There Is a River

Reformation Sunday – October 26, 2025

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19-28
John 8:31-36

Israel is in a semi-arid region of the world. It is not a desert, but unlike us the area has infrequent rains. The consequences of this may be something we cannot comprehend. We have plenty of water available to us. So much water in that we often waste it. The Israelites did not have this luxury. If you look at a map of the area you will see that there are few bodies of water, just four and you know them all: The Mediterranean sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. If you did not live along the Sea of Galilee, or Jordan river you had to have a well and a cistern to catch water when it did rain. You cannot drink or water your crops with the water from the Mediterranean or Dead Sea because they are bodies of saltwater. Remember all the powerful civilizations developed around rivers – The Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris – rivers that Israel did not have. This fact, their experience in Egypt and as a nomadic people who traveled around for forty years shaped their culture, religion, and literature. That is why water plays a big role in scripture. Our psalm for today shares that experience.

While Israel is along the Mediterranean Sea, the Israelites never developed into a sea-going country. In fact as many texts in the Old Testament indicates they were afraid of the Mediterranean Sea for they saw the endless-looking body of water as chaos. We hear that in the first creation story in the Bible where water represents chaos – a chaos that God subdues and divides to create the world. In contrast to this understanding of water, the Old Testament often talks about rivers of life. This contrast between seeing water as chaos and life is reflected in our psalm for today.

This contrast between the chaotic and life-giving nature of water is not something that we have not experienced ourselves. In our warming climate we have seen many torrential and often deadly floods. We also know how much water is a necessity for life. We do know what the psalmist is saying in his psalm. He is telling us how chaotic and tragic life can be. Without a foundation to stand upon this precariousness can lead to despondence and a feeling of being lost. But there is hope. There is the river whose streams make glad the city of God. That city in which you dwell. It is not a city made of wood and stone. Instead, it is a city built upon the body of Jesus. It is a city assembled and held together by faith and faith alone. Look around and see some of your fellow citizens of this city – God’s city – and know that you are not alone. You are members of that eternal city built upon the sacrifice of Jesus. With that knowledge return to the world outside of those doors knowing that no matter what may strike you, you are not alone. You are supported and nourished by God from whom flows the river of life. Your life and the life of the world. So, do not be afraid, do not worry, for God is with you in every walk of life. And, in the end, will walk you from this life to the next.