The River of Peace

 

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39 ESV).

 

In the spring of 2022 Mary and I were able to make a trip to the Smokies. As is typically our custom, we stopped at the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. As you can tell from the picture I’ve attached, the spring rains had made the river run at near capacity. It was a beautiful day and made the photo an easy one to capture the power and serenity it conveyed. The Old Mill is a working mill with various grinds of corn available for purchase. I like the finer ground meal for cornbread. The point is that without the river to power the mill, none of it would be possible.

 

Our reading today is from the teachings of Jesus where He tell the disciples they will receive the Holy Spirit who will bring “rivers of peace” from them to others. The Holy Spirit has taken on various forms that symbolize important blessings we receive when he lives within us. The Spirit comes as a dove and fills us with peace and holy contentment. We hear the voice of the Father, as when the dove came upon Jesus at his baptism: “You are my [child], whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

 

On Pentecost the Spirit descended with tongues of fire (cf. Acts 2:3), and the fire of the Spirit purifies us by burning away our selfish habits, our coarse language, our stubborn ingratitude, and our lack of grace in relationships. As the disciples of Jesus spoke in many languages on Pentecost, some of the onlookers thought they were drunk (cf. Acts 2:13) because the other languages sounded like babbling to them. However, to the people who spoke these languages, they could easily understand every word.

 

We experience the Spirit also as a comforter who comes to our aid and as a lawyer who defends us in situations of distress (cf. John 14:15-27; 15:26). The Spirit is also described as a river of living water. Like a spring bubbling up within us, the living water of the Spirit ensures that we will never be thirsty again (cf. John 4:13-14). Life in the Spirit is truly an abundant existence. And this is as normal in the Christian life as it is in nature. There is great power in this river of peace!