So Blog Action Day 2010 is about WATER.

Water has become a popular charity to support…if you don’t already know that then you likely will know it by the end of today. Thank God for this, because THOUSANDS of people DIE every day because of the lack of clean drinking water. I could give you a bunch of sites and addresses where you could send money…I have done it before…and you shouldn’t have a hard time finding a place to give (see related post below). That is not what I want to do here today.

What I would like to do, is to share some words with you…words that were written in the 4th century by a priest named Cyril. It’s describes the similarities between water and the Holy Spirit.

The water I shall give him will become in him a fountain of living water, welling up into eternal life.  (John 7:38)

This is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for those who are worthy. But why did Christ call the grace of the Spirit water? Because all things are dependent on water; plants and animals have their origin in water. Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.

In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of his action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvellous.

The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body, trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good.

The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well.

As light strikes the eyes of a man who comes out of darkness into the sunshine and enables him to see clearly things he could not discern before, so light floods the soul of the man counted worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit and enables him to see things beyond the range of human vision, things hitherto undreamed of.

What a wonderful symbol of the Holy Spirit…WATER…

What do you think?

There are a few words that are very deep for me. What I would like to do here is to post a word and talk about it a little and then ask you to add your thoughts and comments about the word.

Eucharist

We didn’t really call it that…we called it the Lord’s Supper. If we were talking to someone important or someone we thought was really smart we called it Communion.  It was something we did maybe once a month at church…not all that important or central to church or being Christian.

In my Christian “he-man” group we just finished reading a book by Rob Bell  and Don Golden called Jesus Wants to Save Christians. In chapter 6 he describes where we get the English word Eucharist…

“The Greek word for thankful is from the verb eucharizomai – the Greek word eu which means “well” or “good” and the word charizomai, which means “to grant or give”…

the “good gift”…Jesus is God’s good gift to the world. 

God has made peace with the world through the Eucharist, the good gift, of Jesus. And so Christians take part in a ritual, a meal, a reminder of the Passover, called the Eucharist…as a way of remembering and returning to who God is and what God has done in Christ.

God gives the world life through the breaking of Christ’s body and the pouring out of Christ’ blood. And God continues to give the world life through the body of Christ – who Paul tells his friends at Corinth is them.

They are His body. The body of Christ.

The church is a living Eucharist, because followers of Christ are living Eucharists.

A Christian is a living Eucharist, allowing her body to be broken and her blood to be poured out for the healing of the world.

The Eucharist is ultimately about what we do out there, in the flow of everyday life.

When did most churches stop the Eucharist from being every week? WHY did we stop the Eucharist from being every week?

Is it not at the heart of Christianity? Real and living Christianity…

What does Eucharist mean to you?

There are a few words that are very deep for me. What I would like to do here is to post a word and talk about it a little and then ask you to add your thoughts and comments about the word.

MERCY

With the earthquake in Haiti a few weeks ago, and some of the things God has put on my heart the last few months…the word mercy seems  to keep coming to the forefront of my mind and to the tip of my tongue as I pray.

As a boy growing up there was this game we would play as we wrestled with each other. The stronger would eventually pin down the weaker and force them to say uncle or mercy MERCY. So mercy to me was a sign of weakness. I have always defined it from the perspective of being weak or hurting. It was wrong for me as a strong American male to need mercy. Then when we had our first daughter who struggled at life for only a week…I found a whole new  meaning for mercy. I found that the hurting position required intense strength and incomprehensible perseverance. That is what I see in the eyes of the Haitian people.  

It also required faith in a God that could provide the mercy I so needed. Because you see, the MERCY giver acts out of a clear position of strength too. Just how much compassionate strength does it take to save the world? That is the mercy I want to understand. That is the mercy I want to flow through me!

What does mercy mean to you?…please leave your thoughts in the comments below…