At the Project 24 booth at the convention are Nicci Tyrell, Eunita Ondago, and Olivia Tyrell (the 3 in the middle). Sorry I don’t know who the bookends are can any one help?
[Jesus said:] “… but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will
never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a
spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).
That is the convention theme.
My thought is that the spring that springs up and bubbles and wells up to eternal life is faith. It isn’t stagnant like the pools that are in my back yard after all these weeks of rain but it is in motion and effervescent. That phrase about faith “welling up” it seems to me is important. If shows an increase. Martin Luther preached on John 4:46-54 which is a part of the whole picture of faith welling up. He writes….
“Our Gospel lesson speaks further of the increase of faith, and here there is a difference. Although faith fully possesses Christ and all his riches, yet it must nevertheless be continually kept in motion and exercised, so that it may have assurance, and firmly retain its treasures. There is a difference between having a thing and firmly keeping hold of it, between a strong and a weak faith. Such a great treasure should be firmly seized and well guarded, so that it may not be easily lost or taken from us. I may have it indeed in its entirety, although I hold it only in a paper sack, but it is not so well preserved as if I had it locked in an iron chest.
Therefore we must so live on the earth, not that we think of something different that is better to acquire than what we already possess; but that we strive to lay hold of the treasure more and more firmly and securely from day to day. We have no reason to seek anything more than faith; but here we must see to it how faith may grow and become stronger. Thus we, read in the Gospel, that, although the disciples of Christ without doubt believed (for otherwise they had not followed him), yet he often rebuked them on account of their weak faith. They had indeed faith, but when it was put to the test, they let it sink and did not support it. So it is with all Christians; where faith is not continually kept in motion and exercised, it weakens and decreases, so that it must indeed vanish; and yet we do not see nor feel this weakness ourselves, except in times of need and temptation, when unbelief rages too strongly; and yet for that very reason faith must have temptations in which it may battle and grow.”
Our LWML is a marvelous gift and their conventions are a great time to keep that faith welling up and growing and becoming stronger.
