For whoever would save his
life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will
save it.
Mark 8:35
There is a
phenomenon in the landscape of Palestine that illustrates this saying of
Jesus. The River Jordan runs the
length of the land, and in its hundred-and-twenty mile course forms two large
lakes.
Issuing from
springs several thousand feet up on the slopes of Mt. Herman; small brooks join
together, tumbling down into the Great Rift Valley, the deepest depression on
any of earth's continents. Not far
from the river's source, and nearly seven hundred feet below sea level there is
a heart-shaped basin about thirteen miles long and eight miles wide, known as
the Sea of Galilee, or the Lake of Chinnereth (which means "heart").
The shores of
the Sea of Galilee are lush with grass and grain, olive trees and lilies of the
field. The waters teem with fish,
and for thousands of years men and women have drawn a living from lake and
shore. Jordan's water, sweet and
pure, nurtures life, and makes Galilee a garden and fishery rich in resources
and beauty.
At the
southern end of the lake, a natural outlet passes along the water, and the
river follows the Great Rift deeper into the landscape. Here, along Jordan's lower course, the
sweet running water is the bringer and sustainer of life, irrigating fields
within sight of the stony arid hills of ancient Samaria on the west and the
Arabian Desert on the east.
At Jordan's
end the landscape changes. Desert
wilderness closes in from both sides, and 1,200 feet below sea level the river
course widens into a lake fifty miles long and ten miles wide.
But this lake
is different from Galilee. The
desert crowds its shore, and there is scarcely any vegetation. Its water is so salty that no living
creature calls it home. This is
the Dead Sea, so called because its waters will not support life.
The Dead Sea
has such high salt content because it has no outflow. Jordan's clear, sweet water pours in, but because it is the
lowest point on earth's surface, the water has no place to run, and its journey
comes to an end. Evaporating, it
leaves behind its trace elements, including salt, and over the millennia this
has resulted in the salty water we see in the lake today.
Here, then, is
the Parable of the Jordan. Where
Galilee uses the living water, and then lets it go, the balance is
maintained. The river sustains
life, and creates a broad swath of green.
This same balance is preserved as the water runs south, but when the
Dead Sea captures the water and holds onto it, the desert holds sway and there
is death.
So too, when
we try to hoard the love of God, fearing we might lose it, or hoping to save it
for ourselves alone, we grow in upon ourselves, and there is no sign of the
Divine Presence at work. By
contrast, when we receive God's love, are nourished by it, and then give it
freely to others we become sources of life to those around us, and the promise
of New Life shows forth for the world to see. This is the cure for the malady that Richard described so
starkly in last week’s post.
Simply trying out the latest church growth techniques and strategies
will not cure it. There’s a place
for those, but first we must turn, the old word is “repent,” lay aside our
fears and anxieties, and decide to follow, even through our fears. Though it will change us, our
willingness to lay self aside, and spend the love we have received is the
essential first step toward allowing the Holy Spirit to make us and our
churches conduits of living water.
Howard
MacMullen
© August, 2012
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