Will You Give Me A Drink?

Message Title: Will you give me a drink?
Theme: Seeking
Season: Lent
Main Text: Exodus 17:1-7
Scripture Reading: John 4:5-42
RCL Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42
Focus: God offers water.
Function: To consider the intersection between our needs and hospitality.
Other Notes: *sanctified art curriculum; Pack a Pew Sunday; Noodle Dinner; Baptism class – 2 readers

SCRIPTURE READING: John 4:5-42

READER 1: ⁴ Jesus had to go through Samaria. ⁵ He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his journey, so he sat down at the well. It was about noon. ⁷ A Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” ⁸ His disciples had gone into the city to buy him some food. ⁹ The Samaritan woman asked, “Why do you, a Jewish man, ask for something to drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other.) ¹⁰ Jesus responded, “If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would be asking him and he would give you living water.” ¹¹ The woman said to him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water? ¹² You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave this well to us, and he drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” ¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will never be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water!” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go, get your husband, and come back here.” ¹⁷ The woman replied, “I don’t have a husband.” “You are right to say, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus answered. ¹⁸ “You’ve had five husbands, and the man you are with now isn’t your husband. You’ve spoken the truth.” ¹⁹ The woman said, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you and your people say that it is necessary to worship in Jerusalem.” ²¹ Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you and your people will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 

READER 2: ²² You and your people worship what you don’t know; we worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. ²⁴ God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.” ²⁵ The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach everything to us.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I Am—the one who speaks with you.”^{[a] 27} Just then, Jesus’ disciples arrived and were shocked that he was talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” ²⁸ The woman put down her water jar and went into the city. She said to the people, ²⁹ “Come and see a man who has told me everything I’ve done! Could this man be the Christ?” ³⁰ They left the city and were on their way to see Jesus. ³¹ In the meantime the disciples spoke to Jesus, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” ³² Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” ³³ The disciples asked each other, “Has someone brought him food?” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “I am fed by doing the will of the one who sent me and by completing his work. ³⁵ Don’t you have a saying, ‘Four more months and then it’s time for harvest’? Look, I tell you: open your eyes and notice that the fields are already ripe for the harvest. ³⁶ Those who harvest are receiving their pay and gathering fruit for eternal life so that those who sow and those who harvest can celebrate together. ³⁷ This is a true saying, that one sows and another harvests. ³⁸ I have sent you to harvest what you didn’t work hard for; others worked hard, and you will share in their hard work.” ³⁹ Many Samaritans in that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s word when she testified, “He told me everything I’ve ever done.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more believed because of his word, ⁴² and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this one is truly the savior of the world.”

INTRODUCTION:

1. AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT: Can you define brumotactillophobia(bro-mo-tack-till-o-phobia)- The fear of foods touching
   1. Can your food touch? Or is this your ideal thanksgiving plate?
2. How do you feel about fusion food? EXAMPLES
   1. Redneck sushi (aka sliced corndogs); Ramen burger; Sushi burrito
   1. Josh food: Hoosier heaven bowl; Hoosier Style Okonomiyaki

TRANSITION: today we are discussing theintersection of the fear of touching & cross-cultural connection – but not about food

MAIN TEXT: Exodus 17:1-7 The whole Israelite community broke camp and set out from the Sin desert to continue their journey, as the Lord commanded. They set up their camp at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² The people argued with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the Lord?” ³ But the people were very thirsty for water there, and they complained to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?” ⁴ So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me.” ⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of Israel’s elders with you. Take in your hand the shepherd’s rod that you used to strike the Nile River, and go. ⁶ I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will be able to drink.” Moses did so while Israel’s elders watched. ⁷ He called the place Massahand Meribah,because the Israelites argued with and tested the Lord, asking, “Is the Lord really with us or not?”

EXPLAINATION:

1. Exodus context:
   1. Post-red sea but before 10 commandments
   1. manna has happened
   1. salt water to fresh water
2. here we are at another complaint—angry enough to stone Moses
   1. Israelites need water – they come with a legit complaint (but not in a rational mind) but really are acting “hangry” (or the thirsty equivalent).
   1. They let their necessities breed rage—they are threatening to stone Moses.
   1. Scarcity, really fear, leads to rash and irrational actions
3. Yet God provides water

INTERPRETATION:  Jesus was the opposite of hangry even in the midst of hunger.

1. Gospel: Jesus shows a different way to approach a potentially tense situation. Let’s set the scene.
   1. Cultural tensions between Jews & Samaritans
      1. Northern Kingdom of Israel – destroyed by Assyria
      1. Survivors returned to the land and married with gentiles = Samaritans
      1. Worship Yahweh, offspring of Jacob, BUT don’t worship in Jerusalem and DON’T associate with Jews.
      1. TYPICALLY, a Jew would take extra steps in travel to avoid Samaria. Jesus CHOOSES to go to Samaria. Jesus *had* to go to Samaria.
   1. Jesus creates a fusion dish!  Jesus took a risk and interacted with a woman, alone, at the well symbolized for meeting your spouse.
      1. Unnamed Samaritan woman-
         1. the first person towards who Jesus reveals his messiah-ship.
            1. I Am- Yahweh
            1. John 1:1 – the one who speaks (word)
         1. One of the first witnesses – becomes a vessel for living water for other Samaritans
      1. Compare to Nicodemus -John 3

APPLICATION: To consider the intersection between our needs and hospitality.

1. Questions:
   1. Tiktok about parenting
      1. What are softer questions underneath our human defenses?
         1. Parenting in anger or after calming down
         1. Imagine if the Israelites asked God “Have you abandoned us? Do you really care?” rather than a rage -filled accusation.
   1. Fusion Christians:
      1. Are we willing to care for our neighbors (broad definition, not literal), seeking not to simply quench thirst, but to find living waters that sustain us all?
         1. DEFINE Benevolent connection –
      1. What does it look like for you to cross divides in order to connect with someone?
      1. God designed this world to run on benevolent connection. And that requires us not to just be charitable but vulnerable.
   1. Not living in fear or hanger

CONCLUSION Last week, Jesus told Nicodemus that God loved the world. This week Jesus traveled to Samaria and revealed his messiah-ship to a Jewish “enemy.” Jesus has to go to Samaria; this is Jesus showing Gods big love. When you draw lines between God and others, Go