Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Today's First Reading from Ezekiel 47 has been inspiring to me over the last few months. I had been doing some research on the theme of water throughout the Bible - particularly on John 7:37-39 and Isaiah 55:1-5 - and I discovered this chapter in the Book of Ezekiel for the first time. The imagery is utterly beautiful. In Ezekiel's vision, a freshwater stream flows into the Dead Sea (where there are few living things), and the stream brings new life.
The angel who is guiding Ezekiel through the vision says:
"Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh." (Ezekiel 47:9)
I think there are many implications for this Scripture, and I encourage you to take some time to meditate on it. If you have the time or want to make the time at some point, follow the link to Ezekiel 47:6-12 to read this section - or you can always save the tab for later. One major idea that comes to mind for me is that we can think of our own lives as the Dead Sea. When God breaks down the dams that we set up for ourselves, the stream of His mercy and love flows in and washes away our saltiness (guilt, shame, sin). As we confess more and surrender our lives to Him through obedience, patience, and trust, His love makes more of the saltiness fresh so that our lives can be full of more joy; we can be cleansed and live life more fully.
I was talking with Keanu Nelson, SFC '23 about this passage, and I asked him what he thought about the concept of being cleansed. He said it made him think about being clear and flawless. I think that speaks brilliantly to the process of sanctification. We can be made holy by God as we trust Him. In the context of this passage from Ezekiel, it makes sense to use the words entrust and surrender as well. As we entrust and surrender more of our lives - however dead, stagnant, messy, or unlovable we think they are - to God, He will cleanse us and His Spirit will be pleased to dwell within us, empowering us to live lives characterized by steadfast love and faithfulness. Keanu likened this to being like a decorative mug or a mug that is actually used for its designed purpose. That thought resonated with me. I don't want to be a mug filled with pens sitting on someone's desk: I want to be "a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful for the master of the house, ready for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:20-21).
I could go on and on about this passage, but I'll just add one more line of thinking to close out my reflection. In the first part of the passage, the angel leads Ezekiel out into the stream. The water starts out at his ankles, but it quickly gets up to his waist. Soon after, he can only swim in it because it is so deep. This reminds me of how we can never be "in too deep" with God. With many other things, we can go too far and, in extreme cases, become addicted. However, there is no such thing when it comes to abiding in God's cleansing, healing, sanctifying, life-giving stream of love, faithfulness, mercy, forgiveness, justice, kindness, peace, wisdom, knowledge, and righteousness. As Lent continues, let's wade in the stream more and more until we find ourselves unable to touch our feet to the bottom, being artfully guided along by the trustworthy current of God's providence into everlasting, ever-deepening joy.
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