A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Gospel, John 4:5-26, which has already been read. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Men. They’re all the same. That’s what life has taught the woman who makes her way to the well. She’s been married five times, and there’s no hint that she’s been widowed even once. That’s a tough run even by 21st-century American standards, and it must be nearly the record for the ancient Middle East. Now, she’s with a sixth, though they haven’t gotten married. Why bother? We don’t know if she’s been picked up by a string of losers who’ve treated her badly, or if she’s proven so intolerable that she’s been kicked out for her own failings. Almost certainly, the truth is somewhere in between, and the blame rests on both sides. In any event, marriage has not proven to be what it’s supposed to be, with husband and wife working hard and serving one another. “What it’s supposed to be” is probably worth ...

"Woman of Samaria" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Last week I introduced a four-part series of sermons on the Gospel readings for the month of March. Each reading features a specific individual who was encountered by Jesus. Everyone was changed. They lived in times and places far from ours, but we share much with them. The text this week, John 4:5-26, centers around a thirsty woman’s encounter with Jesus. She came to the well for literal water, but Jesus offered much more. Jesus had three routes He could have taken to Galilee. Many Jews elected not to go straight through Samaria because of lingering antagonism and hostility between them and the Samaritans. Some followed the Mediterranean coast north. Others crossed the Jordan and went north through Perea on the east bank. The text, however, says Jesus “ had to go through Samaria.” Reasons other than geography dictated the move. ...

"Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well" by Guercino Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our John 4:5-26, which has already been read. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Men. They’re all the same. That’s what life has taught the woman who makes her way to the well. She’s been married five times, and there’s no hint that she’s been widowed even once. That’s a tough run even by 21st-century American standards, and it must be nearly the record for the ancient Middle East. Now, she’s with a sixth, though they haven’t gotten married. Why bother? We don’t know if she’s been picked up by a string of losers who’ve treated her badly, or if she’s proven so intolerable that she’s been kicked out for her own failings. Almost certainly, the truth is somewhere in between and the blame rests on both sides. In any event, marriage has not proven to be the way it’s supposed to, where husband and wife are working hard an...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “ Come, see a Man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29). Oh, perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me first tell you what happened; then you’ll see why you have to meet this Man. It seemed like an ordinary day. Not much was going on in the dusty town of Sychar. Yet something strange happened that noon when I trudged the familiar trail to draw water from the well just outside of town. I didn’t know it yet, but that something (actually, Someone) was about to change my life. There was a traveler sitting there alone by the well. He looked tired and worn out. At a glance I could tell that He was a Jew. I tried to ignore Him, just wishing He’d move away from the well so I could get my work done. Sweaty Jew. Why couldn’t He pick a different spot to rest? I came here specifically at this time to avoid people. The other women came out as a group to draw water when it was cooler, but they treated me like an ou...