I just looked at Face Book and my son Ben posted a Christmas greeting with a song by Joni Mitchell called, “River.” It has a peaceful and mellow sound to it. I listened to the lyrics, “It’s coming on Christmas, they’re cutting down trees. They’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace. Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on. . .I wish I had a river so long, I would teach my feet to fly. . .” skating and flying. Skating and Flying. You need a river. You need a River.
‘Your children will be abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your Riches; and You will make them drink of the River of Your Divine Provisions. For with You is the Fountain of Life: in Your Light we shall see Light and Truth.” Psalm 36:8-9
Skating. She wishes the river was frozen so she could skate away from the world she lives in. I heard those lyrics many years ago, when I was very young. My heart sang them so many times, I stopped counting. And to able to fly away. . .only in my dreams. One of Ben’s Christmas gifts from his girlfriend Theresa was the movie, “Never Ending Story.” It’s one of his favorites, and mine. A lot of flying 🙂
The irony of it all is that we ourselves are a river. We begin to flow at the moment of conception. It’s a calm flowing. . .peaceful, secure, in good hands so to speak. Then we gush out in a Wonderful burst of life and the current is a little faster. We’re like a little stream, just a tributary of larger streams, connected to rivers. . .a network of waterways. There are a number of verses in the Old Testament that compare man’s heart to a stone. . .a smooth stone. . .smooth enough to skate on. The Dumbo sheep are shaking their heads back and forth, knowing that this information is going to be difficult, if not impossible to accept. They’ve been there. . .not able and unwilling to hear it, until He gave them those magnificent hears to hear His magnificent words.
The river that we are, seems to begin to freeze over time. It’s so slow and subtle that we are usually unaware of it, until a moment arrives and it startles us. . .and others around us. We brilliantly find ways to keep our hearts warm, to keep the river from freezing. Just think about it. We’re like those “Ice Road Truckers” on TV, running our rigs over the frozen ice. What is it little Lily? You say that you remember when your heart began to melt, the first time His fragrance entered your soul? It was warming scent of the River of Life.
Skating on the River. I remember when the Eagles returned from their first flight over the Rainbow, into the Colors of God’s Love. They all agreed that the Color they loved the most was His Forgiveness. The Love of His own Son to each one of them, let them skate. . .allowed them to enter the Kingdom of God without penalty or punishment. . .free Love, freely given, freely received. When Rachel, Jessie and Ben were little, we would sit them down once in a while and make the announcement that this was a time for amnesty.
They knew that no matter what they told us about their “secret sins” they would be totally, forever free of punishment or reprisals of any kind. Webster defines “amnesty” as: forgetfulness; the voluntary overlooking of an offense by the one offended; a full pardon. The Dumbos just took flight. When He speaks to them of His Love and the Love of His Son, they fly on the River. . .they soar with the Eagles. It’s true that amnesty with the kids was a profound challenge, because of the nature of the things that were “confessed” But they would leave the experience with a clean slate, their little “hearts of stone” all cleaned up for the moment. And just like me (and you), in a matter of moments. . .we are silly little sinners again, skating down the river, driving our rigs over that frozen ice. Little Lily just asked me if maybe, this is too much to digest for some of you? “Your right, little one. . .I get carried away sometimes.” Sorry. Just one more thing.
“And God said to me, ‘My child, have you seen this before? He carried me in His arms to the brink of a River. There were many wonderful, colorful evergreens on both sides (like Christmas trees). ‘These waters pour out into the desert and into the Dead Sea and when they enter the sea (the sea of putrid and frozen waters) the waters shall be healed and made fresh. And wherever the River flows, every living creature in the flock shall Live. . .for where the River runs, there is Peace and Relief. . .Wisdom and Power. . .Fruits from the Tree of Life. . .Full and Forever Amnesty.” Ezekiel 47:8-9
What a sight to Behold! A Christmas River. . .to Skate on and to Fly on. Full of His Gifts. Full of Life. Full of Himself. Full and Free. Free, Love.
A Good Moment 