Water without a Bucket
a sermon on the Samaritan Woman, Jesus, and closed churches during the COVID 19 outbreak
The Rev’d Rhonda Waters
Water for all

The Story
Third Sunday in Lent
John 4:5-42
Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”
Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.”
Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.”

Something to Do
Carrying Water
Women all over the world still carry water to their homes from wells or other central distribution places. Get a feel for how much water weighs. Fill bowls or buckets of different sizes and carry them down your driveway or down the block. This is what the Samaritan woman expected to be doing when she met Jesus at the well.
The wonders of water
Really pay attention to water this week. Drink big glasses and notice how refreshing it is. Wash your hands (often!) and give thanks for how easy it is to keep clean. When you bath or shower, relish the comfort and restoration of the experience.
The water Jesus promises does all of this for once and for all – refreshing, restoring, comforting, and cleansing.

Something to Wonder
An Ensemble Cast
There are a lot of people in this story -who do you most relate to?
- Jesus
- the Samaritan woman
- the disciples
- the Samaritan villagers
Why do you connect to this character? Does the connection reveal anything surprising to you? Or anything to suggest a change or new direction for you?
I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour.
What is the harvest others planted and is now ready for us to gather up? What has Jesus sent us to reap?

Something to Learn
Who were the Samaritans?
BBC’s travel writer, Judith Fein, visited the ancient and modern Samaritan village of Kiryat Luza and reported on it in “The last of the good Samaritans“
Jacob’s Well
The site of Jacob’s Well now lies in the crypt (basement) of a modern Greek Orthodox church in Nablus in the West Bank. It’s an astonishing place, worn thin by centuries of prayer. Read more and see some pictures on seetheholyland.net

Something to Pray
Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways.
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow.
The story this week has made me wonder about…
(what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.
The story this week has filled me with…
(how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.
The story this week has reminded me of…
(are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.
In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.
Lent at Ascension
In Lent, we are invited to pay special attention to our relationship to God through fasting, prayer, acts of generosity, and study. Consider entering into the season with some shared practices.
Fasting
Get as close as you can to giving up single-use plastics. Every time you are inconvenienced, pray for strength. Every time you are unable (or unwilling) to avoid them, offer a prayer of repentance.
Morning and/or Night prayer.
Gather at the church or join in wherever you are – starting Feb. 27
9:30 a.m. Monday to Thursday
8:30 p.m. Monday to Friday
A simplified order of service and set of readings is available here.
Generosity
Set aside a daily amount to give to the refugee ministry of Ascension, or another ministry you care about. This amount could be $0.25 or $1 or $5 or $10. If you have children at home, make a point of actually having the cash on hand and adding to a collection’s box each day.
Study the Gospel according to John.
- Thursday Bible Study and Communion in the church hall at 10 a.m.
- Story at the Rectory on March 5, 19, and April 2 from 7:30-9 (ending with Evening Prayer).
- Lenten Quiet Day in the church on April 4 from 9-2:30
Self- Guided Lenten Quiet Time with Jesus in the Gospel according to John

Take your Bible and a cup of tea or coffee to a comfortable spot. Have paper and pencil handy so that you can make notes or draw.
You may want to watch the Bible Project videos to give yourself an overview, either both at the beginning or one at the beginning and the second after finishing chapter 12.
Begin with a prayer, offering this time to God and asking for ears to hear the Word of God anew.
Read John 1 -12.
Take 20-30 minutes to reflect on what you read. Use these questions and whatever means of capturing your thoughts you prefer:
- How are you feeling?
- What struck you most forcefully?
- What surprised you?
Read John 13-21
Again, take 20-30 minutes to reflect on what you read. Use these questions and whatever means of capturing your thoughts you prefer:
- How are you feeling? Has it changed?
- What struck you most forcefully?
- What surprised you?
- Have any of your thoughts changed?
- To what is Jesus calling you through this Gospel?
Close in prayer, giving thanks for the gift of the Gospel according to John and for Jesus, whom God gave to the world out of the depths of perfect love.
Easter
Holy Week Services

April 5—Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday Eucharist and Procession at 10am
April 9—Maundy Thursday
Dinner Church with Foot Washing at 6:30pm
April 10—Good Friday
Stations of the Cross for All-Ages at 10am
Contemplative Art at 11am
Good Friday Liturgy at 12:30pm
April 12—Easter Sunday; Celebration of the Resurrection
Easter Sunrise Service at 6am, followed by Easter Breakfast
Easter Day Eucharist at 10am