Thirsty (John 4: 5-42)

I was going to start today's sermon by telling you that Ginger is wrong. But, because I do so love being married to her, I’ve reconsidered. 

Instead, I’ll tell you what she told me after I told her what I was going to tell you. She said to me: 

“No, I’m not wrong; you’re wrong. ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ is a terrible song, and I don’t know why you like it.”

I can’t help it. It’s a catchy tune and a wonderfully ironic song, because the whole song is them talking about Bruno! 

Also, much of what is sung displays the Madrigal family’s prejudice against, and misconceptions about, Bruno; but one verse, sung by cousin Dolores (that’s her on the right), contains the actual truth about Bruno—yet that one verse is sung twice as fast and at a whisper, making the truth hard to hear, much less understand. Instead, it’s the assumptions and misconceptions of the family members that stand out. 

It’s a brilliant bit of songwriting.

In Jesus’ time, the song the Jews might have been singing was, “We don’t talk about Samaritans.” Parents would tell their children, “we don’t talk about Samaritans, and we certainly don’t talk to Samaritans…” 

And then the parents would go off on a lecture filled with half-truths and assumptions, all about Samaritans, and why they were such bad people. 

They live in the wrong region. They speak with a funny accent. They eat the wrong foods. They teach their children to hate Jews. They’re ugly!

And, they worship God in all the wrong ways. They believe that the best place to worship God is on a mountain, while the Jews believe that the best place to worship God is in Jerusalem. 

The parents were just passing on the prejudices and misconceptions that they themselves had been taught. Their leaders emphasized over and over how evil the Samaritans were. They probably preached many sermons titled, “We Don’t Talk About Samaritans,” in which they did talk all about Samaritans, detailing all the reasons why people should not talk about Samaritans, or to Samaritans, or have anything to do with Samaritans…

So anytime we read in the Bible a story that involves a Samaritan, we need to remember all this.

Often, today, the news media will refer to someone as a “Good Samaritan,” someone who stopped to offer aid or assistance to a stranger.

But, Biblically speaking, the comparison would only apply if the person who stopped to offer aid was an adversary or enemy of the one they helped. 

So if you’re, say, a Dodgers fan (I know we have a few), a “good Samaritan” would be a Giants fan who went out of their way to help. If you drive a hybrid car with Bernie Sanders bumper stickers, a “good Samaritan” would be a pickup truck with a confederate flag and Fox News bumper sticker stopping and showing extraordinary kindness to help.

It’s really an unimaginable thing, for someone in Jesus’ community to think of a Samaritan as “good.” Samaritans were NOT considered good, they were BAD in every possible way, and were to be avoided if at all possible.

—

In our story today it says that Jesus “had to go through Samaria.” That makes it sound like he had no other choice, that there was no other way to get to where he needed to go—which is what one would assume if he did, in fact, go through Samaria. Why would anyone do that, if they didn’t have to?

But actually, there was another way. There was a road that went around Samaria that he could have used. That’s what good Jews did, precisely so that they didn’t have to risk encountering a Samaritan while they traveled.

So, what does it mean, that Jesus had to go through Samaria?

It means that the Spirit was leading him through Samaria, that God wanted him to go through Samaria, that God had arranged an appointment for Jesus in Samaria (as I once heard James Forbes put it), and when God sets up an appointment for you, you don’t cancel.

So, Jesus had to go through Samaria.

And there, in the city of Sychar, he sat down by a well to rest. 

This was at noon, right in the middle of the day. 

No one came to wells in the middle of the day. It was hot; too hot for carrying water. If fetching water was on your to-do list, you’d do it early in the morning, when it was cool, and again in the evening. But not in the middle of the day.

Which means that Jesus would be spared having to interact with any Samaritan—or so one would think.

And yet, while he was sitting there, in the middle of the day—when all the other women from town were at home, perhaps taking a midday break from all their chores—this woman (this Samaritan woman!) appeared with her empty jug, to fetch some water.

