Hey Bridgeporter-
The summer I was 19, I drove across the country in my 1951 Chevy sedan named Bertrand. My journey took me from Ohio to New Mexico, then across Arizona into California through the desert. The stinking hot desert.
Let me remind you that Bertrand was a 1951 Chevrolet. Air conditioning was not part of the package – unless you count opening all the windows and the little vent flap at the top of the hood. So it was hot. Really hot. Fry an egg on the hood kind of hot. And the landscape was unforgiving. No shade really anywhere -- and back in 1971 there were very few places to stop for refreshment. I really developed an appreciation for the canteen of water in the seat next to me and never doubted the origins of the name of Death Valley.
With the rain coming down this week it’s hard to even think about being without water, but this Sunday, that’s just what we’re going to do. The stories of the Israelites in the desert complaining of thirst to Moses until he taps into a spring (Exodus 17:1-7 ), and Jesus asking the woman at the well in Samaria for a drink of water (John 4: 1-42) are but two of the dozens of Bible stories about thirst – some literal and others metaphorical. This Sunday we will search for water too, and explore our own thirst and the challenging encounters that thirst brings.
I hope to see you Sunday morning. It's going to be a great day of worship.
In the Big Love—
susan
