"Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."  (Ezekiel 47:12)

There is a marvelous picture of our lives given to the prophet Ezekiel many years ago (approx. 572BC) about us.  In the last chapters of Ezekiel, written when the prophet was still in exile with his people in Babylon, God showed him a vision of a different kind of temple with no veil separating God from the people, and a lot of other imagery including water streaming from it to the south toward the Arabah (desert wilderness) and the Dead Sea, giving them life!  And on both sides of that river of water, fueled by that water, strong trees would go that would bear fruit for food and healing.  I love that picture!  That is who we are in Christ.  Fueled by Him, we are called to bear fruit to feed and heal others!  And the promise is certain.  Our leaves do not wither, and our fruit does not fail because we find our root planted firmly in Christ, in His word and by His grace flowing in blood and water in our baptism and in our lives. 

Thank you God for this picture you have given of who I am in Christ, and for sharing it with my brother in the faith, Ezekiel, who likely marvelled and wondered what it meant.

Shalom,  Rich