St. John’s Lutheran Church
23 March 2025 + Lent 3c
Isaiah 55:1-9
The Rev. Josh Evans
“Water! Water! We praise you, O God, for water –
the rain that nourishes animals and plants,
the water for drinking and bathing.
We praise you, O God, for water.
“We praise you, O God, for our water stories –
a flood that cleansed the earth,
the sea that drowned the enemy,
a river that healed leprosy.
We praise you, O God, for water.” [1]
The baptismal liturgy proclaims the central place of water,
a force as ancient as creation itself.
Everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters!
Water –
the cleansing, nourishing, sustaining force of life.
Water –
the tangible sign of God’s might and power to save and to heal.
Water –
at the beginning of the prophet’s message of hope and restoration
for the exiles of ancient Israel returning to their homeland,
after a long time living in a foreign and unfamiliar land.
This wasn’t exactly the most prosperous time in their history.
For those who were struggling to rebuild infrastructure and livelihoods,
images of water and bread and wine and milk and rich food –
without money and without price! –
must have sounded absurd…
and enticing.
And more –
These concrete images of free water, bread, wine, and milk
give way to the powerful reminder of God’s everlasting covenant,
the steadfast, sure love of God for God’s people –
even in the midst of foreign occupation and economic devastation.
In the midst of uncertainty,
God’s promise is certain.
Everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters.
Everyone who is tired and weary,
come to the waters.
Everyone who is worn out and burnt out,
come to the waters.
Everyone who is uncertain and afraid for what the future holds,
come to the waters.
Come to the waters,
and be renewed.
***
I admit when I chose our Lenten theme this year –
Life Renewed –
I shamelessly stole it entirely from the title of our seasonal devotional.
I also admit that my own copy of the devotional
has been collecting dust on my coffee table at home…
since Ash Wednesday.
The promise of life renewed
is a lot easier said than experienced:
For an ancient people returning from exile who had lost everything
and were starting from scratch.
For a contemporary people who are bogged down by the busyness of everyday life,
and overwhelmed by the state of everything in the world around us.
Amid so much worry,
it’s hard to make time for rest and renewal,
to unclench and let down our guard,
to come to the waters and be renewed.
***
It also occurs to me that for most of my adult life
I’ve always lived by the water –
from the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago and Milwaukee,
to the Missouri River in Omaha,
to the Hudson River in Upstate New York.
Whether it’s a walk across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge over the Missouri,
or along the lakefront trail on Chicago’s South Side,
or what has now become my annual vacation pilgrimage for the past three years to the Coney Island Boardwalk on the shores of the Atlantic for my yearly Brooklyn Cyclones game and way overpriced (but tasty) frozen margarita…
For me, there is renewal in moments like that,
moments when we allow ourselves to just be.
***
Can you hear Isaiah’s call?
Everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters.
Everyone who is tired and weary,
come to the waters.
Everyone who is worn out and burnt out,
come to the waters.
Everyone who is uncertain and afraid for what the future holds,
come to the waters.
Come to the waters,
and be renewed.
Come to the waters,
and remember God’s promise,
God’s everlasting covenant,
God’s steadfast, sure love.
Can you hear Isaiah’s call?
The promise of life renewed
is for you.
***
Too often, I fear,
we think of Lent as a time of depriving ourselves –
“giving up” and fasting –
and, to be sure, those are worthy spiritual disciplines.
But that’s not all Lent is,
and those practices are never for their own sake.
Lent is a season of life renewed –
a time to remember God’s mercy
and reconciling, healing grace.
Our bodies, as well as our spirits,
long for this renewal.
We need this renewal –
these moments as by refreshing waters –
to be good to ourselves
and to be better to each other and to the world.
We can start at this table –
with this rich food of bread and wine.
In this gathering –
together in the renewing presence of the body of Christ.
Around this font –
and the renewing waters of baptism
that beckon us to remember God’s fierce and tender love for each one of us.
“Water! Water! We praise you, O God, for water…
for through this water
you have birthed us into the family of Christ,
bathed us in forgiveness,
and enlivened us in the Spirit.” [2]
Everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters.
Come to the waters,
and be renewed here.
[1] Thanksgiving at the Font, Form B, from All Creation Sings (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2020), 59.
[2] Thanksgiving at the Font, Form B, from All Creation Sings.