And Jesus knew that this was the appointment that had been made for him. 

I don’t know that the woman knew that. I imagine she was startled to see someone sitting by the well in the middle of the day—and even more startled to realize that it was a Jewish man. (“What is HE doing here?”)

It made her hesitate in her steps. It made her think about turning back, heading back home, except that she needed water; and she couldn’t (she just couldn’t) come later, when all the other women from town came to get their water.

Cautiously, she approached the well. Maybe he would leave her alone. Maybe she could fill her jug, and be on her way. Maybe—

“Give me a drink.”

Oh! 

“How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman, of Samaria?”

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.”

Jesus knew why she was at the well at the middle of the day; he knew why she came now, instead of in the morning or the evening, when all the other women came. 

It was because, in her community, she was the topic of gossip, the outcast, the one with a bad reputation, the one not welcome in any social circle. 

By coming at the middle of the day, she could avoid the stares, the insults, the taunting. She could fetch her water in peace; and even though it was a lonely peace, it was better than being subject to the ridicule and bullying she received from her community.

Seeing this Jewish man there when she expected to be alone caught her off guard. She didn’t want to talk to this Jewish man. She knew that custom forbade talking to him, not only because he was a Jew, but also because he was a male and she was a female.

If he wanted to talk to her, the only proper way would be for him to go to her husband, tell the husband, and the husband would then (if he felt like it) pass that information on to her. 

That was the way it worked, in a society where women were viewed more as property than as partners in life. It was not appropriate for a man to talk to a woman directly. He needed to talk to her husband.

But, the issue of her husband was long and complicated—and she certainly didn’t want to get into all that with this Jewish stranger. So she replied, “Sir, don’t talk to me about living water; you have no bucket, and the well is very deep.”

Skipping ahead a little bit—not because what comes next is unimportant, but simply because of time—Jesus says: “Go, call your husband.”

And she says, “Yeah, well, I have no husband.”

And Jesus says, “You are right. You’ve had five husbands, and the one you’re with now is not your husband.”

Bam! There it is. Conventional wisdom was that women were created for marriage. Marriage was their purpose; any interaction in the public arena was to take place through her husband. 

But apparently, this woman had been dismissed by five separate men—we don’t know why. All this automatically disqualified her from any respect, any power, any recognition in any public arena.

She fully expected Jesus to dismiss her as someone not worth talking to.

But instead, Jesus continued talking to her, and not in any sort of derogatory way. Their conversation turned theological, if you can believe it—not all that different in form from the conversation we heard last week, between Jesus and the learned religious teacher Nicodemus.

The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman was theological. It was academic! It was like they were both distinguished teachers, rabbis, sages. 

No one had ever talked to her like that, as an equal, before.

And this conversation, recorded for us at length by John, allows us to see the truth about her that none of her neighbors could see: that she had dignity and worth, and that she was capable of being a true conversation partner in matters of religion and theology and doctrine; that any mistakes she may have committed or any indignities committed against her did not disqualify her from intelligent public discourse on important theological issues.

None of those who knew her could grasp this truth; either that, or they chose not to grasp this truth… in the same way that the Madrigal family couldn’t grasp the truth about Bruno, or chose not to grasp the truth about Bruno.

The conversation between Jesus and this Samaritan woman continued until eventually the disciples—who had gone to the city to buy some food—arrived; and they were astonished to find Jesus talking with this Samaritan woman, about issues of religion and theology and doctrine.

But to Jesus, the fact that she was a woman, or the fact that she was a Samaritan, or the fact that she had been divorced five times, did not disqualify her from being a conversation partner.

And this, the disciples found astonishing.

You know what’s really astonishing? That last week, five Southern Baptist churches—including Saddleback Church—were kicked out of their denomination, because they affirm women in ministerial leadership. Imagine, in 2023, thinking that women are unqualified to be teachers and preachers of the faith!

