Living alongside Lake Superior, one is always aware of water!
This winter I find myself checking daily to see how much ice is visible. On some days great sheets of ice are present, stretching from the shore out into the lake. A few hours or days later, the ice may be gone, apparently blown out to deeper water. Lake Superior ice cover is constantly changing during the winter months.
Recently I was reminded of some other “watery” facts related to the lake:
* Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake, by surface area, in the world.
* It could hold the water from all of the other Great Lakes, along with three more Lake Eries.
* It contains 10 percent of the world’s fresh surface water.
And another statistic that always amazes me: Lake Superior contains enough water to submerge all of North and South America under one foot of water!
While we live next to an abundant source of clean water, other parts of the country aren’t faring as well. Extreme shortages of water in California and other parts of the southwest are causing great concern. Indeed, adequate water is essential for life!
On a website called “How Stuff Works,” one finds this description of why water is vital: “In humans, it acts as both a solvent and a delivery mechanism, dissolving essential vitamins and nutrients from food and delivering them to cells. Our bodies also use water to flush out toxins, regulate body temperature and aid our metabolism. No wonder, then, that water makes up nearly 60 percent of our bodies or that we can’t go for more than a few days without it.”
Human beings, animals, plants – indeed our ecosystem – are dependent on water!
In the Bible, water is often used as a metaphor for spiritual truth or life. This is seen regularly in the Old Testament. Jesus, who was fond of using metaphors in his teaching, also used water as a point of comparison.
In the gospel of John, Jesus talked about “living water” to describe what he has to offer people. In the 4th chapter of John, we are allowed to “listen in” on a conversation Jesus has with a woman he meets at a well. Jesus had been traveling and at noon he stopped to rest at a well, while his traveling companions went into the nearby town to buy food. While he was there, a woman came to the well to draw water and Jesus initiated a conversation with her by asking her for a drink.
The woman is surprised by his request, knowing that there were both ethnic and social barriers that would normally prevent a conversation between her and Jesus. She wonders out loud why he would ask her for a drink.
Then Jesus draws her into a deeper conversation by saying “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
The woman is puzzled, noticing that Jesus doesn’t even have a bucket with which to draw water from the well. She asks: “Where would you get this living water?”
Going deeper still, Jesus makes a wonderful statement about what he has to offer: “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
While ordinary water could give temporary satisfaction, the “water” that Jesus offered provided something lasting: spiritual life and long-term satisfaction!
Intrigued, the woman indicates her desire for this water. While she still didn’t fully understand the nature of this “living water,” one can imagine that she was becoming more aware of a thirst within herself. Jesus’ offer sounded hopeful!
From this point on, the conversation takes a more serious turn as Jesus touches on the delicate subject of the woman’s past, a past that included relational issues and rejection. Even as these things are revealed, Jesus treats the woman with kindness and respect, answering her questions. Certainly it was clear that she was a person who was “thirsty” for understanding; a person in need of the deep satisfaction that Jesus offered.
As the dialog progressed, the woman became convinced that Jesus was no ordinary man. In fact, she is so taken with him and his teaching, that she leaves her water jar behind and runs back to town to tell others about him. The townspeople come out to meet Jesus and the writer tells us that many believed Jesus. They too were glad recipients of the “living water” that Jesus offered.
Today we are all aware of the physical need we have for good, clean water. In addition, I believe that many are aware of a deep spiritual thirst – a thirst for forgiveness, hope, satisfaction and a fresh start. Often we become aware of our spiritual longings when we find ourselves facing uncertainty or difficulties. Jesus, who lived, died and rose again, is still in the business of offering “living water” to all who are open to receive it! Check out John 4 and other Scripture passages to learn more about this life-giving water.
Each month the clergy of the Cook County Ministerium offer Spiritual Reflections. This week’s contributor is Pastor Deborah Lunde of Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte.
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