The Cup of Living Water

Focus Statement

God affirms all we’ve been through

and invites us into healthy relationship, wholeness, and sharing living water with others.

Point of Relation

Some people probably why I use movies to lead into my main points for any given sermon.

First, it gets old telling my personal story every week…for me and you...

And, honestly, a good movie is really a good story that provides an illustration of whatever topic or theme or meaning that it might have.

A good movie is a good story, that opens our eyes to the realities around us...

And all of us have our favorite movies and have found points of relation in them.

One such movie that I love is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...

Quite a Title, huh? Anyone here see that?

It’s a film starring Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet (of Titanic fame), and Kirsten Dunst.

Now, I know when you hear Jim Carrey, you are thinking the slapstick god Jim Carrey from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, or Liar, Liar;

however, this Jim Carrey is a man named Joel who's been so consumed by a bad break-up with his girlfriend.

In this film, following the break up, Joel finds out that his girlfriend, Clementine (played by Kate Winslet),

had all of her memories of him and their relationship erased by this technology at a firm in New York City called Lacuna.

Hurt by this, he decided to have the same procedure done and, as he goes through with it, he begins to realize he may have made a mistake...

You see, the first memories that were erased were the most recent ones...

Where their was a ton of conflict and tension between them...

But as he goes further and further back into his memories,

He begins to remember a time before all of that...

A time before they lost their way, got off track and were emotionally disconnected from each other.

Thus, he begins to regret having the procedure done and tries to halt the process…while going through it.

The question for him becomes…is it too late?

Things to Consider

Feeling connected and valued is an important part of human wellbeing

and it is something that Jesus shows us he cares about us by truly seeing us

and empowering us to share the life that he has given us with others.

What Scripture Says

The Samaritan woman whom Jesus encounters at the well is in a vulnerable position in many ways.

She has clearly been through a lot in that she has had five husbands

and “the one she has now is not her husband.”

I want to note:

There is nothing in the text to suggest that this woman is promiscuous

as she would have no control or say about her marriage arrangements.

In fact, listen to this hypothetical scenario put forward by the Sadducees to trap Jesus in Matthew 22:24-28:

24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.’ 25 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. 26 But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. 27 Last of all, the woman also died. 28 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.”

So, back to the Samaritan woman...

As you can see, she could have been married 4 times because her husbands died.

Or maybe they divorced her for any number of reasons...

Her number of marriages are just a matter of fact…not a judgment Jesus is throwing toward her...

And we should be careful not to judge her either.

As can be seen just by cross-referencing Scripture,

we can tell that this Samaritan woman has been through a lot of change and, likely, loss.

In the conversation with Jesus,

she is vulnerable as a Samaritan speaking with a Jew (see v. 10).

Lastly, the disciples’ astonishment that Jesus was speaking with a woman while alone

demonstrates how women in general were viewed (or not viewed) as conversation partners at the time.

Despite these barriers, Jesus shows up as the woman goes about her daily routine

and truly sees her for who she is:

Jesus asks for a drink

>>>This woman is capable and worthy of providing water to Jesus.

The woman asks theological and social questions and makes theological and social statements in verses 9, 12, 20)

>>>Jesus takes her seriously as a conversation partner, ‘

in defiance of norms around associating with Samaritans and women.

What’s more, he breaks down the boundaries and limits of her religious understanding to offer her something better.

The woman is honest when Jesus asks her to call her husband,

even if it makes her vulnerable.

>>>Jesus sees the woman as a TRUTHTELLER.

Notice, Jesus just sees and accepts the truth of the woman’s life.

MORE IMPORTANTLY: There is no talk of sin in this passage…so we should not read that between the lines.

It is as Jesus honors this woman,

her questions,

her religious and cultural background,

her voice,

and her life experience

that the woman gradually begins to have an understanding of who Jesus is.

She goes from seeing him as a Jew she should not be talking to in verse 9

to recognizing that he might be the Messiah in verse 29.

Even though the disciples are astonished that Jesus is speaking with a woman,

she becomes a key witness to who Jesus is.

She shares her testimony with her community,

and many come to believe in Jesus because of her as we see in verse 39.

He empowers her – just as she is - to share the gifts she doesn’t know she has.

Again, I want to remind you of kintsugi, which we talked about last week.

How it once was a perfect cup or bowl, but it got broken along the way...

But someone saw its beauty despite its brokenness...

and repaired it with gold-dusted lacquer,

remaking into something whole again…something beautiful.

This is exactly what is going on in this passage:

Jesus asks the woman for a drink.

And then by the end, she is able to offer living water out of the

broken cup that he has helped put back together.

What This Means For You

I want to invite you to think about things that might be preventing you from receiving the cup of living water that Jesus offers.

For example, like the woman at the well, you might have questions about faith,

or you might feel that while being so busy with the day-to-day,

you don’t notice when Jesus is encountering you

in whatever form…whether it be through someone, something, in prayer...or what he’s really offering you.

Maybe there is a part of yourself or your history

that you feel is unworthy and needs to be hidden.

Here are some ways that you might see the woman at the well as a model for receiving living water

For example, this unnamed Samaritan woman asks her questions courageously, honestly.

She pauses – first for a person in [perceived] need,

then for a full conversation.

She is honest about herself and her life.

She defies social expectations.

This are all ways in which we can begin to approach and encounter our Lord.

But we have to be open to disciplining ourselves...

or TRAINING OURSELVES…

to follow the Scripture Way of Salvation...

and attending to the ordinances of God…as Wesley put it.

More than just receiving living water,

this story is about sharing it with others.

Think about ways you can own your story in a way that can be shared and help others to encounter God?

You’ve seen me do it week in and week out up here.

It just takes being connected with God and being able to look back and see where God has worked in and through you.

It may seem hard, but it is really quite simple if we are honest with ourselves and can see beyond the surface of things.

How do we share the living water Jesus pours into our cup?

Who do you know who is thirsty?

What This Means for Us

How do we as a community claim the power we have (or don’t know we have) to offer living water?

Last week we talked about various things that our and, really, all congregations struggle with.

For those struggling with attaining or maintaining status...

What might be Life-Giving Water for them?

Perhaps constant reminders and/or eductational opportunities to see that status and oppression go hand-in-hand.

For the fearful person,

Perhaps being able to have support and and presence...

in a way that invites them to step out of their comfort zones and trust others to have their backs.

For the depressed?

How about a patient, loving, LISTENING presence.

For the anxious?

People who will provide a calming and safe environment for them to serve in.

Remember that when Jesus offers living water,

he sees and accepts the woman as she is.

Jesus encounters her as a worthwhile serious conversation partner.

We can do the same, exact thing. We can continue to create a safe sanctuary for broken people...

A place that is not only a sanctuary, but a workshop...

Where the broken get repaired and made whole and NEW AGAIN.

Can your community follow Jesus’ example when you encounter need and brokenness?

The answer is, much like a rallying cry, “YES WE CAN.”

So let’s just do it! Amen? Amen.