Imagine how much poorer we’d be if we didn’t have, say, the witness of Jerena Lee (pictured here), the first African-American preacher. Imagine how much poorer we’d be if we didn’t have the witness of our church’s current General Minister and President, Teresa Hord Owens, or her predecessor, Sharon Watkins. Imagine how much poorer we’d be if we didn’t have the witness of the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well, or the Syrophoenician woman who corrected Jesus’ theology, or the women who saw the empty tomb and were the first ones to proclaim the good news of Christ’s resurrection…

I’m glad John gave so much space in his gospel to this story; and I’m glad that we got to hear it all, especially in this Women’s History Month. 

Not only do we get to see this Samaritan woman engage in an intellectual, theological conversation with Jesus, we then get to see her rush back to her city, and tell everyone there about Jesus, and the living water he offers.

In other words, she ran back, and preached good news. And in doing so, she herself became a part of the good news.

And that is how it is in the kingdom of God. Those who are dismissed as being unworthy end up being the leaders. The ones who are kicked out of churches and denominations are often, in fact, the ones who possess the gospel.

And the ones we’re told not to talk about—whether it’s Bruno, or the Samaritan woman who has to go to the well in the middle of the day, or anyone else who is deemed unsuitable by judgmental, hypocritical authorities because of their gender or their race or their sexuality—they are the ones who can help us find the living water we long for.

Family Values (John 4:5-29)

1. Good Morning

Once again, I say: good morning. And I say that with extra intentionality. Because with all the anxiety that our current situation has placed in my life, and I suspect in yours, it is way too easy to forget that this day, this morning, is good. All we ever have is this present moment, and this present moment, right now, is good.

Many are choosing to watch our worship via livestream, instead of being physically present in our sanctuary. In fact, I have been surprised that, every Sunday since I started crudely streaming my sermons, that we’ve had dozens of people watch all or part via the internet. What an amazing time in which we live, that such a thing is possible!

To each of you watching, either live or at some point in the days ahead, I invite you to send a note or a comment so we know that you are here with us, that you are blessing us by being with us in that way. 

Likewise, I hope that our livestream worship is a blessing to you. It may be the only way we'll be able to worship together in the weeks ahead. I can't help but think how fortunate we are to have this technology, which obviously wasn't available in during the 1918 epidemic, when schools, churches and other gathering places were closed for many weeks, and when the city of Long Beach even passed a "no-kissing" ordinance. History shows that strict social distancing and isolation are very effective in lessening the severity of an epidemic, and it is important for us in the church to model that to our community and to our world. So I encourage you all to do your part, for the safety and wellbeing of all in our community. 

2. Family Values

Today’s sermon is titled, “Family Values…”

The phrase “family values” is kind of a loaded term these days, a buzzword of sorts. The phrase carries with it a lot of  baggage.

One would think that the phrase “family values” would imply doing what is best for families. Yet many who use that phrase are against welfare and other social services, things which provide great assistance to poor families. So maybe “family values” only applies to families that aren’t poor.

One would think that the phrase “family values” would imply doing whatever one can to strengthen family cohesiveness, family togetherness. Yet many who use that phrase are in support of our government’s policy of separating families at the border. So maybe “family values” only applies to families that are already in this country.

One would think that the phrase “family values” would imply keeping families healthy - especially now. Yet many who use that phrase are - even now - against providing equal, universal health care so that all families can receive the care they need. So maybe “family values” only applies to families that are already healthy.

One would think that the phrase “family values” would imply protecting families from the horrors of war. Yet many who use that phrase are pro-war, and support using our military even in situations where diplomacy and other peace efforts are better options. So maybe “family values” only applies to families that are fortunate enough to live in areas that are - for now - far removed from the horrors of war.

The truth is that many use the phrase “family values” as a sort of code-phrase, to draw boundaries, to define and separate who’s in and who’s out; who is a part of “us,” and who is a part of “them.”

And even though many who use that phrase claim to be people of faith - the Christian faith, mostly - any definition of family or family values that excludes people or divides people or separates people into categories of greater and lesser is contrary to the will of God, and goes against the values of God’s kingdom.

