When
a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a
drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The
Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can
you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus
answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a
drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
“Sir,”
the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can
you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us
the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
Jesus
answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever
drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them
will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The
woman said to him, “Sir give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have
to keep coming here to draw water.”
He
told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
“I
have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus
said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you
have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you
have just said is quite true.”
“Sir,”
the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on
this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in
Jerusalem.”
“Woman,”
Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do
not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a
time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the
Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and
in truth.”
The
woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he
will explain everything to us.”
Then
Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you – I am he.”
Just
then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a
woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Then,
leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come,
see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They
came out of the own and made their way toward him.
Meanwhile
his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But
he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Then
his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
“My
food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his
work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell
you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now
the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that
the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and
another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others
have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many
of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s
testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to
him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of
his words many more became believers.
They
said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have
heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the
world.”
We
came a little early to this small, white, wooden chapel-looking church.
The
signage was good and restrooms were well marked; we had only minor difficulty
finding the sanctuary. With probably fewer than 50 worshipers I thought we
would stand out, but we were virtually ignored until after the service.
We
are unusual first-time visitors, not there just to worship but to record our
experience, so I think we are less affected by the environment. But I can’t
help but think that a visitor who is seeking a church home could be put off by
what might be seen as an unfriendly church. I would think it could influence
the whole worship. Would perceived unfriendliness taint the sermon or your
singing?
Just
as profound were two women who spoke to us after the service. Their warm invitation
to come downstairs for snacks was genuine.
I
think I anticipated warmth from the quaint small country chapel aesthetics.
I
was happy to find more than one cross and pleased to receive Communion, albeit
silently.
I
liked the title of the message: “Walking With Jesus When Your Heart is
Dehydrated.” The sermon revolved around the story of the Samaritan woman at the
well from John 4. The pastor offered insight on the woman as Christ revealed
Himself for the first time as the Messiah.
I
had a hard time hearing any singing and fortunately there was a couple from the
choir singing from the first pew so I could tell when to sing.
More
often than not the signage is almost non-existent at small churches where
everyone knows everyone else because “everyone knows where the restroom is,” so
I was impressed at the extent of the signage.
We
were not greeted until after the service when several folks extended invitations
to join them downstairs for coffee and treats.
The
interestingly designed sanctuary boasted great indirect lighting. I enjoyed
watching the choir: a mom and dad both sang with this small group, and it was
heartwarming to watch dad – the only male voice in the choir – singing while holding
a little one who was maybe 18 months old. So sweet.
I
found the title of the message intriguing: “Walking With Jesus When Your Heart
is Dehydrated” and it was reason enough to come here. He began by referring to
the gravestone of a woman who, if what was written was true, had “died as she
had lived – alone.” He pointed out how the Samaritan woman at the well dropped
her mask and stopped pretending in her conversation with Jesus, and He in turn
was honest with her about Who He was. As chancy as it was for her to be honest
with Him, she took the risk and was rewarded with a truth far beyond anything
she could have imagined or hoped for. The pastor declared that the masks we
wear are a result of “lies the darkness gives us” and he urged people to remove
the masks, take the risk, and ask for the Living Water.
I
enjoyed the pastor’s unusual preaching style and I deeply appreciated the encouragement
to be real, open, and honest. The world says we need our masks to protect us
and enable us to function in the world, but I’ve come to believe masks actually
separate us from others and prevent us from having the very relationships that
give life meaning. The reward far far outweighs the risk.
Lord, we pray Your blessing on this church. Guide them as they grow and open their eyes to Your call. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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