St. John's Smiths Falls, Rev. Brian A. Burrows.
Text: John 4:10, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is saying to you, 'Give me a drink.' You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
Intro:
My first introduction to Canada and the Arctic in 1962 was finding two buckets hanging in the porch. If you want water from the river, then you need buckets! I mention this to draw your attention to the way basic necessities can lead us to an understanding of deep spiritual truths.
Jesus is thirsty, sitting by Jacob's well and from an encounter with the woman there, uses the experience to talk about the deep spiritual needs people have and his mission to satisfy them.
- The need for a bucket!
How indeed do we get a handle on the deep things of this world? Yes, we have physical needs; we become thirsty, but how do we get at the spiritual resources to quench our deep-down needs for the soul? You could say that we need love, attention, to be cared for and so on, but how do we begin?
The bucket, for example, could be the Bible, the Prayer Book, or some faithful person trying to talk to us about their experience of God. In any event, we must begin by finding someone or something to help us start the quest for the Water of Life.
- The Well is Deep!
We live in an age where there is a constant desire for instant results - we want answers 'now'. The truth is, that just as human nature is complex, and as it were, too deep to fully comprehend, so also, the life of the spirit - our path to godliness, will take us deep into ourselves and into our thoughts!
Food, yes and water will satisfy but only a day at a time. Spiritual food is harder to come by, and we are bound to dig deeper into our very souls to find the peace we desperately desire!
- Water of Life!
Jesus said in John 4:14 "but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give them will become in them a spring of water gushing to eternal life." Jesus is talking about his ministry of healing and forgiveness, about the new life centered on God's will and purpose for his people.
No matter what happens in this life, as indeed it did for Jesus on the cross, the new life, the resurrected life, will be the spiritual source of comfort to those who believe! The Water of Life is our faith in a God who made us, who loves us and who gave His Son to die for us, so that we may enjoy his presence forever!
Conclusion:-
Jesus' words about the water of life touched the heart of that woman and the hearts of the people of that city. I believe that Jesus still brings to the world the same hope, the same deep-down satisfying spiritual food we as humans, crave for. It is a matter of faith! Do we believe that Jesus is the Saviour of the World who meets all our needs, so that, indeed, we shall never, never thirst again?
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