|
Dear Friends,
Jesus, on the last and greatest day of the Jewish
Feast of Tabernacles, stood up, crying out, "Let
everyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
All who believe in me, as the Scripture has said,
out of their innermost being shall flow rivers
of living water" (John 7:38). In this dramatic
and prophetic act Jesus was heralding the coming
of that great outpouring of the Spirit which came
at Pentecost. And to this very day a mighty river
of the Spirit is bursting forth from the hearts
of women and men, boys and girls.
Ezekiel's Vision of the River of God. Jesus'
prophetic word is prefigured in a great vision
given to the prophet Ezekiel. The background is
this. In July b.c. 586 the Babylonians breached
the walls of the city of Jerusalem, and on 14
August the Temple, the holiest site of the Jewish
people, was burned to the ground. Israel's monarchy
was ended; the City of David and the holy Temple
of God were no more. But then, out of the ashes
of this catastrophic destruction God gives Ezekiel—an
exile in far away Babylon—a stunning series of
visions which look to a future day of resurrection,
restoration, and renewal for the people of God.
These visions cover fully twelve chapters, and
they are a marvelous description of life as it
is meant to be lived under the effective reign
of God (Ezek. 37-48).
Perhaps you are acquainted with Ezekiel's vision
of the valley of dry bones that are brought to
life by the power of God. You may even recall
his vision of a restored Temple and a renewed
worship for the people of God. But you may not
be as familiar with his startling vision of the
River of God which flows out from under the threshold
of this restored Temple of the Spirit. I say "startling"
because everything surrounding this vision is
about walls and stones, bricks and mortar. Then,
suddenly, right in the midst of these static images,
Ezekiel sees water pouring out from under the
altar; the River of God flowing with life and
power. It is a vision which looks both backward
and forward: backward to the river flowing from
the garden of Eden; forward to "the river of the
water of life" which is flowing eternally through
the middle of the New Jerusalem (Gen. 2:10, Rev.
22:1).
In Ezekiel's vision a heavenly messenger takes
him to the entrance of the temple and he sees
"water . . . flowing from below the threshold
of the temple." He next escorts Ezekiel outside
the temple court and shows him the River of God
flowing out beyond the perimeter of the temple
area. This, you see, is a River of life that simply
cannot be confined to any religious system, no
matter how worthy.
With a cord in his hand the messenger measures
out one thousand cubits and he takes Ezekiel out
into the water "and it was ankle-deep." Measuring
another thousand cubits he leads Ezekiel further
out, "and it was knee-deep." With a third measurement
of a thousand cubits Ezekiel is taken further
yet "and it was up to the waist." With a final
measurement of a thousand cubits Ezekiel discovers
that "it was a river that I could not cross, for
the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim
in, a river that could not be crossed." You understand,
I am sure, that regardless of how far we go into
the realities of the Spirit, we can never exhaust
God's boundless resources.
Ezekiel
then sees along the banks of the River of God
"a great many trees on the one side and on the
other." Then the heavenly messenger tells him
that beyond what he can see this water flows out
from Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea and that "when
it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters,
the water will become fresh. . . . and everything
will live where the river goes" (Ezek. 47:1-9).
Everything
the River Touches. What a marvelous vision
for your life and mine. The River of God is flowing
today. No one can stop it, and no one can contain
it. It is a deep River of divine intimacy, a powerful
River of holy living, a dancing River of jubilation
in the Spirit, and a wide River of unconditional
love for all peoples.
And the promise is that everything the River touches
will live! Oh, my friend, may I urge you, as I
urge myself, to step into the flow of this mighty
River of God. Today. Now. Even as you read these
words. Step into the River of God and then determine
never to step out. This is a consciously chosen
course of action that involves both group and
individual life. Let it be for us, as Jesus says,
that streams of living water will ever flow out
of our innermost being.
At
times we will be ankle-deep in the River. A little
like children in a wading pool we laugh and sing
and dance, and play. We are experiencing the Father-heart
of God's acceptance and pleasure and joy. And
the brokenness of our spirit, the woundedness
of our heart, the ache of our soul is healed.
For everything the River touches will live!
At
other times we will be knee-deep in the River.
The knees often speak of the prayer life, and
perhaps we now enter fuller experiences of asking
and receiving, hearing and obeying. Praying simply
becomes the natural and necessary way of living
for us: seeing only what the Father sees, hearing
only what the Father hears, doing only what the
Father does. And a new serenity, a new firmness
of life orientation, a new shalom pervades us
inside and out. For everything the River touches
will live!
Still
other times we will be waist-deep in the River.
The old versions use the word "loins" here, which
suggest a deepening into the divine intimacy.
We experience a secret, peaceful, loving inflow
of God. Our Beloved takes us into the wedding-chamber
as it were. And our responding love grows richer,
stronger, more steady. For everything the River
touches will live!
