The
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
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O
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LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy
Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve
it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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O
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GOD, thou art my God; early
will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a
dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2.To see thy power and thy glory, so
as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. (Psalms 63:1-2)
Having fled to the
Wilderness of Judah, David's tongue perhaps clave to the roof of his mouth as
he was famished for water. Though the want of his body was for physical water,
his thirst for the comfort of God and His miraculous works far exceeded the
physical thirst he suffered. We all have experienced our spiritual thirsts in
the wilderness of life. Just as water alone will satisfy our physical thirst,
only God alone can satisfy our spiritual.
Following our previous
discussion of the Nile River as a Type of God the Father, we will now examine
the two Rivers – the Jordan and the Zayanderud – as Types of Christ (He being
the central figure of the Trinity as depicted on the AOC symbol).
THE JORDAN: In an
illustration of the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee I gave previously, I spoke
of the relatively short span of the River Jordan. It rises from three primary
sources (springs) from the Heights of Mount Hermon in the north, cascades down
the slopes picking up other reserves of water and nutrients from tributaries on
its way to the valley. From the base of Mt. Hermon, the Jordan flows across
fertile pastureland and into the Galilean Sea which is teeming with life. It
emerges on the south banks of the Galilean and continues down the wilderness
valley to the lowest point of landmass in the world – the Dead Sea. (420 meters
below sea level contrasting to Death Valley's 86 meters). The Sea of Galilee
teems with life because it surrenders all of the Water of Life that it
receives. The Dead Sea is dead because it gives up NOTHING. The Jordan River is
only about 100 miles long quite short. The life of Christ was only thirty three
years again, quite short. The Jordan River gives life everywhere it goes, and
so does the Lord Jesus Christ. The Jordan flows down to the lowest point on
earth. Christ came down to us (far below the pavilions of Heaven) and dwelt
among us. He even descended to the grave (lowest point). Like the Jordan
flowing into the Dead Sea and dying, so did Christ flow into our world and died
in the Wilderness of our Sins. What a wonderful Lord and Savior He is to us!
THE ZAYANDERUD (GIVER OF
LIFE IN FARSI): The second river to be typical of the Life of Christ is one in
Persia called the Zayanderud. This is a Persian Word meaning "Giver of
Life." This river originates in the snows of the Zagross Range of
Mountains to the West of Esfahan, the central city of Iran located on the high
desert. The waters are pure and cold as they flow down the mountain peaks and
into the Valley high desert valley. This river literally teems with life, and
gives of itself to otherwise dry, arid meadows stretching from the base of the
mountain range toward the desert city of Esfahan. They flow through the City of
Esfahan providing life and joy to its residence. This typifies Christ as He
went about healing and feeding all who came to Him. As the river courses
through the city, men cast refuse into it. The world also abused Christ even in
His deeds of righteousness. On the Eastern Gate of the City, the waters emerge
and continue the journey across the barren desert.
My wife and I were posted
to this city and lived so near the river that we saw it every day of the five
and one half years that we were assigned there. When flying above the desert
terrain, one can know exactly where the course of the River flows, because there
is a wide band of green vegetation for 5 or 10 miles either side of the rivers
embankment. Everywhere Christ walked, there were multitudes on all sides hoping
to benefit from His healing touch. The River gives Life everywhere it goes, and
healing to the people.
That is exactly what
Christ has done for us.
The River continues for
about one hundred miles from its source and dies in the desert salts and sands.
How like Christ in living a short thirty-three years, and then dying in the
desert (a sinful world) of our sins for us.
Though a very short River,
its impact is immeasurable in its blessings to the people of Persia. Just like
the Life of Christ – rich and bountiful for us. The deadly salt-sea into which
the river flows and dies is called Gav-Khuni or Blood of an Ox. It seems almost
more than coincidence that this dead sea in a moslem nation should be
so-called. Christ, too, was the Lamb of God whose blood was shed for us. These
dead sea waters bear the deep red appearance of blood when viewed from the
shore just as that blood that Jesus shed on the cross for us is ever before the
eyes of the forgiven sinner.
This River, called Giver
of Life, is exactly an illustration of our Savior Jesus Christ. Christ is not
only the Giver of Life, but He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life itself.
Christ came, like this river, to a point between Heaven (Zagross Mountain
Range) and Hell (Dead Sea Lake of Gav-Khuni) to benefit and save us. He feeds
us with His daily Water of Life and Bread of Heaven. Have we tasted? Do our own
souls thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land,
where no water is? Just as the Giver of Life River gives life to all who come
near its shores, so does the Lord Jesus Christ give eternal life to all who
draw near by faith. Have you done so?
