3rd Sunday - Living Water

If you're following along with the readings, for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sunday of Lent, you're going to have to flip past the regular readings, and just behind them, are the readings for years when there is a Scrutiny.  Last week, I talked about St. Patrick, who is one of the audio stories on formed.  Another of the ones I listened to was the story of St. Cecelia, one of the early Christian Martyrs.  I love the story, because it gives a real sense of the reality of the Early Church.  They lived in persecution, only sharing who was Christian when they were alone, and at real risk to their lives. 

They developed a system, when new members wanted to join the community, they had to have a sponsor, someone to vouch for them.  Then, after learning a little with the sponsor, they were ceremonially welcomed into the secret community.  When we go through the scrutinies, we're supposed to look back to the earliest days of our Church and know that through these rituals, we're connected to those first Catecumens seeking baptism.  They used these same readings that we'll hear the next 3 weeks.  Each of the readings reveal part of the mystery of the faith.

Today, we hear about the mystery of water.  It's water we use in baptism.  We need water to wash, to drink, to live.  Clean water is the most basic human need.  

It's hard for us to imagine the world of the desert, the world where the Jewish people would have lived, a world where drinking water was a precious commodity.  It's hard to imagine a world without running water, where a bath was a luxury that only the richest people might get a chance at….imagine the smell.   Even filling a basin to wash dishes would be quite a project.  It meant going to the well in the morning, filling up large jars and carrying them home.

 I remember when I was growing up, rather than buying water at the grocery store, we used to drive out to Roaring Spring, about a hour drive from my parents house, with about two dozen gallon jugs to fill up with water.  Then we'd park across the parking lot, and walk probably about half a mile around, carrying two jugs at a time back to the car.  Now we did it to get a little exercise, but it certainly gave me a little sense of what life must have been like for them.  But for us, it was only drinking water.  The people in that world would have needed all their water, for washing hands, washing clothes, washing dishes, drinking, everything had to come from the well.  Then, you had to ration what you used, because the even the well didn't have an unlimited supply.

So the well, the water source, became the center of town.  That was where everyone came, that was where the news of the day spread, it was the gathering place of the town.  Back in Genesis, that was where Jacob met his wife at a well, and so did Isaac. 

In the Gospel story, Jesus is put into a crazy situation that broke all the rules.  This was a Samaritan town, a people who were one Jewish, but had many years ago fallen away from the strict practice of the kosher laws.  they were the simple, unsophisticated people.  For a Jewish Man, the Samaritans were unclean heathen.   Then, most women would meet in the morning to gather water for the day.  For this woman to be at the well at noon meant she was a social outcast, not welcome with the rest of even the Samaritan women.   Then, on top of that, for a man to talk to a woman openly at the well, would have been unusual to say the least, so for a Jewish man to talk to a Samaritan woman, at the well, at noon,  would have been unheard of, even if he were desperate for water.

Jesus knows exactly what he's doing.  He reaches across the lines that society has drawn.  He uses water to cross all the old lines and write new ones.  He approaches her to ask for the old water, and he offers her the new water, the living water.  He's offering her baptism.

Water is ultimately a symbol of new life.  Water helps plants to grow, water keeps us clean, and we trunk it when we're thirsty and Jesus offers, so Jesus brings new life and begins to heal the old wounds.  This woman who was put outside, as as a Samaritan, as a Woman, and now, as an outcast even from that community.  Jesus offers her new life, a chance at a new community.  He makes the offer…but she has to be willing to take it, to be changed, to receive the new life.

That's why the question about where to worship is so important.  The Jews worshipped in Jerusalem, Samaritains worshiped on Mt. Garazin, Garazin was actually the older place.  So she asks Jesus, "Which is right?" 

Jesus says simply, the Jews were on the right track, not the Samaritans,  But, he didn't stop there as we all to often do and pretend everything about them was ok as it was.  Even though he knew the Samaritan woman was in the wrong, he didn't belittle or berate her.  Even though he pointed out that she had 5 husbands and was living with a man who was not her husband, notice how he didn't simply condemn her.  He didn't just point out her sin and walk away.  He invited her to something she never thought possible.  He invited her to take the living water, invited her to be a true worshiper, to change and worship in spirit and in Truth.  He invited her to conversion.

Too often in our world, we like to sometimes scare people into fear of Hell, something Jesus only did to those who approached him with contempt,   Instead, Jesus does today, what he has done so many times, every time he find someone who is in sin, but wishes to become better than they are.  He invites them, offers them new life, living water. 

In the ancient Church, they celebrated the scrutinies as a way to welcome new members into the community at a time when membership in the faith might mean risking their earthly lives.  Yet, approaching baptism meant gaining a whole new life in Jesus Christ.  This weekend, as we celebrate the first scrutiny, we welcome our new members.  Yes, it means there will be changes, it means committing to practicing the faith, but it also means receiving the waters that lead to eternal life.

When see someone we know is hurting because of their sin, or perhaps when we ourselves are the ones hurting, do we invite them to see how they are hurting themselves by the actions, and how we want to offer real true healing through Jesus Christ.  Yes, it might mean changing some old habits, it might mean taking some risks, but if we realize that in Christ we have the living water where we will never thirst again, do we realize, do we show in how we act, that the Love of Jesus Christ is absolutely worth any sacrifice we might ever have to make.  For nothing compares to the living water that is our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.