There’s a hole in my bucket

There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza, There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.” This beloved children’s song, found across cultures, is based on a protracted dialogue between two characters, Henry and Liza. A leaky bucket leads to a deadlock situation. Henry’s bucket leaks, so Liza tells him to repair it. To fix the leaky bucket, Henry needs straw. To cut the straw, he needs a knife. To use the knife, Henry needs to sharpen it. The sharpening stone must be damp, so he needs water. To fetch water, Henry needs a bucket. But there’s a hole in the bucket.

This 400-year-old nursery rhyme is a humorous depiction of futility: going around in circles. In fact, the word futility comes from the Latin futilis, which means “leaky.”

Jeremiah says there’s a problem with the people (church members) (Jer. 2:7), priests (church pastors) (v. 8), and prophets (church leaders) (v. 8). We are broken cisterns that hold no water (v. 13). God cannot use us to His fullest because of holes in our bucket. What’s the solution?

Admit it

First, admit it. “ ‘My people have committed two sins’ ” (v. 13, NIV). There’s a hole in my bucket. God’s church will get to the Promised Land. God will win the game. But He will have to take nonperforming players off the pitch. Pastor, I know you’ve been playing for a long time, but that’s the problem—you’ve been playing. Your bucket is leaking. God can—God must—bring on substitutes to win the game for Him.

Jesus calls pastors of all denominations “ ‘my people’ ” (Rev. 18:4, NIV). He’s calling them out because He wants to bring them in to preach the everlasting gospel (Rev. 14:6). In many places, the gospel work is stagnant—and in some places, nonexistent. What is God to do? Bring on substitutes. “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:15, KJV).

Look through the names of Bible authors, the genealogy of Jesus, and Hebrews 11’s hall of faith—the message of Scripture is that God will use someone you don’t choose.

Confess it

“ ‘My people have committed two sins . . .’ ” (Jer. 2:13, NIV). The first sin is forsaking living water. “ ‘The priests did not ask, “Where is the LORD?” [prayer] Those who deal with the law did not know me [Bible study]’ ” (Jer. 2:8, NIV). Pastors, God is calling us back to the altar. “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you” (Jer. 3:14. KJV). If your bucket has a leak, your altar may be weak:

No regular prayer life.
No disciplined Bible study.
No thematic preaching plan.
No systematic visitation program.
No community engagement activity.
No consistent evangelistic outreach.
No healthy diet and exercise regime.
No organized weekly day off and annual vacation.
No structured time with your family.
No planned intimacy with your spouse.
No faithful tithes and offerings.

Leaky buckets!

Address it

The first sin is forsaking living water. The second sin is embracing broken cisterns. Broken cisterns can be broken systems. Who is missing from your system?

My wife, Pattiejean, and I were in Iceland this summer and toured Lava Cave. Our guide illustrated how dark it was.

“Turn off your phones and helmet lights,” she said, switching off the cave lights. “When anyone feels it’s too uncomfortable, shout, ‘Lights!’ ”

We were enveloped in thick darkness. It got uncomfortable. Suddenly, a child shouted, “Lights!” Immediately, the guide switched on the lights. We were thankful for that child. You see, when you sit in darkness for so long, you don’t care who brings the light. You don’t care if they are adult or child, able-bodied or differently-abled, indigenous or immigrant, white or black, male or female—you just thank God for the light. The message of the New Testament is “Involve everyone!” Adventist Church president Ted Wilson says, “No matter your age, nationality, or gender, God is calling you to be part of His mission.”¹ If we don’t believe it, and if we don’t practice it, there’s a hole in our bucket.

There’s a hole in my bucket—I’m admitting it, confessing it, and addressing it. I don’t want to be substituted. What about you? Let’s ask God to fix our leaky buckets.