NOTE FROM PASTOR J R FOR MARCH 23, 2014
For this Third Sunday in Lent, all of the assigned lectionary readings can be summed up with one phrase, “Living Water for Thirsty Souls.” The unique thing about the readings however, is that at first glance, the living water was given to people who many might be deemed unworthy of receiving it. The good news is that it was given to them anyway. It is a reminder that God’s love and grace know no limits to them whom it’s extended. It’s available to everyone. It’s also a reminder that it is not what we have done but what God has done for us in Christ that makes this living water available to us. Romans 5:1-2(NLT) says it this way, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of underserved privilege where we now stand …”
Have you heard the legend of the Fisher King? It is a story that was adapted into a 1991 movie starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams. However, in the original story, when the Fisher King was a boy, he was sent out to spend the night alone in the forest, as a test of his courage to be king. During the night, he had a vision of the Holy Grail-the cup used by our Lord at the last supper. He saw it surrounded by great flames of fire, and he immediately became excited by the prospect of the wealth and glory that would be his by possessing such a great prize. Greedily, he reached into the flames to grab it, but the flames were too hot, and he was severely wounded. As the years went by, the Fisher King became more despondent and alone, and his wound grew deeper. One day, feeling sad and depressed and in pain, he went for a walk in the forest and came upon a court jester. “Are you all right?” the jester asked. “Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?” “Well, I am very thirsty,” the Fisher King replied. The jester took an old dilapidated cup from his bag, filled it with water from a nearby stream, and gave it to the Fisher King. As he drank, he suddenly felt his wound healing for the first time. And incredibly, the old cup he was drinking from had turned into the Holy Grail. “What wonderful magic do you possess?” the Fisher King asked the jester. The jester just shrugged and said, “I know no magic. I only gave a drink of water to a thirsty soul.”
In the story and the movie the Fisher King seemed an unworthy one to receive living water for his thirsty soul, but he got it anyway. That’s why at Covenant we have an open communion, because we believe communion is “Living Water For Thirsty Souls.” Maybe we need to stop concentrating on how unworthy we are or others may be and simply drink the “Living Water for our thirsty souls” offered by God in Christ. In it, we just might find healing and hope for our parched lives.
Join us for worship at Covenant on this Third Sunday of our Lenten Journey.We will be remembering the woman at well, who many thought was unworthy of the “Living Water” for her“Thirsty Soul.” But Jesus gave it anyway and two of the most remarkable things in scripture happened as a result. Come hear what they are. I will be preaching a sermon called “Living Water for Thirsty Souls,” based on “John 4:1-42.
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