Thirst Quenching Grace

I recently spoke at church on the story of the woman at the well in John chapter 4. In this story Jesus is travelling through a town called Sychar in Samaria on His way to Galilee and stops at a well for a drink. Arriving at the well at the same time, in the middle of the day to avoid the crowds, was a local woman, an outcast in her community. Jesus, not having a cup or bucket to draw water with, asked her to give him some from hers. Startled that he would even speak to her, she became curious as the conversation turned to Jesus’ living water that would quench her thirst for good.  And eventually revealed to her who he was, and also her need for Him. This encounter changed her life.

I have usually been encouraged to read this story by putting myself in the shoes of Jesus and observing how best to reach ‘such a woman’ with the gospel.

But not this time. Suddenly God was encouraging me to slip into the shoes of the woman Jesus meets – and to receive.

As I did that, I found myself resonating with the familiar feeling of being an outcast. While not in the same way or for the reasons as she is, there have been times I’ve felt I must avoid God or others – the reason she goes to the well in the hottest part of the day and not in the morning like the others.

I know what it is to squirm and share half-truths about my life to God and my friends. About the sin and weakness in my life. I know what it is to not be completely myself – just like when Jesus asks this woman about her husband.  I know what it is to feel real physical thirst and to try and rehydrate with coffee, not water. It tastes great in the moment, but only leaves me thirstier.

I realised there are things I try and quench my thirst with that aren’t the grace of God. Achievement, recognition, relationships, material wealth, just to name a few! I realized that if we chose to live our lives for these or anything else and without His grace it would only enslave us and leave us wanting.

But there’s good news for those of us in this story who are thirsty and in need of refreshment. Jesus chose to cross a number of cultural barriers and boundaries to connect with this woman. The fact that he chose to connect with her even though she was an outcast, a Samaritan and a woman reflects only grace.

And he has that same grace for us.

Just like he reaches past our walls of shame, not only did he meet her, he chose to use her to be a champion in the Kingdom of God. She told many of her encounter with Him and they too came and met Jesus and gave Him their lives. His grace gives us this opportunity too.

Like this woman, it took an encounter with Jesus to reveal my need for Him. Asking her about her husband, Jesus wasn’t trying to humiliate her, but reveal to her the need she has for him. Beautifully, he doesn’t just reveal her need and then leave her wondering with gaping open wounds, but offers her the solution to her thirst.  He showed that he knew her completely, flaws, mistakes, and all. And yet, loved her enough to want to share this living water with her.

Tim Keller once wrote:

“ To be loved and not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self- righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty that life throws at us.”

To understand we are known and loved by God is the firmest foundation to build our lives upon and prepare us to face whatever comes our way. From that experience we will not be thrown around by looking for satisfaction through recognition from other people, being loved for something we are not, and getting caught up in having to keep up the façade we’ve created. He sets us free from the fear of being known and rejected. His grace sets us free to be both known and loved.  When we are living from this place it humbles us and quenches our deepest desires for things that won’t satisfy.

This story gently forces me to receive afresh what it is like to be fully known and fully loved. To drink deeply from the well of grace, not that of fear, anxiety, recognition, or what I think I am missing in my life. Instead I can be filled with what is life-giving, true and strengthening for my life.

The Fellowship of the Believers

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I think there are some obvious, key elements to the health of the church in Acts. They sat under the teaching of scripture; they had meals together and prayed together. They showed each other generosity in the way they shared their lives, their gifts and their wealth, and this is what drew people to the Lord and into their community.

But the key I think is beneath these things they did together: it was the understanding that the call to community is for the sake of the Lord’s mission, not their own. And they lived and loved with that intention.

It’s hard to get my head around the devotion they showed each other when we live in such an individualistic culture that suggests busy independence is the goal. We’re encouraged to own our own things, protect our own space, and be in control of how we spend our own time. But the truth is that none of these – time, possessions, or space – is our own, but the Lord’s.

It was the Acts church’s understanding of this that led to their interdependence on each other and their dependence on God. Their devotion to fellowship challenges me because individualism can, as it invades our fellowship, water it down to a couple of hours spent on a Sunday, and maybe one night in our week if we’re free. Anything more can feel time consuming, requiring too much energy or awkward vulnerability, or might seem too inconvenient. As a result, our relationships can lack depth, and we can easily lose our sense of intention and purpose in gathering well together.

Consistent in their devotion to God, the Acts church understood this, and so experienced the freedom that’s found not in individualism, but in living God’s way and not their own.

It’s tempting to brush off the challenge and assume that they somehow had it easier than we do. But you only need to read further through their journey in Acts to discover that the early church was not without their fair share of problems – from both outside and within their community. Some members were deceitful, and people were wounded by each other. Sound familiar?

What we can learn from this is that the health of their fellowship, and ours, isn’t about perfect people or relationships. Their health comes from vulnerability with and devotion to one another with the Lord. And ours can too! It’s this type of love for one another that God uses not just to encourage His believers, but as a way to reveal His love to others.

It’s not always possible or practical to physically live together, or spend all day each day together, but to be intentional in living this way is. It won’t always be about pancakes and weddings either unfortunately. When community feels too hard, inconvenient, or sacrificial, it’s in choosing to fix our eyes on Jesus together that our capacity to make His love visible grows.

Making His Love Visible in Community

A couple of years ago I lived in a share house with three others with the intent of being a blessing to our church community, and also our neighbours. Once in a blue moon we would all be home at the same time and would like to take that opportunity to sit down to a leisurely brunch on a lazy Saturday. It was a good excuse to eat delicious food, and to enjoy each other’s company. What was shared was usually unfettered vulnerability due to how comfortable we had become with one another. It was a rare, sacred, refreshing moment shared between housemates in a home that was often open and full of people from our church community.

Without fail, as soon as we were ready to tuck into the spread, Darren would be on the doorstep in some kind of crisis over a sick pet or broken relationship. It was like he was able to smell the bacon waft from our house to his and that was his cue. An extra space would be added to the table, the food would be stretched to include another person and the dynamic of that moment would shift.

For Darren, who lived alone and had suffered in his earlier years, this became his safe space with those he considered his family. So although they were good, we became well aware that he hadn’t arrived on our doorstep for the pancakes. All we would do was hope and pray that with each of these moments –  even though at times it felt inconvenient and we had to sacrifice our time and our pancakes – maybe his heart would be warmed by the love the Lord showed him through us, and he might one day trust Him.

Then there was that Friday afternoon when the wedding I was bridesmaid for a few weeks later was brought forward and scheduled for thirty six hours later – with the reception in our home! The time and energy it took to pull it off was nothing in comparison to the joy of watching as our wider church family pitched in to see the couple have a beautiful wedding with all the trimmings: the cake, flowers, music, photographer, dress, decoration, food and people; ALL the trimmings of a wedding, planned months in advance, in thirty six hours.

Our church and home were filled with the family of the couple who hadn’t known Jesus for long, and whose family weren’t believers but who were totally blown away by the generosity and love the Lord showed them through his followers that weekend. It’s a memory that softens their hearts years later. And for those of us who were part of the celebration and know the Lord, we were convinced this is the stuff we were created for; a true team effort with eternal significance.

Why do I share these stories? Because as I read this passage about the early church in Acts I am reminded of the sweet moments spent in community with other believers, and I ache for more. I want to know their secret to their growing, missional community!