June 2, 2019 Text: Revelation 22:12-20
Dear Friends in Christ,
It is vital for all forms of life. It affects our metabolism and respiration.
Depending on body size, 55-78% of our bodies are made up of this. We need 1-2
gallons of this to sustain bodily functions on a daily basis. 19% of this is found in
our foods. We use it for transportation and power and 70% of the fresh kind is used
in agriculture. This morning you took a shower in it, washed your teeth with it and
drank it down in your coffee, OJ, or hot chocolate. It might be a little hard to talk
about with all the precipitation we’ve had, but talk about it we shall. By now, you
have the answer . . . it is water . . . cool, clear, water.
This morning’s text is from John’s Book of Revelation and while I have
parishioners tell me they don’t always understand the whole book, today’s message
about water is one we can understand. We need it. God provides it.
“COOL, CLEAR, WATER”
How many of you know Leonard Slye? Leonard was part of a singing group
in the 1930’s named “Sons of the Pioneers.” A member of that group, Bob Nolan,
wrote a song in 1936 about a man, his mule Dan, and a mirage in the desert. That
song was titled, “Cool, Clear Water.” That song has been so popular over the years
that it has been recorded by Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, and
Fleetwood Mac.
In the song the man and his mule need water. They are in the desert and
they are parched. Do you ever feel that way? Our thirst is usually a short duration.
Have we ever suffered from deadly thirst? We say things like, “I’m gonna die, if I
don’t get some water” or “My mouth is so dry, I can barely talk.” We are good at
drama, aren’t we? But have we really been that close to withering away because of
our lack of liquid hydration?
Sometimes we try to quench our thirst with the wrong things. A few are
mentioned in our text. “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually
immoral and the murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices
falsehood.” (v. 15) We may spend a lifetime trying to quench our thirst and we
continually turn on the wrong faucet.
For our thirst we need, cool, clear water. The water offered in verse 17, “Let
the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without
price.” This water Jesus makes available from a very deep well – the reward he
earned by His death and resurrection. This water is fresh and wholesome, for
everything that Jesus offers is the highest and the best. In this case the water is the
coolest and the clearest.
Jesus offered this water to the Samaritan woman in John 4. We have drunk
deeply of this water when it was poured on our body and soul at Baptism.
This is water that Jesus offers freely to all. It is as near to us as His Holy
Word, which proclaims to us the saving work of Christ. It is offered regularly with
the bread and wine, body and blood of the Holy Supper. This Word and this
Sacrament quench our thirst, keep us alive and sustain us as God’s people until Jesus
comes again.
Earlier I asked if you knew Leonard Slye? Well . . . How about we try the
name he changed to when he left the “Sons of the Pioneers” and became an actor in
the movies . . . Roy Rogers. Aah, you say, I know that name. Do you also remember
his television show? Once he had corralled the bad guys he would sing the song,
“Happy Trails.” Life isn’t always going to be happy trails. You have experienced
enough saddle sores and dust in the face to feel dehydrated and lost.
Our Lord doesn’t leave you there imagining an oasis in a desert drear. He
provides it now with his hydrating love and mercy and grace. He showers His
forgiveness into every crevice of your body so that sin can no longer cling to you.
When feeling like a dried up well, Jesus primes the pump so that the water of life
will engulf you. Man, that feels good.
There are blessings for the people of God, who make their way through this
life until the their Lord comes again, well-supplied with the cool, clear water of life.
Amen.
"But God demonstrated His love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
