Today’s gospel story is of a brief encounter – an encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria at Jacob’s well.
And just as for Celia Johnson’s character in the film, it was a turning point in the life of that woman…
Category: Sermon
The Enlightened one
Although her faith was by no stretch of the imagination complete, just moments after meeting Jesus, she went out and drew people in. “Come and see” she says.
And they do.
How about us? Do we wait till we’ve gone on a training course? Got a qualification? If we learn nothing else, it should be that we don’t have to know all the answers before inviting people to come and see.
Be curious
People have always looked up at mountains and hills.
Maybe it’s because they are there – you can’t miss them – they stand out. They look strong and majestic. And when you get to go up to the top of the mountain or hill you look again and see for miles – you can see further than from down on the lowland.
You get a new and wider perspective.
We don’t go alone
Can I ask all the men and boys in the congregation to stand up please if you’re able?
If you’re 80 years or older then please sit down again. If you’re 69 or younger, then please sit down.
And if we’ve all got our maths right, that should leave us with men in their seventies. So, can I borrow you up at the front here for a few minutes please?
We are prepared
Jesus shared this story to give us our own template on how we can also resist temptation. He taught us which tools we can use, the words of God. To be prepared for when it comes our way, when we are vulnerable.
When we’re tired, hungry, thirsty, unhappy, grieving with God we are prepared. When we long for the things that we don’t have or when least expecting it, with God we are prepared.
Sit somewhere different
He walked down one of the narrow streets then hesitated a moment before entering the potter’s shed.
First, he was hit by the smell of wet clay. Then the sound of the wheel turning. He saw the bowl of water, the liquid clay on the hands.
As he sat beside the potter, slowly he noticed the effort involved in keeping the clay in place on the wheel and the subtlety of pressure by different parts of the hand.
He began to understand the testing of the potter’s creativity. The accuracy. The love.