3. The Samaritan Woman

Consider the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well.

The family values people back in Jerusalem would have you believe that this was a person far removed from the family of God. She was way beyond the boundaries of who was “in” and who was “out” in the kingdom of God.

For one thing, she was a Samaritan.

As she herself says in this story, “Jews do not share things with Samaritans.” They were two separate families. Two separate people. Two separate groups, two separate cultures, practicing two separate religions, who should have nothing to do with each other. 

So she is dumbfounded that a Jew, passing by, would stop and ask her - a Samaritan - for a drink of water.

Also: she was a woman. In the social and political affairs of the world, women were considered inferior. Non-human, even, in that they were considered not worthy of a place in the public realm. 

If you were a man and you wanted to talk to a woman, you talked to her husband, and he would convey the message to her. If he felt like it. You didn’t talk to her directly, because it was beneath you.

So when Jesus’ own disciples arrived and saw him talking with this woman, they were dumbfounded that he, a man, would stop and have a conversation with this woman. Men just didn’t do things like that.

But Jesus did. Because he saw what most other men did not. He saw that she was created in the image of God, just the same as him or any other male. And to not treat her as equal would be to deny the image of God that is within her. To not treat her as equal would be to deny her humanity.

Which, ironically, is something that today’s “family values” people do a lot. They deny humanity anytime they designate someone as “other.” Anytime they try to regulate rights and freedoms for others while they continue to enjoy those rights and freedoms themselves.

Voting rights. The right to have affordable health care. The right to flee countries and homelands where they are in danger. 

And, since we’re talking about family values: do we even need to discuss the Samaritan woman’s own personal family circumstance? She had been married five times, and the person with whom she was currently in a relationship was not her husband. 

So for the family values coalition back in Jerusalem, she was #1 on their list of people whose values and lifestyles clearly kept them far from the kingdom of God. And because of that, lines had to be drawn. Allowing her to think she could even come close to God’s kingdom - even come close to associating with the righteous “in crowd” - could not happen. She had to be considered an outcast, because she was a threat to every family value that the leaders in Jerusalem claimed to hold dear.

So what was Jesus doing talking to her?

To put it very simply: Jesus was welcoming her into the family of God. 

He spoke to her about living water - and said that she could have it, that it was available to all who believe. Including her!

But how could he? How could he just welcome her into God’s family like that? Is there any sign here that she has changed her life, repented of her ways, and found her way back to the straight and narrow?

Not as far as I can see.

Yet he welcomed her anyway. Treated her as if she were as good as him.

And this gets tricky. Because haven’t I been preaching a lot about repentance and changing one’s life these past few weeks, and how important that is?

Yes. Yes I have.

4. Love and Welcome First

But here’s the thing. We can welcome people into God’s family and still invite and encourage and admonish people to change their lives.

In fact, I might even go so far as to say that repentance doesn’t happen apart from the family of God - repentance is more likely to happen after one is brought into the family of God.

Think about this:

Does a child grow and mature in order to be loved by their parent? Or does the unconditional love of the parent encourage the growth and maturation of the child? 

I would argue it’s the latter. The love comes first. The acceptance comes first. And that helps growth and maturity happen.

Which is why we welcome all, including children, to the communion table.

Back in my day, only those who had been baptized were invited to partake of communion. Understanding had to come first, followed by welcome.

But the growth and maturity that can help lead a person to baptism and to faith is more likely to occur when one is fully welcomed - fully welcomed - into the family of God. 

The welcome comes first. The love comes first.

The understanding that we hope for develops through welcome and participation.

Instead of understanding first so that we are allowed to participate, we are allowed to participate, and that helps lead us to understanding.

You see this throughout Jesus’ ministry. 

You see this throughout the entire Bible.

People are welcomed into God’s family. They are embraced, brought into the community, with no restrictions. 

They are loved.

