I am miserable with this cold or whatever.  Fever, chills, raging sore throat, painful neck, painful ears, stuffy nose save for the period the drugs are working.  I went to take my evening medicine, saw the weekly container was empty, went to refill it and discovered that I was out of my medication.  So, I dragged myself up to Target to get refills.  I fell while I was there.  Things went flying.  Lying on the floor, I just wanted to ask if I could stay the night...

Kashi has been ill, too.  His plumbing is working overtime.  Cleaning up the mess when I am feeling so poorly has been hard.  Getting up in the middle of the night with him has been near impossible.  I called the vet today and pleaded for help.  She sent a tech out to my home with medication for Kashi mid-afternoon.  I would have kissed her except for the fact that I am a germ factory.  Kashi seems to be doing better.  I am crossing my fingers that both of us will get some sleep tonight.

Bettina, bless her heart, entertained me much of the day.  We checked out video conferencing options to set up a way for Pastor F to instruct her (with me gladly sitting in), played Scrabble, read through a sermon, did a devotional from Pastor E's church, and basically listened to me whine about how poorly I feel.  What I savored most is that she took the Passion reading part of the devotional.

My writing student also Skyped me from England, catching me up on her school-abroad experiences and giving me her itinerary for her month of travel before the second part of her semester. Oh, to be back in Italy with her!  She also gave me a most precious gift:  Ezekiel 47:1-9:

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar.  He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side.  When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles.  Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins.  Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. 

He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me back to the bank of the river.

Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other.

Then he said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.

First, she read it to me!  SIGH.  I just love that, crave that, savor that....  Then she showed me the Gospel here.  Some, is obvious, I am sure you are thinking.  Who is the Living Water, after all, but Jesus!   What came to my mind was that slowly but surely the water became too much.  Ankles, knees, loins, until it could not be forded. So, it is with our understanding of the law.  We think, I do not murder.  But we do...just not with our hands.  We do with our mouths.  We do with our choices.  We do murder others.  We do not protect them.  We do not lay ourselves down to prevent harm.  We think we can keep the law until we experience the breadth and depth of it as it overflows us.

What also came to mind was Psalm 103, in that our sins are removed to from us as far as the east is from the west.  In this passage, we also see east and west.

Primarily though, there is only one Living Water, only One who saves, only One who can bring new life:  Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

My Writing Student's observation was precious to me.  She noted how the Law was all complicated, with rites and rubrics and instructions and obligations and such.  The details about the rebuilding of the temple in Ezekiel are quite numerous, quite complex.  But the Gospel is simple.  Jesus.  That is the breadth and depth of the Gospel.  a mystery to be sure, but simple nonetheless.  What a striking contrast we have between Law and Gospel here.  One is a burden beneath which we labor in vain, only to find ourselves in the agony of defeat again and again and again.  The other is freedom from such labor, a sure and certain outcome.


Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!