Harvest
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Gen. 1:1-2
The Bible speaks of water as the fundamental substance of all creation. Whether it was crystal clear from the start, we know not. But the Spirit of God ‘hovering’ over the waters gave it life-staining properties. Luther rightly describes the word ‘hovering’ to be like a hen brooding or fluttering over her eggs. As each day progressed, the Spirit agitated the waters into air and land, each, in turn, giving rise to every form of life, “the earth standing out of water and in the water” (II Pet. 3:5).
But now after the fall, without rain, crops shrivel up, and without clean water, we die. Certainly there is no greater example of water’s destructive power than the flood of Noah, “by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water” (2 Pet. 3:6). The psalm prays, “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.” Psalm 69:1. But when the eternal Word became flesh, He redeemed His own creation. The psalms describe him on the cross shriveled like a worm while the wicked hosts hovered over. He cried out in distress, “I thirst.” Through His suffering, He delivered our souls from the great flood of judgment against us.
Jesus now uses water as the fundamental substance of new creation: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). For countless generations, water has passed from one believer to another across the earth. The same Spirit who ‘hovered’ like a dove in Jesus’ baptism broods new life in each baptized heart: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
It’s good advice to start your day with a glass of water. As you do so, think on what it means to have been touched by the saving flood of baptism, and how you can offer relief to parched souls in your life.
Grant us to drink from the fountain of life, O Lord. Amen.