The boundaries that kept them apart from God’s family are erased. Because God’s family has no boundaries.

And it is once love has been made known to them, that they change their lives. 

5. Adopted into the Family

I’ve been reading a book lately by Kelley Nikondeha. She is a theologian with ties to both California and Burundi. She is also an adopted child and an interacial adoptive parent, and the book I’m reading is titled Adopted.

In that book she writes:

“In a world shaped by bloodlines and carefully, deliberately shaped boundaries, God breaks those boundaries and welcomes outsiders. Eunuchs and foreigners. The outcast Tamar. Rahab the Canaanite prostitute. Ruth the Moabite.  

The uncircumcised, adopted into God's family... Israel is God's chosen people, yet the boundary that separates the chosen from others is broken down. 

We are all adopted into God's family. Gentiles. Sinners… yet children of God. "All who want in can be grafted into this family tree...and our notion of family, defined by bloodlines and ethnicities, begins to look narrow and far too  exclusive to resemble God's largess."

That, my friends, is the kingdom of God. It is family love that extends beyond family. It is tribal love that extends beyond tribe. Beyond race. Beyond religion. 

In her book, Kelley Nikondeha also mentions the time when Jesus is in his hometown, and his mother and his brothers are trying to get his attention, so some people call out to Jesus: “Hey, Jesus! Your mother and your brothers are asking for you…”

And Jesus replies, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? … Whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, even my mother.”

The crowd is stunned into silence. Is he insulting the family in which he grew up?

But he’s not. He’s simply expanding his definition of family. And his family is not insulted, because it was his family who helped teach him to expand the definition. After all, as the story goes, he was not the biological son of Joseph, yet Joseph accepted him and claimed him as his own, and gave him a name. Even the genealogy of Jesus that we focused on back in Advent - that geneology that shows the family from which Jesus is descended - is a family that Jesus is a part of through adoption. 

So yeah; family is bigger than some would claim. God’s definition of family is an expanded definition.

And that expanded definition of family is something Jesus carries with him throughout his ministry.

How we respond to the current situation with the COVID 19 virus is, in part, reflective of our belief in the expanded family of God. Since every person is a part of God’s one family, we take care to ensure not only our health, but the health of those around us. We buy what we need to be healthy, but make sure there is enough for others as well. We curtail our activities, not just for our own sake, but especially for the sake of the most vulnerable among us, those for whom this virus could be deadly. And, yes, we need to vote out leaders who focus only on a few, only on the rich, only on the people of one nation; leaders whose short-sightedness has failed to prepare us for the situation we are in now; leaders who time and time again have neglected the poor and the vulnerable. Leaders who even now are voting against expanding health care, or providing funding to help those who are getting sick, or for requiring paid sick leave for all people. 

They still don’t know that the God they claim to worship, the God they claim to pray to, is the God of all people.

All people, including (and especially) the poor and the vulnerable, are a part of the family. And as this virus has shown us, if we neglect the health and wellbeing of any person anywhere in the world, eventually that will come around and threaten our health and wellbeing as well. Because we are all connected. We are all one family.

So it is for the sake of every one of our brothers and sisters, including those who may be affected much more drastically by the virus than some of us will be, that we are called upon to take actions that may seem to be an overreaction, but which really aren’t. 

It may be inconvenient. It may require sacrifice. It may completely change our lives in ways we do not desire.

But we do it out of love.

We do it for the sake of our expanded family.

Sermon: "Spiritual Boot Camp: Hydrate" (John 4: 5-15)

Water is essential in any kind of boot camp exercise program. Your body needs water. Start drinking an hour before you exercise, and drink water while you exercise. Water is life.

The same is true when you are trying to grow spiritual muscles. Water - living water - is essential.

We think about water a lot here in California. It seems we either have not enough of it, or too much. Not much rain falls here along the coast, but if you drive east, past San Bernardino, you come to the highest mountains in southern California, mountains which catch the precipitation as the storm clouds move over the land. These mountains reach up to 11,500 feet at Mt. San Gorgonio. In the winter, snow falls on these mountains. In the spring, the snow melts, and flows into streams and creeks and seeps into the ground.

