WHAT GOD IS OFFERING

SERMON PREACHED BY FR. TONY NOBLE ON FEBRUARY 24^th, 2008

John 4:10 "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."

Living water. There in the dry countryside of Samaria, Jesus offers this woman, this foreigner, living water - and what a fascinating conversation ensues. You will notice that the women has no name, she is just "the woman".

Many of you may remember the folk song sung by Peter, Paul and Mary: "Jesus met the women at the well" and its verse: "Woman, woman, you've got five husbands". When Jesus said that it spiced up the conversation somewhat! And she replied: "I perceive, sir, that you are a prophet".

The well-known actress Zsa Zsa Gabor once said: "There's only one thing better than one husband and that's more husbands!" If this woman had been Zsa Zsa Gabor, I can imagine the conversation going like this: Jesus says "Woman, I've got your number" - and she would reply straight away: "And I've got yours”! “I perceive that you are a prophet". And so the conversation continues - and she remains the un-named woman.

This is a very appropriate Gospel reading for the third Sunday in Lent. Last week we heard from the previous chapter, John 3, the story of Nicodemus and Jesus having a conversation - with that wonderful climax "God so loved the world". Today in chapter 4 Jesus has another conversation - and in this conversation we see what he meant by "God so loved the world". For we see what God's love is like for the world. Jesus is not only speaking to a foreigner, a Samaritan, an outcast, but she is a divorced woman - and in those days that was a no no - it was a scandal, for a Jewish man to speak to her at the well.

It shows us that the love of Jesus has no bounds. There are no fences to the love of God. And it is not a sentimental love, a sort of an emotional thing - for Jesus knows exactly who he is dealing with. He knows the woman because, of course, Jesus knows exactly what we are like.

This Lenten theme of God's love is matched today with the Lenten theme of Baptism.   Last week in the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus Jesus spoke of baptism - of being reborn. In that Gospel reading Baptism was explicit. In today's reading baptism in implicit. Jesus says he offers living water - and we receive that living water at our baptisms. In fact as we look at our readings, water flows, literally, through all of them.

In Romans 5, St Paul talks about the forgiveness and reconciliation that God achieved on the Cross. This was first given to us in baptism. In Exodus 17 when the Jews became thirsty in their desert wanderings. Moses tapped the rock, and out came gushing water. This is an image of baptism, a pre-figurement, a prophecy of the living water that Jesus now speaks of. Jesus spoke later in St John's Gospel about springs of water welling up within inside us, as a mark and image of the Holy Spirit.

So here we have these themes of Lent - new life and baptism. It also seems very appropriate that today the woman has no name - because in this story she is you and I. She is not only us - she is society. And she is also the Church. And therefore she is this parish. Indeed, as we look around we can see that the variety of our members really verifies that we are represented by this woman.

Firstly, she is one of us. Let us consider. Jesus comes to her - yet he is the one she is really seeking, though she knows it not at this stage. She will know that later. Jesus promises her: "The water I shall give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life". Now she is us because that is exactly what we received in our baptisms - when the water of baptism was poured over us, we received this living water.

But you and I know (and here again she represents us) that the baptismal spring of water diminishes over time.  As life buffets us, as we go through the ups and downs of physical, mental, and spiritual life, the spring of water becomes a trickle. Sometimes even dries up - and God seems distant, or we can't pray anymore.

That is why it is a Lenten theme - because Lent calls us to renew our spiritual life. By getting back to basics - prayer, fasting, almsgiving, worship, time for Jesus - Lent calls us to renew the spiritual spring. And at the end of this season, on Holy Saturday, we will renew our baptismal vows - and we will have reclaimed again that living water given to us, and drink it with renewed joy as we sing Alleluia!

Do you notice the similarity between what Jesus says to her this day, and what he says to the crowd in John 6? In John 6 he says: "The bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world". Today he says: "The water that I shall give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life". You notice in both of these scriptures, he gives us something, which is life. Here we have, like last week, the two Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion - for they are both gifts from Christ which give us life.

So as well as representing us, the woman represents the Church in its sacramental life.  She also represents society, for she is symbolic of a society in search of God. In modern America there are many religious and spiritual options for those who search - you can touch the divine through anything from crystals to Tom Cruise.

We are not in fact a society without God - but a society of too many gods. And the greatest of these gods is love - but it’s a love of money and possessions, what we call materialism. That is the great god of our society. Therefore our message to this society is what Jesus said to the woman: "If only you knew the gift of God, and who it is that offers it".

You see the initiative always comes from God - then we have to respond, just like the woman. The noted Benedictine Anglican author, Esther De Waal, says this about searching for God: "Seeking God means that we give him the opportunity of finding us.   Seeking God is not about acquiring something, but making progress towards God, through our total dependence on his grace". And that is really what Lent is all about isn't it?   Making progress towards God through our total dependence on his grace.

And finally to the end of the story, the woman went and told everyone what happened. Went and told all those other Samaritans, all those other outcasts - told them what God was offering, and who it was that offered it. And when she did that, she became us!