Whenever I was very little, I had an ambitious dream. It was an unusual dream, but it was mine nonetheless. While other children my age may have had so many ambitions towards playing sports, or something like that, I had a particular vision of playing the pipe organ. It was something that persisted in my heart for quite some time, and so I began to take steps to make that happen from the young age of seven, and then moving through for many years, until I actually began to practice the organ itself. Yet, that wasn’t the end. Eventually the time came when I was ready to play for Mass, a closing Mass for Vacation Bible School. I was so excited- until Mass was about to begin. It took courage, and it took leaning into it, but eventually that grew and morphed until I was able to play not just one Mass, but even playing three Masses every weekend. It took a leap of faith, of sorts!
We hear about this word faith- and we are often invited into a very ethereal way of thinking about how to advance- perhaps say an extra prayer or two. Maybe we get this idealistic picture of what it is like to live out that faith when things are going well, and it feels good to live in that faith. What about when our time to manifest faith comes, though? What about the times when life is difficult and it feels like God is asking for more from us- and perhaps even more than we feel that we bargained for? Do we respond in kind and see the way that God is going to provide for us in those moments- or do we simply give up and go home? Do we have what it takes to have that leap of faith?
The first reading this morning comes from the book of Exodus, and it tells the continuing saga of the Israelite exodus from captivity to Egypt. While the core of the story has happened, not every detail has been sorted out. There is actually a series of real problems developing after their removal from captivity, and so they are starting to realize it at this point. The people start to grumble against Moses- and it is for one simple reason- they have run out of water. Though, we get the impression that it is more than just a little grumbling, because we start to hear about how they are threatening Moses- to the point he is crying out to the Lord- a little more and they will stone me! What am I to do?!
The Lord responds in a very calm and collected way- Go in front of the people- along with some of the elders of Israel- and hold your staff in your hand. Strike the rock and water will flow from it for the people to drink. So, Moses goes and does this, and then water immediately starts to flow from the rock. So, they are given what they need, but the end is a sort of scourge left in the middle of the entire event- the place is called “Massa and Meri bah” and it is more of an inditement of the Israelites- because it was a place where they tried to test the Lord- is he in our midst or not?! The Lord does respond- but notice- it is a lack of faith and so ultimately it is a story of God and His response to them, in a moment when their faith was shaken because of difficult circumstances.
The second reading comes from Saint Paul and his letter to the Romans. We are told that, in short, we are to boast and hope in the Lord. He starts off this portion, reminding the church in Rome- since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. We gain through him the grace in which we stand- and we boast in hope because of Jesus Christ. While this is a powerful statement all on its own, in fact, it doesn’t necessarily give us the full picture of what the Lord is saying. So, Paul lays out even more. Christ died at the appointed time, not for a people that seemed to deserve God’s help- but it was also for those who seemed that they didn’t. This is dramatic- but it gives witness to something powerful- while we are still sinners Christ died for us nonetheless. So immense is His love for His people that He still did this!
Finally we arrive at the Gospel, and it is the encounter of the woman at the well. This story is a rather unusual one, and yet, it is still shows us something of a dramatic encounter with Jesus. The passage starts out with Jesus sitting down at a well after completing a long journey. Eventually a woman approaches the well that he is sitting by- and she does this at noon for a deliberate reason- because no one else is going to draw water from that well at noon. She is afraid of being chased off- and so she comes when no one else would be there. As she draws close to the well, Jesus asks her to give him a drink. She is taken aback by this- and so she questions it. Yet Jesus insists- if you knew who is saying to you “give me a drink” you would have asked you to give you living water. The woman is still very unsure of what Jesus is saying, so she goes practical- you do not even have a bucket- where are you going to get this water?
Jesus introduces her to a new idea- living water. This idea is so intriguing to the woman that she begins to desire this water! It is something new, and would offer her a different way of life. It would take the old and make it so, so much better! So we can almost hear the excitement in her voice- “Sir! Give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep drawing water!” Notice, however, that Jesus is not done. He begins to lay out very beautifully not only that He knows who she is, or where she has come from, but how God is going to be worshipped, and He begins this dialogue of faith with her- and even reveals who He is. This fundamentally alters the course of her life- she goes forward and begins to tell everyone- and with such conviction and energy that Samaritans come out to see who He is- and notice- the Gospel is clear- it is not because of Jesus’s words per se, but it is because of that woman’s testimony to God. Truly, she discovered something that day- and because she had the ability to walk in faith- she was rewarded, and even went forward to bear witness to Jesus in her own unique way.
When it comes to that woman though, we see a very powerful and unique testimony to live in a life of faith- or to take a leap of faith, if you will. However, that prompts a question- are you and I willing to take a leap of faith ourselves? Is this something we are willing to do right here and right now?
If we go back to the Israelites, we actually behold a group of people who were invited into that leap of faith themselves. However, something dreadful happened when they were invited into that leap. They decided to cower in fear, and so they began to threaten Moses, to turn, to grumble, to gossip, and to ultimately threaten their very freedom. Why didn’t they believe that God would have provided for their need? Why couldn’t they see how much they were loved? If we understand Saint Paul and what he says in the letter to the Romans- we know very well- our God loves us that even in the moments when we are consumed and beaten by the wages of sin and death- He still comes for us anyways and sees in each of us- you and I- someone worth dying for. Even in our worst moments!
Yet, that is where we are called to act like this woman that is at the well- her story is altogether different than the Israelites- not just because she was not natively part of them, but because she chose to live in faith. She approaches Jesus, hears His story, and is willing to be convinced, so much so that Jesus speaks to her heart, and shows her just how much she is really worth. She doesn’t have to return to that well at noon any longer- because she knows who she is- a daughter of God- and she has truly been in the presence of Christ! She is willing to drop everything because she knows in her heart of hearts that Christ will make her life better!
But do we believe that. Brothers and sisters, are you calling out to Christ for that living water? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of your every desire? It can be so tempting for us to hold back, and to simply sit on what we know- or perhaps what feels comfortable. Perhaps we will invest in faith on occasion when it feels safe. But what about in the moments when it hurts? What about in our hour of shame- when Christ shows up in the midst of our pain, our suffering, or even our brokenness? Do you believe Christ can meet you there? The woman at the well did! She did, and was rewarded in a powerful way! Sure she had to change her life in some ways, but because she had faith, her entire life was changed- she didn’t have to live in the brokenness nor the skepticism or brokenness any longer! We need that same faith!
If we have that faith, brothers and sisters, it will actually occur that we tell others as well- and nothing will be as powerful for others as our own testimony. We should have that same conviction to bring others into communion with Christ as well. We live in times where people are hurting, are filled with shame, are beaten, are broken, and are hurting so much! They need Christ so desperately- just as we do! But, if we aren’t willing to tell them about this Jesus- who is going to? If we truly believe we have the source of living water and the abundance of grace- we are going to change our entire lives- and approach him in a new way.
A long time ago, when I learned to play- I had to make that initial leap of faith and play for the first time. Sure, it wasn’t easy, but I’m glad that I did. We have heard the one who is the source of our every fulfillment and desire.
The question that remains: do you trust Him enough to take that leap of faith towards Him?
