How Far Will I Go? “Water, water everywhere…” (not the frozen or drizzly Nebraska variety, but flowing life-giving water) is the theme in today’s readings. The prophet, Ezekiel, shares a vision of God leading him to waters rippling from the temple. Ezekiel is invited to wade in - at first ankle deep, then knee deep, and yet farther on, waist deep, until eventually Ezekiel must swim in the deep river waters. God invites Ezekiel to the river’s bank which is filled with many fruit bearing trees. God promises that the river’s waters will make all the seas fresh, enable the trees to bear fruit continually, and bring life-giving waters to all living things. In John, Jesus finds a man, ill for thirty eight years, at the pool of Bethsada, awaiting the sacred waters’ movement so that he could enter the pool and be cured. Jesus asks the man, “Do you want to be well?”. The man replies that over time he has waited in vain-he could not reach the waters before someone else first entered the healing waters. By Jesus’ words, “Rise, take up your mat and walk”, the man is healed. The appearance of water in today’s readings presents a strong image of our baptismal waters which we again meet in the Easter Vigil service at the end of our Lenten journey. Lent invites us to renew our initial immersion into the faith community’s waters; it is our ‘Yes!’ to the belief that each of us is truly ‘god-child’ from the moment of creation, made in God’s image. During my Lenten journey, how far do I dare go to re-enter the baptismal waters - my call to be a God-image in the very act of my creation? Will I wade in…ankle deep?…knee deep?…waist deep? …or freely give myself to swim in God’s life-giving waters? Am I ready for God’s healing touch in my life? Do I truly believe that I am God image - a God-child? How far will I enter into the stream of life? How far will I go to be God-image in my world-to become, ‘God made real’ in this moment, in this day? |