Church Family, it is wonderful to be with you this third Sunday in the season of Lent. This Sunday we are looking at a passage in Exodus that reveals some truths about the people of God and God’s relationship with them. The story is shows how there are times in the trials of life that we might wonder “Is the Lord among us or not?” Today we will be blessed with wonderful music from Sarah and moving words from our worship leader and elders. Listen, Listen, Listen for God’s word to hit you in a new way today! Thank you so much for joining us! 

Introit - “Come into my heart, blessed Jesus” [by  H. D. Clake] - Sarah Park

 INVITATION FOR MISSION UPDATES:

Ministry Leaders and congregants are welcome to come forward to the mic, to give a mission update or share ways for people to get involved in missions and ministries.

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Scripture - John 4:7-15

⁷ A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. ⁸(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) ⁹The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) ¹⁰Jesus 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.’ ¹¹The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹²Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ ¹³Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ ¹⁵The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’   

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*Response - Weave #495

Weave, weave, weave us together, Weave us together, in unity and love.
Weave, weave, weave us together, weave us together, together in love.

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*Call to Worship - Sally Hoffman

ONE:  We gather together—
ALL: the seekers, the dreamers, the shooting-star wishers, in hopes of seeing God.
ONE: We gather together—
ALL: the curious, the hungry, the loving, the lonely, in hopes of finding peace.
ONE: We gather together—
ALL:  those who are thirsty and those with water to spare, in hopes of finding justice.
ONE: So come to the well, come to the table.
ALL:  Come, let us worship God. Amen.

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*Opening Hymn - Breathe on Me, Breath of God #254, v.1-3

1 Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.

2 Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will to do and to endure.

3 Breathe on me, Breath of God, till I am wholly thine,
until this earthly part of me glows with thy fire divine.

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Invitation to Generosity

Invitation - Rev. Nancy Humes

Offertory -“The Lily of the Valley” [by J. R. Murray]     

Response - Pass It On #477, v.1

It only takes a spark to get a fire going
and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.
That's how it is with God's love once you've experienced it, 
you spread God’s love to everyone, you want to pass it on

Offering Prayer - Rev. Nancy Humes

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Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney   

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Pastoral Prayer & Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney

• SYMBOLISM in Sanctuary
  • On the window sills -- We are here maps, globes, and backpacks. 
  • Telescope and imagery of seeking the cosmos 
• DESCRIPTION of the EYE

In today’s service we heard the story of the Samaritan woman. It’s a well-known story of a woman who, in the heat of the day, meets Jesus at a well and he asks her for a drink.

In hearing the story, perhaps we can ask ourselves--when was the last time we drew water for someone else? When was the last time I drew water for myself?

So with this same open curiosity, we come to this time of prayer trusting that even if we

forget our bucket, God will still meet us at the well. Friends, with that grace in mind, let us pray:

Holy God, we have been on every side of this story. We have been the one who is thirsty and in need of compassion, and we have been the one with a bucket and a deep well. So today we wonder: how often have we missed the opportunity to share water with our neighbors? How often have we forgotten that we have a bucket and the power to bring change? How often have we simply decided that justice and compassion were not worth the work? Forgive our fragile hearts and remind us that it was you who sat at that well in Samaria in the heat of the day. It was you. It is still you. 

Hear our prayers of confession….

Remind us to give as you give AND that your Grace is deeper than any well. We are always seen, loved, and forgiven, found in the mercy and Grace of your Son.  

In these moments of prayer, we lift up to you the concerns and joys of our hearts! 

