Living Water: Walking Water

SERMON TITLE:   “Living Water:  Walking Water”
SERMON TEXT:    John 5:1-18 and 6:16-21
PREACHER:           Rev. Kim James
OCCASION:           August 15, 2021, at First UMC
 
 
INTRODUCTION
 
                When most people think of water recreation, they think of swimming, boating, and waterskiing.  Or maybe they think of wading-boot fishing, river rafting, or scuba diving.  For many of us, though, water recreation and pleasures don’t have to be quite so wet and immersive.  Just being near the water is a wonderful thing.  We like to look at it, cruise on it, camp by it, listen to it, or hike alongside it.  In July, when Steve and I were on vacation in Oregon, we went to the coast and enjoyed walking along the beach.  One of Ogden’s really nice features is the River Park Walkway, which allows people to walk along the Ogden River anywhere from the canyon to its confluence with the Weber River. 
                For several weeks, we’ve been focusing our attention on the living water stories in the Gospel of John.  We began with the story of Jesus turning water into wine and asked ourselves what that “transforming water” might be like in our lives.  Then we read the story of Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nicodemus and pondered the importance of “birthing water.”  Last Sunday, we read the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, and we refreshed ourselves in “gushing water.” 
                Today, we’ve moved on to John 5, in which Jesus told the lame man lying by the pool to stand up and walk.  And, in John 6, we read about Jesus walking on the water.  So, I invite you to step closer and consider what the gospel writer is telling us through these stories of “walking water.”

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