Spring into Summer

This is one of my favorite seasons of the year. My walks through the woods near our home have been transformed. No longer are they marked by chilly temps and quiet watching. Now all is pregnant with promise. The waiting is over.

This season the birdsong is lively and playful. The creek waters rush and tumble with joy. The trees are budding, beginning to bloom.

In John’s gospel, the Pharisees are on the verge of arresting Jesus. They grumble at his teaching and complain about his popularity. It is a tough moment. In the face of all this, Jesus lifts his vision and speaks from a heart of faith.

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)

This proclamation of Jesus echoes the promise of the prophet.

Surely God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid. For the Lord God is my strength and my might; God has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:2-3)

How do we stand in the face of deep challenges? A study released earlier this year paints a sobering picture. Over half of religious leaders have considered leaving pastoral ministry at least once in the last three years. Median in-person worship attendance was 137 in 2020 but is only 55 today. Only 66% of pastors believe their congregation is willing to change. This is the lowest percentage in years. (“I’m Exhausted All the Time,” Clergy Health and Well-Being/EPIC, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2024)

In this time of anxiety, you and I are invited not only to identify our fears, but also discover great goodness and encouragement in the face of them. The Spirit of Christ is present to strengthen and guide. And the Spirit is lively and joyful, with us at every step, making a way where there seems to be no way.

Thinking carefully through challenges is important. But most importantly, the Holy One saves and delivers, leading us in the promises of the gospel. All is pregnant with promise.

What can we do now? John 7:38 is an incredible claim. Even as Jesus transforms us, he also declares living water will flow from our hearts. Grounded in this divine goodness, we see promises multiplying and a robust future coming to life. We ourselves become a key to the spiritual growth and development of others.

We are invited to see beyond, trust beyond, and step beyond the barriers before us.

Years ago I sat with the pastor of a very small worshiping community in Tamaulipas. The congregation he served was a part of a border ministry of the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico and the Presbyterian Church (USA). He looked at me and together we recognized the challenges we faced. Then he pointed to John 7:37-38. No matter the obstacles and doubt, he said, we are blessed with an unshakable promise: God invites us to drink from the wells of salvation. We are the ones who share that holy water with others.

In this time of birdsong, budding trees, and rushing creeks, I recall how the situation appeared only a few months ago. Silent, frozen, dead. Everything seemed over. Yet God’s presence and life is even now transforming everything.

Where do we go from here? In my role with the Presbyterian Foundation, I love walking alongside pastors. A few months ago in 24 hours, I had significant conversations with four different pastors wrestling with property issues, a vocational question, an ethical dilemma, and a big personnel problem. Through it all I witnessed their creativity and care, their fortitude and faithfulness (even as I heard some weariness in their voices).

Do I suspect the congregations these dedicated pastors serve will all immediately begin growing very rapidly? Do I believe this year will mark a tremendous resurgence in vitality in our Presbyterian tradition? I don’t know. But I do know that God is faithful. The Lord delivers and guides us when the way is difficult. The Lord strengthens us all to enliven the church and celebrate the goodness of the gospel.

We hope and trust and serve, so others may draw waters from the wells of salvation. This is the way of faith. This is the way of joy.