'Jump into the River of Life'

April 3, 2019
'Jump into the River of Life'
Sally Hammel, MDiv candidate. Photo courtesy Sally Hammel

Sally Hammel, MDiv candidate, delivered the following remarks during the Tuesday morning Ecumenical Eucharist in Andover Chapel on April 2, 2019.

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The Lord brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.

Going on eastward with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, "Mortal, have you seen this?"

Then he led me back along the bank of the river. As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other. He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh. Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing." (Ezekiel 47: 1–9, 12)

There was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

>Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God. (John 5: 1–18)

 

I love that both readings today involve water. I love to be anywhere near water. I grew up near Long Island Sound and spent my childhood summers in and around water. As an adult, I spent about 10 summers in a row up at Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks—a little slice of heaven, where my six brothers and sisters, their spouses and assorted children would gather every year for a chaotic, messy, wonderful week on the lake at one of those Adirondack lake "camps" that housed about 20 people. There were loons—it was magical.

Up at the lake, there’s an island called "Tommy’s Rock"—it is a small mini island, just a huge rock with some scraggly trees on it—on one side of the island there’s a cliff, where kids of all ages have tested their risk tolerance by jumping off into the smooth, beautiful lake water. The ledge is about 15 feet high. It’s an annual tradition for locals to jump off Tommy’s Rock. Mostly, the grown-ups left this thrill to the kids, but one year, the kids challenged us to do it. No Way. Too scary. I’m too old. I’m a girl. I imagined myself slipping and sliding down the rock scraping all the skin off one side of my body. I sat with my sun hat on the rock, comfortable in my role as supportive audience. All the daring kids jumped, I cheered them on; but my heart was pounding. I knew that feeling—that feeling of adrenaline, when I know I’m being challenged, scary, terrifying, pit in your stomach—kind of like how I feel right now, doing this sermon. I was terrified.

My brother in law said, "you’re never going to change if you don’t have the courage of your convictions." Something clicked. I stood up, threw off my hat and cover up, said a god help me prayer, ran to the edge of the cliff, looking out to the horizon, not down and jumped. I felt the shock of cold water on my body and the sting of water in my nose and surfaced to cheers from all the other spectators. It was exhilarating. I felt alive!

Another story where I didn’t jump—it was my niece's wedding in Hood River, Oregon. We were on a white-water rafting trip. At one point on the journey, the water was too dangerous, so we had to leave our rafts and walk along a path through the woods. To get back into the rafts, we were given a choice—jump off a cliff into the water or walk around. This time I chickened out and walked around. It was so much more painful. I was hot, tired, the path was slippery, got scratched by brambles. Meanwhile, the people who jumped were full of life, exhilarated. I have always regretted my choice NOT to jump.

I think this is what Ezekiel is inviting us to do in the passage today. We can go as deep into ministry as we are willing to go, or we can wade around on the edges and never realize our full potential. God leaves this up to us.

There are some wonderful images in this passage. The water floods in from everywhere from all directions: we get to choose.

We can go ankle deep. It takes more than just getting your feet wet; you must fully submit. To enjoy all the blessings Jesus offers, you must trust in Him fully. The more you trust, the deeper your relationship with God grows. We can go knee deep. We need to work a little harder and trust God more. Knee deep water can hide many obstacles and cause you to stumble. We can go waist deep. The current is stronger, the obstacles harder, you’re half submerged, and you have less control over your life. We can go over our head. This is where we have no control at all. You’ve gone beyond your own ability and you must depend fully on God. This is also when we get scared and choose to stay on shore. We think it’s safer, but really, it’s a false security and we will miss the full experience of the joy of life if we don’t surrender ourselves fully to God.

John’s Gospel reading is a bit more complex for me, but leads to a similar conclusion.

We have the sick man by the healing pool of water. He’s sitting there for 38 years, the cure is right in front of him, yet he doesn’t partake and get healed. It is only when Jesus comes and asks him, “do you want to be healed”, that he says yes, and the miracle happens.

Then Jesus gets blamed by the Jewish authorities for working on a Saturday. As a punishment, they want to kill him. Pretty drastic, but he is such an enormous threat to their understanding of the way things are supposed to be.

These Jewish authorities have put a lot of effort into setting up rules to live by, laws, status quo. Jesus flies in the face of those rules when he follows God's lead and performs the miracle.

Here, I believe Jesus is saying don’t rely on the status quo. Don’t just live your life by the rules set down by someone else. Listen for God's direction. Connect yourself to your inner truth and operate from that place. Each of us has a unique gift, which God desperately wants us to use.

Both stories are stories of spiritual healing, and hope—hope for a joyous life. John and Ezekiel are inviting us to look out to the horizon, let go of the status quo, abandon ourselves to God and jump. Jump into the river of life. Stop wading in ankle deep water, stop stumbling in knee high water, don’t stop at waist deep water, surrender to the deep swirling water over our heads, surrender to the river of life in God.

God’s got this.

Amen.