STEEPED - Water and Word

 

My truth was articulated so well by Joseph Campbell when he wrote,

“the psychotic drowns in the waters that the mystic swims in with delight.” 

In the beginning – well, in your understanding of beginning—when darkness covered the face of the deep, I was a drop in the deep. In the deep, there was no concept of time, just an endless ocean with mighty currents slowly swirling,  lapping in the vibration of one water particle to the next. In your beginning, a wind from God swept over the face of the waters, God’s breath surged through us -across the surface every water particle touched, swelled in the spirit, and it rippled down through all of us – none of us was unaffected by the wind from God.

Void  and chaos drowned to a current bringing purpose and life. Creation of the heavens, the earth, creatures,  -- began--- in the waters where the mystic swims with delight.

 

The psychotic drowns in the waters that the mystic swims in with delight. 

In the desert – in the still waters of a pool in the river Jordan- we were troubled, the water pushed aside by the burly feet of John the baptizer. He was a force to be reckoned with.  Lapping around his ankles, his waist, we felt the torrent of power in his words proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  

As people came to wade in the water – the call to repentance changed the tide of their hearts-  a dumping of sin, guilt, shame; a cleansing shower where the self, the ego, the I-can-do-it-alone attitude swept away in the stream: the psychotic drowned in the waters.

Plunged into the deep by John, Jesus was entombed by us, millions of drops of water - in water older than time, regenerated again and again, God’s spirit moving in our molecules in the spaces between hydrogen and oxygen, vibrating the elemental connection, being in our created relationship, filling our being with grace --------entombed in this water – Jesus became at one with us, where he let go of everything, for a moment:  hopes, dreams, promises, expectations, self, a place where one entertains their own death; to rise out of the water reborn. As the water dripped off Jesus, the heavens tore apart and a voice from heaven spoke over the waters, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ And once again God’s breath surged, swelling in the spirit, and rippling through all of us; none of us was unaffected by the voice of God,  ---- God continued to be--- in the waters where the mystic swims with delight.

 

The psychotic drowns in the waters that the mystic swims in with delight.

In the city of Ephesus – and in many other towns, villages, and cities- rivulets of Word cascaded down on the hearts of people. Paul the Apostle preached, wave after wave, of good news, of grace, of belonging to Christ.  People were called and dipped their feet and in baptism there was water running over the hands of Paul; the Holy Spirit flowed in the waters and agitated the wells of the heart such that people spoke in tongues, prophesying.  

Drenched were peoples hearts, peoples lives; drowned were the old ways, past loyalties, gods-that-weren’t-gods, and self-living; in a whirlpool moment the baptized lived with one heart, belonging to -working for -the community.

--- God continued to be--- in the waters where the mystic swims with delight

 

The psychotic drowns in the waters that the mystic swims in with delight.

In the waters of life – you live and move and have your being.

The droplets of stories I have shared this morning are to impress you with a Mystery beyond comprehension, an interconnectedness so vast it began way before time, way before my recollection. The droplets are a continuing and growing story of water and Word being steeped together. In baptism you have been and continue to be immersed in water that has been saturated by God – God’s wind, God’s spirit, God’s voice, God’s grace- from before time as you understand time.

Water flows over you and through you.

I pray this is of comfort to you. At the beginning of a New Year, it is good to bathe; wash away the past year and dive into 2021 giving praise and thanksgiving as you swim with the Holy. Steep yourself in scripture, prayer, worship.

Remember your baptism. In using water – connect to the Mystery within- holy water, a holy well: to wash away your tears; to swamp fears brought on by outside circumstance or a doubting of oneself. Holy water, a holy well – to soften places of unforgiveness, grudges, and boastful egos. Holy water, a holy well – to rush upon you showering you with Word: you are my beloved.

You are a child of God; you are okay. You are lead by still waters. Washed in the waters of baptism you are given new life and  belong to Christ, to a community, you are not alone.  You have new birth - cleansed from sin, raised to eternal life- you are more than okay.  You are splashed with a cascading of spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence. Nothing can separate you from this spirit, this love, this holy water, this holy well – from the waters where for you and with you the mystic swims with delight.

 

As you swim through the week ahead, be overwhelmed by the delight of the mystic, ripple with joy and may your ripples of God-presence, swell to flood the world with the mission of the baptized “to give thanks and praise to God and to bear God’s creative and redeeming word to all the world.”

 

Let us pray:

Together we pray that your never-ending stream of grace may flow over us like healing water and shape our lives.

The yearning in our hearts has grown and been strengthened by the continuous, abundant, net pouring of God-self manifesting in so many wonderful and diverse ways. Our learning, our living will always 

be restless until we rest in the infinite, original spot of universal wholeness-- God-self.

                    ---Verse from: Celtic Spiritual Pilgrimage website, “Hymn of Gratitude’ by Phil, Madeleine, Marcia, Carmel B.