Week Seven: Water, Worship, And Witness
1. Watch the message
What did you hear?
What did you notice?
Jot down a word, a phrase, or insight you want to remember throughout the week.
What did you hear?
What did you notice?
Jot down a word, a phrase, or insight you want to remember throughout the week.
2. Read the passages at least one time during the week:
Some things to think about the passage:
This is such a rich passage. I hope you benefit from reading it a couple of times during the week. N.T. Wright suggests that the woman “intrigued by Jesus’ offer of ‘living water’, she asks to have some – not realizing that if you want to take Jesus up on his offer of running, pure water, bubbling up inside you, you will have to get rid of the stale, moldy, stagnant water you’ve been living off all this time.”
Can you identify what is stale and stagnant in your own life that you would need to give up in order to experience the “living water’ Jesus has to offer? Talk to Jesus about what in your life is stale and stagnate and invite Jesus to help you get rid of it so you can experience the ‘pure, running water’ from him.
This is such a rich passage. I hope you benefit from reading it a couple of times during the week. N.T. Wright suggests that the woman “intrigued by Jesus’ offer of ‘living water’, she asks to have some – not realizing that if you want to take Jesus up on his offer of running, pure water, bubbling up inside you, you will have to get rid of the stale, moldy, stagnant water you’ve been living off all this time.”
Can you identify what is stale and stagnant in your own life that you would need to give up in order to experience the “living water’ Jesus has to offer? Talk to Jesus about what in your life is stale and stagnate and invite Jesus to help you get rid of it so you can experience the ‘pure, running water’ from him.
John 4:1-42 NLT
4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 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.[a])
10 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.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 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?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 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.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 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.[a])
10 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.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 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?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 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.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
Practices to supplement your reading
3. Explore a Practice
You are encouraged to explore different spiritual practices during this eight-week challenge. Not all practices benefit everyone, but you are encouraged to use this time to experiment with something new or return to a practice maybe you haven’t done in a while. You will be provided with a couple different options. You are encouraged to try one each week.
You are encouraged to explore different spiritual practices during this eight-week challenge. Not all practices benefit everyone, but you are encouraged to use this time to experiment with something new or return to a practice maybe you haven’t done in a while. You will be provided with a couple different options. You are encouraged to try one each week.
Compassion
The practice of compassion is about becoming the healing presence of Christ to others. Ways to practice compassion:
Practice: Consider who the outsiders and disenfranchised are in your community. Choose one of these groups and find out something about them. What do they need? What do they have to give? Where is God calling you to walk in his compassion?
Practice: Choose one way you can show compassion to someone this week. After you have done so, talk to someone about what it was like for you to do this.
(The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, by Adele Ahlbeg Calhoun)
- Find an opportunity and means to comfort, encourage and support those who struggle, suffer and are oppressed.
- Seek to heal wounds rather than react to the wounded.
- Read the newspaper or listen to the news as a call to prayer and compassion.
Practice: Consider who the outsiders and disenfranchised are in your community. Choose one of these groups and find out something about them. What do they need? What do they have to give? Where is God calling you to walk in his compassion?
Practice: Choose one way you can show compassion to someone this week. After you have done so, talk to someone about what it was like for you to do this.
(The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, by Adele Ahlbeg Calhoun)
Rest
Rest is a way to honor God and my human limitations through restful rhythms. By paying attention to the physical, mental and spiritual needs of the body, we learn when and how to rest.Ways to practice rest:
Consider whether or not your tiredness is about body or soul.
- Set aside unhurried time to rest and be refreshed rather than work.
- Set margin in the day for moments of recollection and rest.
- Develop an intentional rhythm of rest and work in your life.
Consider whether or not your tiredness is about body or soul.
- What kind of rest would refresh your body: exercise, a nap, going to bed early?
- What kind of rest would refresh your soul: retreat, sleep, music, reading, centering prayer?
- Choose two times this week when you will intentionally enter into rest for body and soul.
Seek God for the City Prayer Guide
Pray powerful prayers of biblical hope for the people of your community. This prayer guide makes it easy for you to pray rich, biblical prayers for spiritual awakening throughout your city. Dated to unite prayer during the 40 days leading to Palm Sunday, February 17 – March 28, 2021.
You can purchase through your app store, pick up a hard copy at the connection center (first come, first serve) or you can purchase at https://waymakers.org/store/
You can purchase through your app store, pick up a hard copy at the connection center (first come, first serve) or you can purchase at https://waymakers.org/store/
Talk to a Friend
Take the initiative to call, Zoom, Facetime or talk with someone about the message and/or your reading of the passage from John this week. Here are some optional questions/suggestions to get your conversation started:
- Share a thought or insight from Sunday’s message.
- What did you notice from the Scripture passage?
- How have you benefitted from exploring new spiritual practices? Is there a practice you are or will continue to engage with?
May God meet you in the reading of His Word, in your everyday encounters with others, and your intentional practices of spending time with Him.
Have a wonderful week!
Have a wonderful week!