. . .all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel. Accordingly, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. [Nehemiah 8: 1-2]
At the Water Gate
In the early years of Judaism, it was a tradition to assemble annually to read God's Law. This occasion was undoubtedly what we would call today a "teachable moment" — a time when the audience was particularly open to grasping the importance of what was being read.
In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the water gate was chosen for this ceremony. Situated within the city's wall, this gate offered access to the essential well or spring that supported life. Consequently, it served as a natural meeting spot for the city's residents and those from the nearby region.
The reading of Yahweh's Law served to educate about the law and emphasize its significance in the community's life. It reminded God's people of what it meant to be children of God and followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
This ritual took place every year. In a sense, it functioned as an "annual meeting" for the community of faith.
Our Water Gate Moment
Yesterday, the United Church of Colchester conducted its Annual Meeting. Like the assembly with Ezra and Nehemiah, we had our own Water Gate Moment. Gathering at the site of the old village center, we came together to reflect on how we responded to God's call to be the Body of Christ in 2024. By approving the church's budget and the reports from various commissions and groups, we began transitioning into 2025 as the Church in this time and place.
However, as the ancient Hebrews recognized, as evidenced in the Old Testament Witness, our faith should not be restricted to the Water Gate. We cannot confine our Christianity solely to church. As part of the Body of Christ, we must extend our faith beyond the Water Gate and into the world.
Once more, the faith community known as the United Church of Colchester is summoned into a new year to embody the Church, the Body of Christ. We pray that in 2025, our light will shine both before and far beyond the Water Gate. We pray that our witness will be a teachable moment in our time -- that those we encounter will see in us the love of God, the face of Christ, and the light of the Holy Spirit.
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Before the Water Gate
At some point, we all find ourselves before the Water Gate
Before the people we love and before the people we say we hate
We must proclaim or forever remain silent
We must confess or forever carry the burdens of our lives
We must assert that we belong together or forever remain apart
We must be true to our strengths and even truer to the strengths of others
We must leave as one or forever be scattered to the winds
That blow through the Water Gate
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