Water of life

Our reading today came from John’s Gospel, chapter 4:

Jesus came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’

‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?’

Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’

The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty, or have to keep coming here to draw water.’

I was attracted to that reading because it talks about Jesus being tired from a journey and in need of a rest and some refreshment. I was up in Scotland at the weekend, walking part of the West Highland Way with my sons. One day was 22 miles! We definitely needed a few stops to keep us going – and regular refreshment, of various sorts…

It’s interesting that what happens in this story doesn’t come from a planned meeting or focussed activity – it comes from Jesus simply stopping for a rest, and the unfolding of a conversation. On our walk, we had some interesting encounters with people along the way – somehow we were all more ready to talk and connect. It makes me  wonder if there is potential for encounter when we take time to pause in our daily life – in those moments when we go for a coffee or wait at the bus stop.

After the woman has given Jesus a drink she is curious – which is often a good place to start any conversation. How come Jesus asked her – a Samaritan – and a woman – for a drink?

Jesus then moves things in an unexpected direction – from a simple  request for a drink the possibility of an altogether deeper source of refreshment and renewal. He says that God will give to those who ask ‘living water’. The Greek words can also be translated running water. A real gift to someone living in a dry, arid country.

Our walk in Scotland wasn’t dry! But that did mean that we saw many, many waterfalls, gushing down from the side of the hill in an  unstoppable flow. It’s a powerful image of the life of God’s spirit flowing from deep within us, like an inexhaustible spring or an unstoppable waterfall.  

How do we connect with this source? It’s easy to stay on the surface of life, as the woman in the story does – she just wants to stop having to come to the well. But if we can move our attention to our inner life, we can seek out this life of the Spirit within us. We can bring our longing to God for this inner life – our thirst for him – trusting in his promise to give us this living water.

We need this inner connection with God especially when our outward circumstances are challenging. Apparently, some migrating birds use the stars to guide them. But if clouds are obscuring the stars, they need to follow an inner compass. That change of focus might be helpful for us too.

A lot of the time on our walk we just had to keep going, drawing on whatever inner resources we could find. For me this meant singing. I’m not sure how everyone else felt about it! One song I sang was the folk song ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’. I also wrote some different words to it a few years ago, exploring God’s gift of living water:

There is water flowing freely
flowing from the Lord who loves us
it’s the water of the Spirit
bringing life to all it touches
flow in me, Spirit, flow.

And we’ll all come together
to seek pure, living water
flowing from the Lord who loves us
flow in me, Spirit, flow.

If you seek the living water
you must be completely open;
you must make a space within you
for the love your Lord will give you.
Flow in me, Spirit, flow.

When you feel the Lord’s love fill you
like a bowl of shining water,
you must let it overflow
to bring life to all around you.
Flow in me, Spirit, flow.

And if you would find the source
of this pure, living water;
it is rising deep within you
like a spring which never ceases;
flow in me, Spirit, flow.

You can here it here (excuse the quality!)

As you come to pray, stop for a moment, as you might do on a long walk, and rest…

You may be aware of your need for renewal and refreshment in your life – just to get through each day’s journey.

Bring that awareness to God.

Hear the promise of Jesus to give you the living water – a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Lord, you know me. You know my needs.

Strengthen me for this journey that I am on. Refresh me and renew me.

May I know the living water of your Spirit flowing deep within me, bringing your life and your love.