Stay Thirsty
Jesus summoned us to thirst for righteousness.
The Spanish author Miguel de Unamuno tells of an ancient Roman aqueduct, located near the city of Segovia. The aqueduct — a sort of elevated trestle over which water flows — was constructed in the year A.D. 109. For 1,800 years, the aqueduct carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. As many as 60 generations depended on this marvel of engineering for their drinking water.
Then came another generation, in more recent years, who said to each other, “This aqueduct is an architectural marvel. It’s a historical treasure that ought to be preserved. We should give it a well-earned rest.”
That’s exactly what they did. They detoured the water flow away from the ancient stones and channeled it instead through modern pipes. They put up historical markers so tourists would know who had constructed the aqueduct, and for what purpose. They celebrated the fact that their city’s water system was now modern in every way.
But then, a strange thing began to happen. The Roman aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating down on its dry mortar, without the constant flow of water to cool it, caused it to crumble. In time, the massive structural stones threatened to fall. What 18 centuries of hard service had not been able to destroy, a few years of idleness nearly did.
What’s important about your faith life is not how much you produce or how you look to others, or even how good you feel about yourself. What’s important is staying connected to the flow of Jesus’ grace, through hearing his voice in the Word of God and receiving his body and blood in Holy Communion.
“The one who remains in me … bears much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing,” Jesus cautiously coaxes (John 15:5).
Jesus doesn’t ask for a certain level of production or output. He promises that will happen. He asks us to remain connected to his life-giving flow of forgiveness, love, and guidance. Without that constant flow we fall apart.
PRAYER: God, from a mountainside Jesus pointed ways to a higher happiness. He said we are poor in Spirit . . . and are more impressed with prestige and power. He said we must purify our hearts . . . and not seek false appearances. He taught us that we will be comforted when we mourn . . . and yet we ask, “Why me?” He said a special joy belonged to the peacemaker . . . but we are less willing to pay the price of peace. He summoned us to hunger and thirst for righteousness . . . instead of for the pleasures of the world and the lusts of the flesh. Forgive us, loving God, and renew us with the living flow of your Spirit’s pouring. Amen.