Loch Leven is our camp and conference center located at 4,000 feet just east of San Bernardino, at the base of Mt. San Gorgonio. It’s a low enough elevation that summer temperatures there are still quite warm. However, Mountain Home Creek flows through camp. The creek is lined on both sides by oak and pine trees that provide abundant shade along its banks.

The creek flows year-round, even in drought years. Without that creek, there would be little shade at Loch Leven, and no water to drink. The water that flows through that creek really is the life of the camp. Sitting by that creek, listening to the water gurgle and babble, watching bees hover near the berry bushes, is one of my favorite spots in the whole world to sit and be still and know the presence of God.

In northern California, there is a Disciples camp called the Community of the Great Commission. Before I came to Long Beach, I spent many weeks counseling and directing camps at CGC. (That’s what we called it; it’s a bit much to always be saying, “Community of the Great Commission.”)

Like Loch Leven, CGC is located at about 4,000 feet above sea level.

However, CGC is very different than Loch Leven. Instead of being in a canyon, with a stream flowing through it, CGC is located on a high, broad hill. It’s relatively flat, but the ground gently slopes downward in all directions from the center of camp.

There is no stream flowing through CGC. But the camp still needs water. So there is a well, and the well is deep. It reaches down nearly 1,000 feet to reach water. That water is pumped up to the surface, and used to cook meals, fill the swimming pool, quench the thirst of campers, and wash the dirt off their bodies.

At both Loch Leven and CGC, water is not taken for granted. If something happens to interrupt the supply of water, camp cannot take place. Once or twice I’ve been at camps where something happened to the water supply, and we were worried we might have to cancel camp and send campers home. When the water situation was particularly uncertain, we even told the campers: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow, but if it’s brown, flush it down.”

Fortunately, every time that’s happened while I was at camp, the situation was resolved… though I do remember being urged to conserve water, and once or twice not being able to use the pool because the little water that was available was needed for cooking and drinking.

Here in the city, we sometimes take our water for granted. Even during our recent record-breaking drought, when we were urged to conserve and cut water use, it never really seemed that we wouldn’t have clean drinking water whenever we turned on the tap.

I did, once, take a little tour of the water treatment facility at Reservoir Park, just two short blocks from my house. I learned about how some of the water we get comes from local groundwater, and how much of the rest comes from hundreds of miles away. One of the greatest fears emergency planners have is that some event, like an earthquake, will disrupt the flow of water from one part of the state to another, damaging the infrastructure that is used to transport water, leaving millions without access to safe, clean drinking water.

It reminds me of what I learned earning the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge in scouts, about how to find little bits of water in nature when you are desperate. We learned to dig a hole in the ground, place a cup or bowl in the bottom center of the hole, and cover the top of the hole with clear plastic. Place one small pebble in the center of the plastic, so that it pulls it down. The idea is that the sun will cause moisture in the ground to condense on the plastic, and the pebble pulling the plastic down will cause the water to slide down to the center and fall into the bowl.

Theoretically, it should work.

Anyway, my point is that water is life. We cannot live without water.

The Dakota and Lakota people of the northern plains have, in recent months, been fighting to protect the water on their native lands. The Dakota Access Pipeline is being built across their land. Federal law requires that the tribes be consulted, but the law has been ignored.

At one time, a route that took the pipeline near the city of Bismarck, North Dakota was considered, but it was rejected because that route posed a threat to Bismarck’s drinking water. So instead, the pipeline was routed through tribal lands, across sacred burial sites, and through the rivers and lakes that provide native people with their drinking water.

Pipelines like the one being constructed have ruptured and spilled oil countless times, even in the past few weeks and months. There is a very real danger that this pipeline will, at some point, also rupture, spilling oil right into the lakes and rivers. This is why the Standing Rock tribe is protesting the pipeline. They understand that water is life, and must be protected.

