Fill, Draw and Take... Your Water
by Pastor Bill Geis

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted… wine! (John 2:7-9)

If you are able to be with us this Sunday at St. John’s, I have a special request. Bring a bottle of water. I’m not going to ask you to give it away, so it can be store-bought or in your favorite sports bottle. And let’s make this more personal—not just one per household—let everyone have their hands on some water. I’ll make sure we have plenty of surplus for visitors and those who don’t get the word.

As events unfold in Haiti, water is an urgent need. In all honesty, our water bottles can’t reach them at this point; but we can reach them. As I mentioned in an earlier email this week, the call is clear for us to Live as Disciples in these days that have shaken the world. Disciples pray. Disciples give. Disciples send. And Disciples remember. The enormity of this tragedy humbles us. We don’t have a fraction of the resources needed to save and heal; but God calls us to fill, draw out and take what we have. So bring your water this Sunday and we’ll let those containers teach us something about living as disciples. God will supply the wine.

I continue to learn of personal connections I and others have in Haiti. Joanne C. of St. John’s was there just last week with her family. Reports are slowly coming in via text message that many of her family and friends are alive and helping in the streets. We especially lift up Joanne and her loved ones in our prayers. We also pray and grieve with Pastor Jean Bingue  (Bethesda Lutheran Church in Chicago) who suffered the loss of at least 6 family members in Haiti. He will be leaving Feb 5th to reunite with family, serve and supply the relief effort.

More reports than I can condense here are coming in from more and more of my colleagues who are there or serving Haitian ministries in this country. One of the best news feeds in the Lutheran community is coming out of our own Chicago area, Lutheran Church Charities (www.lutheranchurchcharities.org). Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod president, Gerald Kieschnick, reported that more than $100,000 from Lutherans across the country was received in just the first hours of the disaster. Any donations we receive at this time will be directed through the work of our partners at Lutheran Church Charities which has an excellent reputation of partnership and ensuring 100% of funds go to their designated purpose and not to administrative costs. At the close of this message is an online opportunity to donate and additional resources of care that might be helpful to you or others from the Lutheran Church.

In the days and weeks ahead, there will be countless commentary on these events. In Luke 13, Jesus addressed the speculations of people who were analyzing tragedies with poor judgment. He pleaded with us to resist the “how” and “why” of such unexplainable, horrific events and to focus on being the bearers of fruit. Whether in poverty or in prosperity, in disaster or calm, in weakness or in strength, in living and in dying, we all share the common ground and need for Jesus. He takes our common, sin-scarred, fragile and bottled-up lives and surprises us with miracles of grace. He turns our water into wine, tragedy into deliverance, death into life!

Though it seems like there is so little we can do, Jesus says, “bear fruit!” This is the simple “foolishness” of the Gospel and paradoxically the wisdom of Living as Disciples. Sometimes it feels even more foolish than, say, bringing a bottle of water to church! Though we don’t know “how” or “why,” we carry our limited resources and our faith boldly into the hurts of this world, “foolishly” believing that he will make the wine. Last Sunday, we all said together repetitively in worship, “Jesus is here; We will not fear!” I think we had no idea how important that would be to carry with us and for others. So keep saying it. And bring your water!

Pastor Bill Geis

Online Sources from the LCMS on the Haitian Earthquake

Organizations

Information

Resources

Among the many materials available from LCMS ministries, these are some of the resources our members may find most useful:

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