Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, February 4, 2018 River of Life Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, February 4, 2018

Psalm 46 1 God is our refuge and strength,     a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,     though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam,     though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

Psalm 46 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,     the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;     God will help it when the morning dawns. 6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;     he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us;     the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Psalm 46 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;     see what desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;     he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;     he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God!     I am exalted among the nations,     I am exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us;     the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

“There is a river . . .” Hezekiah’s Tunnel? Ezekiel’s Temple?

Consistent theme A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches (Genesis 2:10) Ezekiel 47, Revelation 22

John 7:37-39 37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Recent conversation What about people who were before Jesus? What about people who don’t know about Him? Can’t everyone have access to this “river of life”?

Short answer: YES . . . See Acts 17:26-28 26 From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 28 For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ (St. Paul at Athens)

Remember Ezekiel’s vision (Ch. 47) It’s possible to go out into the water at greater and greater depth

According to the NT Something about the life and death of Jesus releases the river in force and allows a rich internal flow

So where do we see the river? It’s actually everywhere! It’s in nature It’s in you as you grow It’s in you as you make wise choices It’s in you as you create and build things It’s in you as you show kindness to others It’s in you as you pray (sometimes!) It’s in you as you develop the fruit and gifts of the Spirit

How do we get to deeper levels? Live Flow Try to do what Jesus was asking us to do (love God and others, take care of the planet) Say “yes” Believe God will work in and through us (as we are!) Learn how to participate with Spirit in creativity and in prayer

Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence (18th c.) P. 49 . . . Are we thirsty?

Back to Psalm 46 Does all of this background affect the way we understand this passage? How would you read it now?