Then, too, we will have times when the waters
rise and we are swimming—swimming in a River that
cannot be crossed. Here we discover something
of the limitless height and depth and width and
breadth of God. We are carried by a current of
life and power that is simply beyond us. We find
that the impact of our actions far exceeds the
work we have done. We know that a God-thing is
happening. And we bow in wonder, adoration, and
praise. For everything the River touches will
live!
One
small word of counsel: it is God, not us, who
decides where we need to be in the River— ankle-deep,
knee-deep, waist-deep, swimming. It is all under
his direction. We must not try to plunge into
the center current when we need to be splashing
along the shore; nor should we stay in the comfort
of the shallows when God is calling us out into
the depths. God knows. We can trust him to place
us where we need to be, when we need to be there.
Our task is a simple one: with a conscious act
of will we intend to stay in the River of God.
For everything the River touches will live!
A
Marker and a Future. These matters apply to
groups and churches and organizations just as
fully as to individuals. All of us associated
with this "tail-lighting ministry" we call Renovaré,
for example, have experienced the full range of
"ankle-knee-waist-swimming" adventures. We remember
each experience with thanksgiving and praise.
In
fact, we are coming upon a decade marker of sorts.
On 21 November 1988 five of us signed the papers
which made Renovaré a properly recognized non-profit
Corporation. Back then we had only God and a laser
printer. Since that day a decade ago over 18,000
have joined our ranks in one form or another.
Fully 7,891 souls have signed the Renovaré Covenant,
indicating their conscious commitment to be disciples
of Jesus Christ, learning (as Dallas Willard has
taught us to say) to live our lives as Jesus would
live our lives if Jesus were us. I thank God for
each one, ever precious in God's sight, carrying
as we do an "eternal weight of glory."
Over these ten years we have held some forty-four
Regional Conferences, and nearly thirty other
local conferences, special seminars, and retreats.
At times we have laughed and danced. At other
times we have been on our knees in prayerful consecration.
Repeatedly we have felt the warmth and care of
God's overwhelming love. Then, too, we have had
times when we felt in over our heads, and, yet,
in that very moment we were being carried along
by a current and life not our own.
And what of the future? Oh, that question is easy
to answer: it definitely feels like one of those
"over our heads" times! All who read this pastoral
letter know of our commitment to hold an International
Conference in Houston next June 30 - July 3. (How
I hope I will see you there!) This single event
exceeds our entire annual budget. But, through
a full year of prayerful discernment—watching
doors open and signs given—we believe God has
been saying to us, "It's time to swim." And so
we have ventured out into the River where our
feet no longer touch the bottom and we have been
feeling the thrill of the current of God's love
and power. This gives us confidence that the Houston
Conference will be an especially God-kissed event.
Many other hopes and dreams dance in our heads.
We have an Institute of Spiritual Formation on
the drawing boards waiting for God's timing. In
May 1999 I will be in England exploring the possibilities
(and perhaps even participating in the launch)
of a British expression of Renovaré. Many other
international venues are open doors before us:
Australia, Germany, and Korea are among our top
priorities.
Dallas Willard and I are working on the possible
launch of a series of "Summits on Christian Spirituality"
that we hope will help articulate the direction
of spirituality in our day. We are looking to
do these "Summit" gatherings in North America,
South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa,
and Australia/New Zealand. It is possible that
they will be followed by a world gathering.
I
could go on and on. In each case we are watching
the flow of the River of God and seeing what part
we have to play in it all.
Asking,
Seeking, Knocking. All of this to say that
we need your help as never before. Every dream
needs funding. Not every dream, of course, is
to be acted upon, and our commitment to you is
to continue to prayerfully discern which dreams
we should act upon and which we should let pass
into oblivion. We believe that God will give us
the money to do what we are being called to do.
This is where you come in. I am asking, seeking,
knocking. Of God . . . and of you. Will you help
us? You can say no, of course, and some because
of life circumstances should say no. But many
others need to say yes. Some can say yes in a
small way. Others can say yes in a large way.
But every yes is a YES to God. (Even those who
must say no in a monetary sense can do so in the
spirit of a mighty YES to God.)
Several
friends of Renovaré have joined together to set
before us a $26,000.00 matching challenge gift.
(How very gracious and generous of them!) Therefore,
every dollar you give to this work in the days
ahead will be matched, thus doubling the good
you do. This makes the present an optimum time
for you to help us.
We
all have a priority obligation to the poor and
I urge you to give generously and joyfully to
the poor. Then, I urge you to give generously
and joyfully to wherever you are being nurtured
spiritually—and I most fervently hope that Renovaré
is part of that network of spiritual nurture you
are receiving.
God
bless you and strengthen you at this beautiful
season of the year. Remember: stay ever in the
flow of the River of God. For everything the River
touches shall live!
Peace
and joy,
Richard J. Foster
|
