Leaking

My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13
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The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?” John 4:11
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The Word of God is truly living and active. It is stunning to me how, after years of studying the Bible as a pastor, I can still come across passages and think "I just don't ever remembering hearing this before!" That is the case with the Jeremiah reading above.
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What a crystal clear description of what we do when we try to justify ourselves...when our identity is built on what WE accomplish, what WE amass in terms of wealth or possessions, or what WE have curated as our identity (online or otherwise).
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The message as I begin today becomes very similar to yesterday's readings. Yesterday, the image in the Bible was shifting sand vs. the solid rock foundation of God's love for me. Today, it is the image of being desperately thirsty, and then turning down a perfectly good cup of water to hold onto a leaky cup instead. That choice seems ridiculous for a thirsty person.
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Likewise, it is ridiculous for us to base our self-worth or identity on anything we accomplish or achieve, because everything will fade with time.
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Today my prayer for us is that we begin like empty cups...ready to be filled.
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I want to leave you with the lyrics from a favorite Peter Mayer song of mine, called "O Sun." May this, and the words from scripture above, be our prayer as we start this day...and may God fill us to overflowing, so we may fill others with grace and mercy.
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"O Sun" by Peter Mayer
You are the sun
I am the dew
Gifted with life for a moment or two
That I for my time
May sparkle and shine
O Sun, come fill me with you
O Sun, come fill me with you

You are the wind
I am the sail
You are my strength and without you I fail
Breathe but a sigh
And I’ll open wide
O Wind, come fill me with you
O Wind, come fill me with you

You are the wine
I am the cup
I can yield nothing till I am filled up
Hold me upright
And pour forth your life
O Wine, come fill me with you
O Wine, come fill me with you

O Wine, come fill me
O Wind, come fill me
O Sun, come fill me
With you

Amen.