The prophet Ezekiel understood the sacredness of water. In the message he relayed from God, he said: “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture? When you drink of clear water, must you foul the rest with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have fouled with your feet?” [34.18-19]. Ezekiel’s greater concern was those who take and use resources for themselves, but deny access to necessary, life-giving resources for others.

Which is exactly what the oil companies, and our government, are doing. They are denying access to safe, clean water. At Standing Rock. In Flint. And in so many other places and in so many ways, they are putting profits over lives.

Today’s scripture story is about a Samaritan woman who came to a well to draw some water. She was thirsty. She came seeking water. She came seeking life.

In so many ways, she had been denied what she needed to live. Her very being, her very essence was deemed of no value. Just like many today, whose lives are not recognized as having value. Black lives. Transgender lives. Immigrant lives.

As we learn from the story, she was a Samaritan - and Jews did not talk with or acknowledge Samaritans. Samaritan lives did not matter. Samaritan lives had little value.

She was also, obviously, a woman - and women, in those days, could only speak publicly through their husbands. Women’s lives did not matter. Women’s lives had little value.

Perhaps for these reasons, this Samaritan woman had been through some difficult relationships, and had endured at least five marriages that did not last.

Scripture does not say whose fault it was that those marriages did not last. A lot of people throughout the centuries like to assume that it’s her fault. Why do they assume this? I don’t know. Maybe because she is a woman? Women are often blamed for things even when it’s not their fault, so who knows?

But what if it wasn’t her fault? Some years back, James Forbes - in one of the most memorable sermons I ever heard - redirected attention to the five husbands.

He said: Maybe husband number one got tired of her; She didn’t stay young forever, but that’s what he wanted. He only saw the surface beauty, and soon was ready to move on.

Maybe husband number two just wanted a trophy wife; someone to make him look good; and eventually, he found someone who could do that job better.

Maybe husband number three abused her; maybe he kicked her out, or maybe she got up the courage to leave him.

Maybe she stood up to husband number four, and he couldn’t get what he wanted from her.

Maybe husband number five thought he could change her; by husband number five, there was a rumor that she was a lesbian, but husband number five thought, well, she just hadn’t met the right man yet. Needless to say, that didn’t work out.

Each one of those husbands took a little bit of her life away, until now, when we see her, alone, at the well, desperately hoping there is still some life to be found that can save her. She’s so desperately thirsty; thirsty for water; thirsty for life.

Every place of worship should be a place where water is found. Every place of worship should be a place where life is found. Every place of worship should be a spring or a well where the life and the dignity of every person is recognized and affirmed.

The woman at the well, searching for water, searching for life: she is everywhere. There are so many in this world who are in the same situation. They go to church, but too often, water is denied. Life is denied.

So they leave the church.

Because too much of our spiritual water is polluted. If religion is used to exclude, that’s polluted water. If religion is used to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor, that’s polluted water. If religion blindly follows leaders who govern unjustly, who do not seek the welfare of all people and especially the poor, that’s polluted water.

It’s time to clean up the water. It’s time to invite those who are thirsty to drink the water, the pure water of life.

Here is your spiritual boot camp exercise for the week: drink water.

Skip the soda. Skip going through the coffee shop drive-thru. Skip bottled water, because it isn’t any better than tap water, and creates unnecessary plastic pollution.

This week...

Drink water, and remember that water is life.

Drink water, and remember those who are denied lifegiving water.

Drink water, and if you regularly spend money on drinks other than water, donate the money you save by not purchasing other drinks to an organization or ministry that provides life to others. Week of Compassion is the first thing that comes to mind, but there are other places where you could donate it. The Long Beach LGBT Center. An environmental organization. An organization focusing on women’s health. Our Disciples reconciliation ministry. Just to name a few life-giving organizations.

And with every glass of water you drink, give thanks to God, the source of water, the source of life.