REFLECTION - Where Rivers of Living Waters will Flow

38th Synod in Session – Bible Study: John 7:35-39 | Rev. Noah Kim

At the height of the ancient Jewish Feast of Tabernacles—amid rituals remembering God's provision—Jesus stood and cried out: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me… rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

This is no casual invitation. It’s a bold declaration at the climax of a sacred festival: I am the wellspring of salvation. Come to me and be filled.

John tells us that Jesus was speaking of the Spirit. The Spirit of God—unseen, intangible, yet deeply real—animates our calling as the Church. I believe our ministry is not sustained by clever strategies or sheer effort, but by the living waters of the Holy Spirit flowing from within.

But what does that look like?

Three boys once tried to prank their local priest by making fake confessions. The first two went in, told wild stories, and ran out laughing. But when the third boy stepped in, the priest stopped him. He pointed to the crucifix at the front of the church and said: “Go stand there, look Jesus in the face, and say this three times: ‘You did all that for me, and I don’t give a damn.’”

The boy said it once. Then again. But the third time… he couldn’t do it. He broke down in tears and walked out deeply changed.

That boy would grow up to become Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. He later said it was that moment—seeing the love of God poured out on the Cross—that changed him forever.

Friends, do we still see the Cross? Does it move us? Stir us? Renew us?

An elderly prayer warrior I know once said through tears in our prayer meeting:

“If the joy of prayer is this overwhelming now, how much greater will the joy be when I see my Lord face to face?”

The rivers of living water—this Spirit-life—are not static. Like the river in Ezekiel’s vision (chapter 47), the stream starts small, grows deeper, and brings life wherever it flows.

Yet I wonder if we, at times, feel more like disconnected ponds than rushing rivers.

So—what blocks the flow?

As an inexperienced minister, I’ve learned that God first brought me into ministry not to fix others, but to allow Him to heal the broken cisterns within me: fear, a sense of inadequacy, unhealthy power dynamics—even good intentions not surrendered to God. I’ve had to confess my thirst for control.

Jesus says, “Believe in ME, the true Fountain”

In this gentle invitation, I hear Him saying: The Church’s renewal won’t come from better programs or human strategies, but from humble hearts, open to the Spirit.

One of our fathers in the faith, John Wesley, understood this when his heart was “strangely warmed.” And we, too, are invited to drink deeply—again and again.

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6) Jesus says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)

May our hearts open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, by surrendering and praying honestly:

“Lord, I am Yours. Fill me. Lead me.”