,

healing is possible even on the Sabbath.

 

What desires are in your heart that you have yet to verbalize?

Just the act of carrying your bed roll was a violation of the Sabbath

 much less healing a person in front of the enforcers of the law. 

 

This was once again too much blasphemy for the Jews.

They believed the observing the law was the most important one could do.

 

 

Fountains in the Desert

~~~ Memorial of Saint Lucy ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 41:13-20 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Matthew 11:11-15 ~~~

 

God will answer the needy. He will hear all who call on him.

 

I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

 

The Lord God promises to bring forth springs of fresh water.

He will bring forth water in the most unlikely places...

bare heights and deserts.

Not only will streams of flowing water but fountains of water as well.

There is the possibility of abundant life in moving water.

God does not provide us with stagnant water,

but rather water that is life giving from himself.

He is the source of this water.

 

Isaiah specifically writes of the trees which will be planted in the desert land...

there will be all sorts of trees growing here.

The trees will emerge here even though this is not there normal habitat.

 

Trees have a meaningful place in the scriptures...

from the crib to the cross; trees have been put to use.

In the Garden of Eden we find the great tree of good and evil.

Many psalms make reference to trees as an example of God's care.

Trees have been used in the parables Jesus told.

Jesus called down one of his followers down from a tree top.

 

It is wonderful that trees are such a central part of our Christmas season.

We see them decorated everywhere we go...

in our homes, in our retail stores, outside in yards...

trees stand adorned with whatever is placed upon their branches.

 

 

Those who have ears ought to hear...

God brings life to the barren dry desolate wasteland.

He adorns the banks of the living water with trees of every sort.

 

John the Baptist was the link between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

He foretold the coming of the Lord and when the appointed time came he took Jesus into the Jordan river, submerged him, and proclaimed him to be the Son of God.

The heavens opened and God exclaimed joy for his Beloved Son.

 

The trees and all that is living flourish in the presence of the Lord.

 

As you decorate your Christmas tree this year let it be a reminder of how God

is there for you in his roll as shepherd and as the one who brings forth

the living water in joyful fountains, perhaps even dancing fountains.

 

Saint Lucy knew what it meant to listen for the voice of the Lord.

She models for us what it means to be joyful in the Lord,

even in the face of death.

 

St. Lucy, Pray for us!

Misleading Appearances

~~~ Jer. 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 ~~~ Psalm 36 ~~~ Matthew 13:10-17 ~~~

"...Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water..."

It is so easy to be misled by the appearances of things.

Jeremiah is talking about the wells the people have dug that are defective.

They appear to be collecting water but in reality

they are broken and the water is being wasted.

Recently I was filling the kitchen sink with hot soapy water to wash the dishes.

I thought I had placed the stopper correctly into the drain.

However, a few minutes later when I returned to the kitchen

the water had all drained out.

Initially it appeared to be retaining the water; it was only later

when the water was gone that I checked the stopper.

We can be fooled into thinking because something looks right that it is right.

It reminds me of the saying you can not judge a book by its cover.

The people listening to Jeremiah were confused they missed the true living waters becasue they were too busy digging their faulty broken cisterns.

"...they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand..."

Too often when we are off doing our own thing we miss what is most important.

Where is your living water today?

Are you focusing your attention on the faulty well?

Are you confused?

Are you missing the crack in the cistern?

Are you losing precious living water?

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear."

Do you have the desire to really see and to really hear?

How long will you be fooled by imitations?

As a child I wanted to prove my daddy wrong. Whenever he said I would not get something accomplished I worked harder than ever to prove him wrong.

Maybe that was his real motive I never asked him.

Jesus is lamenting the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah.

"...You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them."

Today we are in a much better situation; our eyes and ears have

access to the truth.

We can see if we but open our eyes.

We can hear if we but open our ears.

The question for us is once you see and hear, then what?

Is it good enough to just be able to say I see and hear?

Seeing and hearing comes with some responsibilities.

We must in effect keep the cisterns in good repair.

We must be vigilant of even the tiniest crack.

For left unattended a tiny crack can eventually become more serious.

Jesus used parables because they are timeless in their ability

 to convey their message.

We are reminded that keeping the faith is not a one time deal.

Keeping the faith alive requires daily maintenance...

payiny attention to the little details.

Lord, grant us the grace to see and hear the truth in all situations.

Place Your Trust in the Lord

~~~ Jeremiah 17:5-10 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 16: 19-31 ~~~

Sometimes I like to consider the New Living Translation of the Bible. You can gain fresh insight as to how these ancient texts relate to people in our times. This reading from Jeremiah is so rich and full of thoughts we can take to prayer for reflection.

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Wisdom from the LORD

⁵ This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the LORD. 

Too often when we only rely on human beings we are disappointed. We have hurt feelings. We say things we did not really mean. We act before thinking about the consequences. We give credit when not deserved or earned.

 ⁶ They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.

If we only put our trust in humans we will always be searching for the next greatest and most exciting person to follow. We will be like lost children wandering aimlessly about the world. We will be like a beautiful flowering desert cactus that is never able to bloom...is never able to bring forth its full beauty...its complete purpose.

   They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.

The barren wilderness eventually causes you to become bitter, hopeless; even to the point of despair. To be barren is to be empty of new growth and new life. The wilderness is a lonely place when you are looking for the Lord.

⁷ “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.

But all is not lost..if we place our hearts and minds in the right place...in the Lord, we will be delivered from our barrenness. The Lord will be with us...he alone is our Hope.

⁸ They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.

Roots...faith in the living water of the Holy Spirit will sustain us even in the wilderness. Our roots must be given care and attention for they anchor us in the Lord.  

Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.

If we trust in the Lord nothing can shake us. If we are anchored in the Lord nothing can take that away; not trials or worries. If our faith is in the Lord alone we can remain faithful in prayer even in times of dryness.  

Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

Even when we do not 'Feel' like God is present with us we must continue to walk in his way...to follow his lead. To keep our leaves green means to nurture your prayer life.

⁹ “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?

The human heart cannot be fully understood by us. Yes, we wonderful physicians who can diagnose and repair the mechanical workings of our heart, but we do not really understand the human heart. The human heart has most unique characteristics. Recent research has proven that the human heart even stores memories.

¹⁰ But I, the LORD, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.

That which we think is held secret within our hearts is well known to God. God knows us better than we know ourselves. The Holy Spirit can grab hold of our hearts when we least expect it. The Spirit of God can give you the desire for a pure cleansed heart. This is our task during Lent; to ask God to help us as we search our own hearts.  

 I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.”  

New Living Translation

"I, the Lord, alone probe the mind and test the heart,

To reward everyone according to his ways..."

Put your faith and trust in the Lord, but love your fellow human beings.