Overflow

So, how are you doing this morning with life? Are you beating it, or is it beating you? Life is often, well, complicated.

Religion has sometimes been criticized as a way of escaping the tough stuff in life. The good news, however, is that the life of faith does not provide an escape from, but rather the resources to help us engage life more fully.

This morning, Pastor Jon, invites is to explore a relatively unfamiliar passage of scripture from Ezekiel 47 - a vision of water flowing from the temple of God, and the life that it brings. It is a vision of life giving water, flowing out of the temple - the presence of God - that continues to grow deeper the more it flows, bringing new life to dry and barren places. It is a vision that provides the imagery from which John draws in the closing chapter of the book of Revelation as he describes God's ultimate goal for us in a New Heaven and a New Earth.

What it means to live life out of the overflow of what flows from the presence of God into our lives, that Pastor Jon invites us to consider this morning.

If you would like to listen to the sermon once again, or perhaps for the first time, you can view the entire service by clicking on the livestream link here.

Isaiah 55

NIV

“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

2Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare.

3Give ear and come to me;

listen, that you may live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

my faithful love promised to David

Ezekiel 47

NIV

The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.

3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets.The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river.Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”.