“Groundbreaking on Dry Ground” Psalm 42; Rev. 22:17 Communion Homily 6/3/07
“The Spirit and the Bride say, `Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.”
This past May, they say, was the driest May on record for Georgia with less than 2 drops of rain falling on South Georgia. South Carolina suffered its driest May since the Great Depression’s Dust Bowl era (1936). Our area with less than an inch of rain in Chapin for the whole month of May. Maybe we will make up for it today. We are in an incipient drought, and they are to evaluate this week whether we will move to the next stage or not. I kidded some of our Celebration Garden Committee saying that instead of a golden shovel for our groundbreaking we might have to use a golden pick or a golden chisel to get into the ground. Today it is finally raining, and that is a sign of God’s blessing on us today.
There are some things that happen in a drought that we can learn about spiritually. Amos (8:11) speaks of a drought for the Word of God. That is a day in which the beautiful women and the strong young men faint for thirst.
1) Death of Fruitfulness- I’ve had to replant my squash because I didn’t water it enough. When there is no rain, there is no fruit. Where there is no spirit there is no lasting fruit in life. Families are falling apart and children are disowning parents who either over-spoil them- giving them no boundaries, or who neglect them- giving them no guidance. Children are fruit that we are missing. Since abortion has been legalized there have been 42.5 million babies aborted. We are productive. We work hard- to the point that we have just about obliterated the Sabbath. But there is little fruit. Another kind of fruitfulness is the fruitfulness of souls. Two thing on earth will last- souls and the Word of God, and we neglect and deride God’s Word and there is very little evangelism happening because we are in a spiritual drought.
2) Fires- South Georgia and North Florida have experienced fired because of drought conditions. We have experienced haze and smoke from these fires, hundreds of miles away. Spiritually, we burn up what is good, because we no longer trust in God and rely on Him. We turn away from faith, and try to make Christianity easier to believe from a secular point of view. In so doing, burn up the power of prayer by the fire of doubt. We burn up the comforts that come from holiness by the fire of our lust and our own sin.
3) Malnutrition, dehydration, and famine. On the outside it looks like we are healthy and strong, but on the inside we are hollow and starving, dried up and in danger of losing our heart and soul. Have you seen someone who is about to starve? I have. They have no energy. They want to sleep all the time. They don’t care what is going on around them, they’ve given up. There are many people who have given up on our country, and on standing up for what is right and true. People who refuse to fight against unrighteousness- they just want to be comfortable Christians and do their thing. When good people do nothing- evil wins.
Baptism is a sign of God’s blessing upon us. The baptism this morning had as its main symbol water. Water represent cleansing- we are cleansed from our sin. It represents life- without water we cannot live, and without being a part of God’s family, there is no way to eternal life.
We get our word “tantalizing” from an ancient Greek story about a man named Tantalus. It was said that he had offended god and so his punishment was eternal thirst—and he was tantalized. He stood in water up to his chin, but when he tried to drink, the water receded. Luscious fruits hung before him, but when he reached for them, they moved away from his grasp. That was the worst punishment of the classical mind.
Many people are tantalized and unable to quench their thirst. They can reach out to quench their thirst, but they refuse. It is like they have ten cups before them, but only one has drinkable water in it. Too many are choosing the wrong cups.
Perhaps you remember the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner in which he says the classical line, “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.” The really sad thing about salt water, is that while it is indeed water, it does not satisfy. In fact, it can actually make your body more thirsty because of all the salt content in it. Ocean water may look like drinkable water, it contains drinkable water, but it is not. People turn to other religions forsaking the faith of their fathers and mothers, out of a deep thirst. They seek to quench their thirst with something that looks like Christianity, but it is not. But while it may temporarily quench their thirst, in the end, it dries them up. They turn to Buddhism- Buddha said he still was looking for the light when he died. They turn to Islam to New Age thinking- even old American Indian practices that were long ago buried and forsaken! The fastest growing religion in America is Islam.
There are people who are desperately thirsty for meaning, for hope, even for boundaries of behavior. They have been hurt by life and looking for a balm- a pill to take to make their life better, but they’re taking the wrong pill. They are drinking from the wrong well.
Jesus said (printed at the bottom front of your bulletin), “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. He also said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me.”
Today we will have communion. Often ministers use this passage from Revelation 22 as an invitation to communion. It is really an invitation to come to know Christ and be satisfied. .. “The Spirit and the Bride say come, and let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” End your spiritual drought, come to Christ for the living water.