Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 103; Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 9:18-41; 2 Corinthians 11:16-29; Psalm 46
From the time I was in my early teens, I was a political activist. I had very clear ideas about how the world should be, and I felt the best use of my time and energy would be to take action myself to make the world conform to my vision. It took me about 18 years of living like this before I was humbled by two learnings: first, I learned that I didn’t have all the time and energy myself to effect these changes; and second, I learned that my vision for the world wasn’t the best. These discoveries followed a period of complete burn out at the ripe old age of 31. So I started a period of soul-searching to discover who might have a better vision for the world and where I might find the strength and energy to sustain me over the long haul in my attempts to bring healing to the world. And wouldn’t you know I found the answer to both questions in the same place: God. Today’s reading from Ezekiel lays out a beautiful vision of the work of the Spirit: “This water flows east, descends to the Arabah and then into the sea, the sea of stagnant waters. When it empties into those waters, the sea will become fresh. Wherever the river flows, life will flourish” (Ezekiel 47:8-9 – The Message). So much for worry about manufacturing the energy and motivation myself! J The passage then went on to address my second question about transformation as well. “The river itself, on both banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. Their leaves won’t wither and the fruit won’t fail. Every month they’ll bear fresh fruit because the river from the Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing” (Ezekiel 47:12 – The Message). Perhaps you too have had experiences of exhaustion and burn out in your attempts to help create a world filled with peace and justice. If so, turn back to the words and spirit contained in today’s passage from Ezekiel and draw strength from the fact that we have been provided with all of the resources we need to transform the world (both inner and outer!). My prayer is that we will NEVER forget to draw from the waters of the River that provides us with all we need. Til next time…
From the time I was in my early teens, I was a political activist. I had very clear ideas about how the world should be, and I felt the best use of my time and energy would be to take action myself to make the world conform to my vision. It took me about 18 years of living like this before I was humbled by two learnings: first, I learned that I didn’t have all the time and energy myself to effect these changes; and second, I learned that my vision for the world wasn’t the best. These discoveries followed a period of complete burn out at the ripe old age of 31. So I started a period of soul-searching to discover who might have a better vision for the world and where I might find the strength and energy to sustain me over the long haul in my attempts to bring healing to the world. And wouldn’t you know I found the answer to both questions in the same place: God. Today’s reading from Ezekiel lays out a beautiful vision of the work of the Spirit: “This water flows east, descends to the Arabah and then into the sea, the sea of stagnant waters. When it empties into those waters, the sea will become fresh. Wherever the river flows, life will flourish” (Ezekiel 47:8-9 – The Message). So much for worry about manufacturing the energy and motivation myself! J The passage then went on to address my second question about transformation as well. “The river itself, on both banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. Their leaves won’t wither and the fruit won’t fail. Every month they’ll bear fresh fruit because the river from the Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing” (Ezekiel 47:12 – The Message). Perhaps you too have had experiences of exhaustion and burn out in your attempts to help create a world filled with peace and justice. If so, turn back to the words and spirit contained in today’s passage from Ezekiel and draw strength from the fact that we have been provided with all of the resources we need to transform the world (both inner and outer!). My prayer is that we will NEVER forget to draw from the waters of the River that provides us with all we need. Til next time…
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