The opposite of scarcity isn’t abundance. It’s simply enough.
-Brene Brown in “Rising Strong”

Searching scripture this morning, I came back to the story about Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 26. It is a time of famine in the land. They considered migrating south to Egypt in order to find food and security, but God spoke to them saying, “Stop moving around so much. Stay awhile. Learn to slow down right where you are. I will be with you right here, right now, and I will bless you.”

They were aliens without a place to call their home, but they trusted God and settled down. That’s when they discovered the wells that Abraham had dug many years before. Water is everything. You can go almost 40 days without food but only 3 days without water. Abraham’s wells were still producing abundantly. As a result, Isaac and Rebekah’s crops and herds thrived. The more they thrived the more jealous the local Philistines got until they filled-in Abraham’s well with dirt.

So, Isaac and Rebekah moved on down the road just a bit until they found another of Abraham’s wells. They settled in again and thrived. But each time, the locals filled in their wells and ran them off. Isaac and Rebekah named the filled-in wells “contention” and “enmity” to describe what they experienced. Not much of welcome, is it? Not much has changed in human behavior over a few thousand years. Still, they kept listening to God and staying put. Finally, Isaac dug his own well and the locals left this one alone. They named this final well Rehoboth which means “enough room” saying, “Now the Lord has made room for us. Now we can be fruitful in this land!”

It has always been tempting for Christians to wall themselves in and set themselves apart from the rest of the world to protect themselves. It’s tempting to play it safe but a mistake all the same. God calls us today to slow down and settle in, to make a commitment, to pitch our tents, and to do big things with and for our neighbors.

There’s too much jealousy, contention, and enmity in the world today. It’s sticky and contagious. Sometimes we run from it or wall ourselves in. Other times we start behaving badly just like everyone else around us. But sometimes we choose to stay put, take a stand, and bear a different kind of fruit. It looks like abundance. It feels like joy. It tastes like justice and mercy.

Slowing down and staying put is a beautiful commitment to the people right in front of you. That’s how I feel about you and this church. Sandra and I want to pitch our tent with you for a while. We’d like to do big things together. We’d like our joy and mercy and justice to be the things that we shine and share with the world.

 Let’s be the antidote for all that is harmful and hurtful around us. Let’s dig wells and plant vineyards and generously share the harvest with all our neighbors. Let’s build a Biblical community of love here together, a place where there’s room enough for everyone. What do you say?

I’m praying for you and your witness in the world!

Pastor Jim

September Worship – Living Waters

The surest way to become the person God created you to be is to live each day with the Spirit of God flowing through you like a river of living water. Join Pastor Jim this month to learn more from scripture about the life-giving waters God has already given you: the waters of your baptism; the water you share with others; the water that flows from your heart to give life to the world; and the water the upcoming generations need most. Let’s get in the flow and see where God takes us!

September 7, 2025
Born Again—
The Waters of Your Birth
John 3:1-9 and 16

September 14, 2025
The Water You Share
with Your People
John 4:4-14 and 39-42

September 21, 2025
Rivers of Living Water Flow
from Our Lives
Ezekiel 47:1-12 and John 7:37-39

September 28, 2025
The Water We Give
to the Next Generation
Isaiah 44:1-5