Some years are just different. Like a 7-inch rain falling in North Texas in August. A person tends to notice such an event, and it changes things. Once there was a traveling preacher. He was charismatic, people flocked to him, and his very presence was healing to the soul. But he was different. For some it was a good difference. Others it was a bad difference. And others just wanted to get in on the excitement of the newest, latest, big name of the time. I think he just wanted to help some people, heal some people, in fact, help and heal the whole world. As I said, he was a little different.

Like a 7” rain, he gave abundantly, saturated the solid ground the people stood upon till it moved beneath their feet. It took effort to work through all the goodness he brought. Folks often don’t want to work that hard, not after a tough day of labor for food, shelter and the amenities of life. It is said his rain could move mountains, even sacred mountains with temples built high upon them. When the rain came some of the people sang hallelujah, some got angry as they liked the landscape as it was. Others just left for dryer ground and forgot the whole thing. That was over two thousand years ago, and people are still singing hallelujah, and some still reject or resent the water that even now flows over the land, others just don’t care.

Can you see it?  Do you feel it shifting beneath your feet? Life, society, and even the world are always on the move. At no point in human history has anything stayed the same. There is only one eternal constant, the love of God.  The temples erected high on mountains, then and now, are as mortal as the people who built them. Enterprise and governments are all temporary.  The eternal water we call Jesus Christ continues to move and offer us healing for our mind, body, and soul even as it changes the very landscape on which we live.  From the Gospel of John we read: “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,”

The invitation is outlandish, remarkable and life changing.  It is for the individual, the community, the nation, and the nations of the world. Let this and everyday to come be the day that we accept the call and feast from the heavenly meal God has prepared for us in Jesus Christ.

Join us Sunday as we feast on the word of God, as we enjoy the peace and joy of God together.

May the Grace and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick