Thoughts for the Day

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, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

(New Revised Standard Bible)

Thoughts

We continue to celebrate Rogation today. Water is a basic necessity for all life, yet it's one we often take for granted. How much water will you use today, when you wash in it, drink it, clean your house or car with it, and even swim in it? You can exist without social media (honestly, you can), your phone, TV, and your car, but you cannot exist without water. Up to 65% of your body is made up of water, and you must consume about 2-3 litres of water a day to stay healthy.

Our earth is groaning for normality with too many places suffering severe droughts and subsequent wild fires, while others are seeing floods on an almost biblical scale. Can we spend some time today reflecting on how we might do our bit to help?

The Rogation reading from John's Gospel looks at water as a symbol for our need for God. Jesus is in the Temple at the end of the Festival of Tabernacles (also called the Festival of Ingathering - a harvest festival) when he shouts, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me". The festival commemorates the time when the people cried out to God for water. It was the custom for a priest to collect some water from the pool of Siloam and bring it back to the Temple while the people sang Isaiah's words: 'With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation'.

It reminds us that Jesus is about to return to his Heavenly Father (Ascension) to send the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) to the disciples, and of how important the work of Jesus is to our spiritual life. As our bodies need water to survive, so our souls are totally dependent on Him for spiritual life.

Collect

Almighty God,
we thank you for the gift of water
to sustain, refresh and cleanse all life.
May we who have water
see it as a precious and scarce resource.
Help us to be mindful how much is consumed
so that we can live in the way that we do:
guide us to use it sparingly,
and keep us mindful of those who suffer
through drought, pollution and flood.
We ask this for the sake of him
through whom all things were made,
your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.