Today we have stories of life-giving water. In Exodus we hear the Israelites grumbling about not having water to drink, and in the gospel we have the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. In Exodus, the people are given water gushing up from a rock that Moses struck so they can drink. In the gospel, Jesus says that the water he gives will become a spring within, gushing up to eternal life. In the first story, outside water keeps the Israelites physically alive. In the second, spiritual water bubbling up from us shows the way to eternal life.
In last week's sermon I said that eternal life isn't necessarily about an unending life in heaven, but it just might be more about a new life lived into the promise of God, one that reflects God's love onto the world, thereby changing the world. Eternal life is more about living a new life where love reigns than a heavenly happy ever after. Living into this new life is symbolized by the image of spiritual water gushing up from within.
In and through Jesus we have been given a path to eternal life. In following Christ and aligning ourselves with God we move from a life that is inwardly focused and barren to a life that is outwardly focused and fruitful. By living lives that are outwardly focused and fruitful, we are living a new life in Christ free of destructive powers where love reigns. It is in living that new life where eternal life shows up and we take one step closer to seeing God's kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. And it is that eternal life within us that is found in the spring of water gushing up from within, and out of, us.
This image of new, eternal life and spiritual waters gushing up is shown in the encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well. They talk for a few minutes about water, both the regular kind and the water of eternal life. And then we get to an important part: Jesus asks her to bring her husband.
We find out that she's been married five times and that she is currently shacking up with a sixth guy. Jesus and the woman go on to have a discussion about the Messiah, where people will worship him, and who will worship him. After this interaction the woman returns to town and tells the people about her encounter with Jesus.
This encounter is sort of a microcosm of everything we are talking about. The woman encounters Jesus, that encounter causes spiritual waters to gush up from within her, she shares her encounter with others, and then they have an encounter with Jesus.
Through the Samaritan woman, we see that this spring of water gushing up from within us is meant to be shared. As the water that came out from the rock Moses struck was meant for all the people, the living water that gushes up from within us is meant for all people. It is meant to be offered to others and shared with those who choose to drink.
For Episcopalians, though, we don't like sharing our faith, because that sounds too much like evangelism. But sharing our faith is what we are called to do. In Matthew Jesus tells his disciples to tell and proclaim the Good News that they have heard. In Mark and Luke he tells a demoniac to tell people what God has done for him. And again in Matthew, Jesus instructs the disciples to make disciples of all nations – something you can't do if you're silent. And Acts is full of stories of people sharing the Good News.
Even with clear instructions and multiple examples, we aren't very good at doing this. Which is why in the Litany of Penitence (which we said on Ash Wednesday), we confess that we have been negligent in prayer and worship and that we have failed to commend the faith that is in us.
In all of this, notice that we are not called to convert people to Christianity or to the Episcopal Church. What we are called to do is to commend the faith that is in us. We are called to make disciples – which is different than converting people. We are called to tell people what God has done for us. And we are called to share our stories.
It is in the sharing of our stories that the living water within us gushes up. It is in the sharing of our stories that people are offered a chance to drink. It is in the sharing of our stories where the Holy Spirit can begin to work.
As we look at today's gospel, this is exactly what happens. The Samaritan woman has an encounter with Jesus. She goes back to her town and shares her story. She doesn't tell them that Jesus is the Messiah and they need to accept him as their personal Lord and Savior or they'll be damned for ever. She doesn't try to convert them. She simply shares the story of her encounter and invites them to explore with her whether or not he is the Messiah. Without saying so explicitly, she invites them to become disciples. Excluding John the Baptist, this woman becomes the first evangelist in all of the gospels.
Notice how this passage ends: “It is no longer because of what you have said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves.”
That belief comes from sharing the living water of faith that gushes up from within us. That sharing allows others to drink from the well at their own pace, rather than be drowned with water because of our enthusiasm and belief that they MUST DRINK. Sharing our stories allows people to explore Christ for themselves without pressuring them to “accept Christ as their own personal Lord and Savior.” Sharing our stories allows the Holy Spirit to work. Sharing our stories allows them to take the first steps in being outwardly focused.
Water, whether physical or spiritual, is important for our life and well-being. But we cannot force people to drink the water we offer. All we can do is share our stories, tell people how good the water is, and allow them to drink (or not) at their own pace. May we all be like the Samaritan woman in today's gospel – willing to share our story so that others will be drawn into the family of God.
Amen.
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