There is a Fountain
Outside of the New York area, our family has lived in two other places: Pittsburgh and Charleston. They are very different cities with very different histories and identities, but they share something in common: fountains. At Point Park where the three rivers meet in Pittsburgh stands the iconic giant fountain that shoots 150 feet into the air, symbolizing the transformation of the city as well as it’s geographical significance as the gateway to the west in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Sadly, the fountain is closed this summer for renovations. At the Waterfront Park pier in Charleston you will find two fountains. The famous Pineapple Fountain, a symbol of wealth and hospitality highlighting Charleston’s historic importance as a port city (the pineapple was only grown in South America and was therefore exotic and expensive. They are still given as housewarming gifts in the area). But the Pineapple Fountain, built in 1990, also symbolizes the resurrection of the city after the devastation of Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Not far from the Pineapple Fountain you will find the very fun splash fountain, a great place to cool off in the hot muggy Charleston summers. We and our children have played in all three of these fountains.
Though very different in design all of these fountains symbolize new life. Water is always a symbol of life as it is the key ingredient for life to exist in our universe, and the movement of the water in a fountain adds the feeling of cleansing and constant renewal, vibrance and energy. The water appears truly alive.
In this week’s lectionary readings the Lord gives his promise of new life to another city…the city of Jerusalem through the image of a fountain from the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah is known as one of the minor prophets in the Bible. They are called “minor prophets” not because their message is any less important than the “major prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Lamentations), but rather because they are shorter in length. Zechariah 13:1 says:
“On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”
In Zechariah we see how the Lord often speaks through his prophets. First, he addresses them in their immediate situation and problem. He encourages the Israelites who have returned from exile that he will keep his promise to restore what had been lost. The main focus and symbol of this is the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The temple was the center of their worship and the place where the Lord in his Shekinah glory dwelt among them before the exile (2 Chronicles 7:1-3). The rebuilding of the temple symbolized his presence with them once again and their healed relationship. However, it wouldn’t be the same.
The Lord would indeed restore his people to their home…the land he promised to Abraham centuries before…and he would rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, but his glory would not dwell in the temple like before. There would be a noticeable absence that begged the questions, “Has God failed to keep his promise? Why hasn’t his glory returned to the temple?” This reveals the other way God speaks through his prophets…he points us ahead to the much bigger promise. The second half of Zechariah (with our verse highlighted) along with the other prophets give a resounding answer. The Lord’s presence would return in a very different and far superior way. His glory would return to the temple in the flesh, in his one and only Son, Jesus. And with him would come new life. He is the fountain opened for the house of David and all of Jerusalem. He is the one who would cleanse his people from their sin and uncleanness once and for all on the cross. No more repeated temple sacrifices, no more annual pilgrimages, no more of our effort to make things right with God. All of that would come to end.
Jesus came to us and poured out his life for us. He shed his blood for you and me for the forgiveness of sins. He is the fountain of life for you and for me, and he will never be closed.
William Cowper captured all of this in 1772 in one of my favorite hymns: Praise for the Fountain Opened. And my favorite version of it is by none other than Waterdeep. Enjoy!
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave
Then in a nobler sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save, I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save
Then in a nobler sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply
Redeeming love has been my theme and shall be ‘til I die
And shall be ‘til I die, and shall be ‘til I die
Redeeming love has been my theme and shall be ‘til I die
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away
Wash all my sins away, wash all my sins away
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away
Amen.
Recommended Reading
