At the Well

One of my favorite passages that embodies the kind of ministry Jesus had and that I try to have in following him is the story of the Woman at the Well. It is about a woman who has made poor life choices, and has reaped the consequences. She has been ostracized and pushed to the edge of community because of her lifestyle. As if that was not enough, her community itself is similarly ostracized for having the “wrong beliefs” and bad morality by the Jewish world as a whole. Here is a woman who came from the wrong town, and was the wrong kind of woman in just about every sense we can imagine. She was NOT a good church girl.

And yet, Jesus HAD to go to her. Rather than ostracize her or pander her, he asks her for help. In confusion, she thinks perhaps he doesn’t realize her bad reputation. He insists he knows it all. And only then does he offer her the life giving water of the Messiah.

His willingness to be in relationship with someone no one else cared to care for set Jesus apart.

As Jesus’ disciples, we are called to do what no one else will do…we are called to build relationships with the women (and the men and children) at our wells. We are called to love the unlovable, and to speak with and serve the people who everyone else has given up on and rejected. We are called to do this whether or not they believe what we do.

I feel very blessed to be part of a congregation that embodies this kind of ministry. We serve all people in our community, even those whose lives are not “Christian”…especially those whose lives are not “Christian.” We do this simply because Jesus did it, and we want to be like Jesus.

I have spent a lot of time this week reflecting on the woman at the well. The women, men and children we serve. Our calling as disciples to serve them. Those leaders who refuse to serve them. Today I thank God for the chance to serve them. To learn from them, and to watch them as they begin to serve others. I thank God for so many everyday disciples who serve them alongside me, who understand this is the gospel.  

What happened to the woman at the well? She became the premier evangelist of her town. She made a way for the people of her community to accept Jesus and his message. She did it not out of duty, but out of the grace which Jesus showed her. We don’t serve folks in hope of this outcome, but I for one won’t stop Jesus from using them…