In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     We here in the west, know what it is to be thirsty--really, really thirsty. In spite of the snowpack in the mountains, the water levels in the reservoirs, the periodic rain and snow that falls on the land, still, we live in an arid, dry climate that leaves us often parched and dry, thirsty and craving liquid refreshment. Living in humid, moist Indiana as a kid, we would've laughed if someone would've suggested someday, we'd be paying for plain old water in a bottle. But here in Colorado, in the western states, it's not such a bizarre thing. When we are without water and moisture, our skin dries out, our lips are chapped, and we become more susceptible to illnesses--in fact, without water, we truly, wither and die! We can't keep going without water, and though most of us never lived in Colorado in frontier days (maybe a few of us were here back then), still, we've seen the movies. We can picture in our mind's eye, the settlers coming west, misjudging this arid climate, running out of water, finally, dragging themselves along looking for the nearest watering hole, as they pant, "water.water!"

     And--what else did we learn from those western movies? Will any old water do? Those early settlers had to watch out for bad water--fouled water--black water that somehow was tainted and unsafe for drinking. Perhaps an animal had died and was rotting near the source of this water--or maybe it was fouled with urine or feces--I don't know all the reasons for bad water, but we know the truth of it, even today.especially those of us who've tried to quench our thirst from a brisk, cold mountain stream, only to have it turn against us, as we've gotten a, shall we say, "run" of giardia. No, no matter how thirsty we are, not any old water will do, to refresh us and restore us and make us healthy.

     In our gospel lesson, Jesus is talking with a woman from Samaria about water, as a metaphor for just this kind of life, and health and wholeness. In the middle east in Jesus' time, they too, knew about water and how valuable and vital water was to life and well-being. The woman came to the well to draw water--a common occurance, and one that was repeated time after time, day after day, week after week. In fact, this well was one that had probably been there for generations, as John tells us it was near the land that Jacob had given to his son, Joseph. So, more than being an old well, it was a well from which Israel's forefathers had drawn ages ago. And in that, alone, there is a message and a meaning. And the message and the meaning is--you may find water in many places, but when it comes to spirit and truth, not any old water will do! And that is what Jesus is trying to tell this Samaritan woman.

     As St. John tells us the story, it's clear that this woman has come to draw water from this well, and while she's there, Jesus, hot and weary from his journey, asks her for a drink. She's surprised at this because Samaritans are kind of the "black sheep" of the Jewish family--and besides that, Jewish men are not allowed to speak to women in public. And yet, Jesus is asking, not so much because he needs a drink, but because it provides him with an opportunity to engage the woman in conversation--a conversation that leads this woman first, to conviction, and then, it seems, to conversion. As soon as the woman expresses her surprise that a Jewish man, would ask a Samaritan woman for a drink--Jesus hints at all that would come after, saying, "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." Of course, this, she doesn't seem to grasp, as she responds from a worldly perspective, talking about a bucket--"Sir,", she says, "you have no bucket--so how are you going to get that water?" Whereupon Jesus speaks more clearly and candidly about the water that he gives, that is not like earthly water which is temporary and temporal--whereas the water that he gives, miraculously becomes a spring of water in those who drink it, a spring that gushes up to eternal life!" And then, though the woman may not fully understand everything that Jesus is saying, she does realize the value of such living water, as she says, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water!"

     And does Jesus, immediately, give her that living water? Does Jesus immediately draw water from the well and baptize her? No, the next thing Jesus does is confront her with her sinful past! As much as you might begrudge the lectionary giving us such an extensive gospel lesson, the fact is there is great value in having the entire interaction recorded and read among us today. Because as the encounter continues, we see that Jesus is not just here to give us living water--not just here to give us eternal life--he is also here to confront our sinful behavior! The woman, of course, tries to minimize her lifestyle--when Jesus tells her to go get her husband, she innocently says, "I have no husband." And Jesus challenges her, saying, "You're right to say that--you have had five husbands, and you're now living with a man who is not your husband!" And interestingly, the woman says nothing more, but immediately turns the conversation to Jesus' insight, and to worship in Samaria as opposed to worship in Jerusalem. But, as always, Jesus brings the conversation back to the issue at hand--worshiping God, and receiving, drinking fully, of the one whom God has sent--the one who is the Messiah, the Christ. The woman says to Jesus, "I know that Messiah is coming, and when he comes he will proclaim all things to us." And here is the crux of the whole encounter--the proclamation on which all the rest turns-- Jesus says to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."

     Here, after the conversation, and the confrontation--here after Jesus has laid bare the woman's whole sordid life, and told her about the living water that springs up to eternal life, here and now, Jesus offers her conversion. Jesus announces to the woman that He is that living water, that should she turn from her past and drink of Him, He would well up inside her, bringing her new life, and a new way of life, and eternal refreshment. And at this moment, the question that lies underneath the interaction is--what will the woman do with this announcement--that Jesus is the Living Water, that Jesus is the Messiah--the Christ, and that He is standing right there before her! And the answer shows up, not in words, but in deeds. The answer shows up, not in the fact that the woman kneels at Jesus' feet, not in some act of adoration--the answer is manifested by the woman's response. She goes and tells others. Others come to Jesus because this woman is telling them about this man that she met--could He be the Messiah--this man that knows everything about her and her life! The woman's response to the living water, comes not through some verbal confession of faith, but from the fact that once Jesus announces himself to her, the living water does indeed seem to bubble up in her, to well up inside her, such that she can't keep it in. The woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, "Come and see.and many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of the woman's testimony."

     And isn't that the response that Jesus wants, from each of us? Isn't that the response Jesus would prefer from all of us--who HAVE been washed in the Living Water, born anew by water and the Spirit? Now that we have been born again in Baptism, doesn't Jesus desire, not so much pious words, not so much religious talk, but now that we have heard the good news of Jesus the Messiah; now that we have received the Living Water that is Christ Jesus present with us; now that we have drunk deeply of His presence--doesn't Jesus intend that it gurgle and bubble inside us, finally bursting forth so that we can't remain silent, sitting in our comfortable chairs at church--so that we can't wait to go and tell, and invite others to come and see--Jesus--so that they will come to believe and know, that Jesus is truly, the Savior of the world?!

     Today, as we are sprinkled with water from the baptismal font, in celebration of the Living Water that is Jesus Christ--yes, consider the gift of Jesus' presence in your own life--give thanks for your own Baptism, and the refreshment that comes to us through this life-giving, life-renewing water-- but even more, consider how you might bring others to this water that springs forth, gushing up to eternal life. Consider how you might invite others to come and see, to come and know that this Jesus, is truly, the Savior of the world! That is our call, today.and that is our calling, throughout our earthly lives!

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.