The River of God’s Presence
Last Sunday, we wondered at the River of God's presence in Ezekiel's vision of the Renewed Temple, a key paradigm in our Becoming a Dwelling Place series (Ezekiel 47:1-12).
Watch last Sunday's sermon "Rubbing Shoulders" from our Becoming a Dwelling Place series.
Then the man [presumably Jesus, or an angelic guide] brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east ....the water was trickling out....Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits [a third of a mile] and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” (Ezekiel 47:1-6 )
This prophetic vision is unexpected and revelatory.
It firstly confirms what we've studied in this series, that there is a biblical connection between water (God's presence) and the temple (God's dwelling place).
Water is the flow of God's presence through the Holy Spirit
And the dwelling place is the source of the River, in our worship and relationship with God Himself.
God designed the dwelling place not as a dry and dusty temple, but a deep well, that can become a River.
At the temple threshold, we see that this river is just a trickle.
But as you get progressively further from the dwelling place, it gets increasingly deeper.
Which is the exact opposite of our spiritual intuitions.
We often think the depth is inside the four walls of the sanctuary.
We gather on Sundays to enjoy the River of God's presence inside the four walls of our church.
And we imagine that outside the four walls is the dry, thirsty, river-less place.
But in Ezekiel’s vision, the Sanctuary is only where the flow begins.
Sunday is only a trickle of what we're designed for.
In Jesus, we see the flow of His life moving in mercy, compassion, cleansing, and revival toward the low places.
"The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’" Matthew 11:19.
Jesus isn't contained by the Temple, He moves about like a river, flowing into people's lives, and creating in them Rivers of Living Water.
And that's exactly what takes place in Ezekiel's vision.
The River trickles down from the dwelling place of God, and flows east.
East in the Bible, is the direction of rebellion, separation, those under the judgement of God. Adam and Eve go East. Cain goes East. Israel is exiled in Babylon--located toward the East.
And the River flows that direction, and as it does, it increasingly picks up pace, depth, volume, and beauty.
Then he led me back along the riverbank. When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean....Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing” Ezekiel 47:6-12.
We must see that the River of God's presence actually flows deeper when we flow outward.
It flows toward the dying and hurting, toward the desperate.
And for us, we need to see that it is the nature of this River to increase when we give it away.
If our only goal is to gather on Sundays and we think that is flowing--we need to see it's our Father's heart to actually flow from the Dwelling Place into the broken, sinful and hurting realms around us.
And if we want to go deeper with the Lord, we need to walk into the flow of His life that moves outward.
We need to move with Jesus, the source of the River, who had the reputation of flooding every-day-people's lives.
Let's stay near to Him so we flow together more and more!
Pastor Dave
Announcements
Baptism Service on Sunday May 31st at 9:30am!
If you or someone you love has personally accepted Christ as Savior, and have fully committed life to Christ, baptism is a biblical way to publically share that commitment with others, and mark this most important decision in your life! On Sunday, May 31st at 9:30am during our worship service we will have a baptism for any and all who would like to meaningfully give testimony, be prayed for, supported and celebrated in your commitment to the Lord with our congregation and your loved ones that you’d like to invite. Please contact Dave at dave@hscchurch.org to meet and talk with him before hand.
Pastoral Leadership Team Candidate Voting- Sunday, May 31st at 11am
The Pastoral Leadership Team (PLT) has invited Mark Vanderhoof to be a candidate for the Pastoral Leadership Team which Mark has accepted, and a vote will be held with the congregation on Sunday May 31st at 11am. Please take this time to prayerfully discern the Lord’s leading for Mark in this role.
The PLT has Norm Nason and Nick Barthel currently serving with Pastor Dave Lippman. If you have questions for Mark, please contact him at bosquindo@hotmail.com or 831-234-8117.
Pregnancy Resource Center Baby Bottle Campaign- Mother's Day to Father's Day
Last Sunday we kicked off a Baby Bottle fundraiser for the Pregnancy Resource Center!
The PRC of Santa Cruz provides no cost Medical Services including:
Free ultrasounds, counseling, material assistance, and legal info (including adoption)
AND low cost medical services including prenatal/postpartum care, 3D/4D ultrasounds, and therapy.
Please take a bottle from the back of the Sanctuary and fill it with coins, cash or checks and return them on Father's Day, June 21st, to donate to the PRC for their loving Christian ministry.
Thank you for caring for families and individuals with challenging pregnancies in our Santa Cruz Community.
More info: https://www.santacruzprc.org/
Click here to watch a video of a PRC client and her moving story
Join A Small Group with The Journey, Two Saturdays per month Next group is May 16th (NOTE THIS IS CHANGE OF DATE)
Each month now through July, on two Saturdays, from 9:30-11am, we're launching a church-wide discipleship initiative called The Journey in which we'll travel together through transformative biblical content that helps us experience Jesus' presence in every season of the soul, and offers beautiful moments of co-journeying with one another in ways that heal us and heal others, too. Please begin the Journey on your own by downloading and watching 1 hr video/teaching and study, then come to HSCC to join a small group for The Journey, next on Saturday May 16th! Contact Dave for the QR code with discount.
Video: Watch the Journey Introduction Video
Content: The Journey Course & Content
Questions: email Dave
Summer Events for Youth + Beyond (Middle School Age or so)
Gabe & Zionne, Youth Directors at HSCC, are planning some fun events throughout the Spring and Summer for youth including Middle Schoolers! See schedule below including Movie Night Saturday May 16th, & Open Mic & Karaoke Saturday May 23rd, and contact Gabe or Zionne by text if you have questions at 617-943-6650.
May Feast, Sunday May 17th at 11am at The Gathering
Please join us and bring food & friends to our monthly Feast! We’ll meet at The Gathering behind the Sanctuary at 11am after the worship service, for fellowship around the tables. Main dishes, salads, sides/breads and desserts all appreciated!
Parent’s Night Out, Friday May 22nd from 6-8:30pm
The next Parent’s Night Out is on Friday, May 22nd from 6-8:30pm for kids Kindergarten-6th grade! See details in Parents Night Out flyer below, and please RSVP to Zoe email: Zoe@hscchurch.org. Families from Santa Cruz County community welcome!