Now hear us together as we pray the prayer Jesus taught us

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Special Music

“Jesus, Dear Savior” [by Rex Koury] Jan Green

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Holy Communion

Meditation - Roger Cram

Hymn - I Hunger and I Thirst #409

1 I hunger and I thirst; Jesus, my manna be!
O living Waters, burst out of the rock for me!

2 O bruised and broken Bread, my life-long needs supply.
As living souls are fed, so feed me, or I die.

3 O true life-giving Vine, let me your goodness prove.
By your life sweeten mine, refresh my soul with love.

4 For still the desert lies behind me and before:
O living waters, rise within me evermore!

Prayer - Roger Cram

Words of Institution - Rev. Chad Delaney

Music -“I Can Hear My Saviour Calling” [By J. S. Norris] - Sarah Park

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Scripture - Exodus 17:1-7

Prayer of Illumination:

God of conversation,

We come to you today thirsty—

thirsty for hope, thirsty for good news, thirsty for a glimpse of you.

So today we pray, move in these words like a current.

Give us the courage to wade into your story with open eyes and open hearts.

Give us the courage to drink this moment in.

We are listening. We are grateful.

Amen.

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ²The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ ³But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ ⁴So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ ⁵The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’

***Take a few minutes and write down any QUESTIONS you might have for the scripture. Have deacons help collect them. 

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Sermon - “Will you give me a drink?” - Rev. Chad Delaney

In the midst of chaos, it is natural to wonder…who is in charge here? 

When I was a youth pastor I loved to have fun with the kids and sometimes it would get a little out of hand. One time one of the youth came with some old-school hacky-sacks and said, “Let’s throw these around the fellowship hall.” I said, “Sure, why not, what could go wrong?” A few minutes later we had hacky-sacks zipping and all sorts of folks ducking for cover. One was thrown across the hall, but instead of hitting a wall, it flew through the kitchen door and SHATTERED a glass coffee pot. An angry mom came out of the kitchen and said, “Who threw that?” None other but the sheepish youth pastor had to raise his hand. The youth, of course, thought it was hilarious. And then she said, “Aren’t you supposed to be in charge?” Ouch.  

The people of God, who find themselves in the middle of the desert tired, hungry, and thirsty are wondering who in the world is in charge. They are understandably frustrated and grumpy--most humans are when they are tired, hungry, and thirsty. We got a bunch of hangry and thangry people and they want answers.  

They go find Moses--who's in charge--because he’s got the special staff, he led them out of Egypt, and he’s the one that is talking to the big guy upstairs. The people are starting to take their frustration out on him. Give us a drink!--they demand.  

Well, Moses is at his wits end because he knows he’s only sorta-kinda-in-charge, there’s only so much power he has. Day and night he’s fielding all these complaints and issues. His frustration boils over -- Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” If he could, he would tell them all “Go to your Room.” 

But the people have a serious question for Moses -- “‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” Maybe complaining, but legit: What’s better --- working ourselves to the bone in the hot sun, but having meals and a place to live or dying of thirst out in the middle of the desert? 

Now Moses realizes this water request is over his head, so he goes to the one who is really in charge of this mess and says, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’” Moses is strung out. The people are upset. Nothing is going as they hoped.  

You can see why the people wonder to themselves --- “is the Lord among us or not?” 

This question can emerge within us during the wilderness parts of our own lives. When we are caught between a destructive past and an uncertain future. When we are short on our basic needs. When we are missing a mortgage payment or a job. When we wonder why our body just won’t cooperate like it used to. When we see the destruction of earthquakes and tornadoes and floods. When we observe the war and violence in the world. We might say, “Why has life come to this? Who is in charge here?!  And hidden in our complaint reveals the terror within us of the abiding question: is the Lord among us or not? 

This, then, leads to the follow-up question: What kind of “Lord” do we really want?  The kind of God we long to be among us is the God of the Easy Button. The Genie. The God of the Quick Fixes and Silver Bullets. As the writer, Robert Jenson says, “the Rock of Ages, the Sheltering Arms, the transcendent Security Blanket.”

Is this what we have in the passage?  And while at first reading it feels like this is exactly what we have here in the passage--people want water. Moses asks for water. They get water. But is that the only way to read it?  Rabbinical reflection has a bit of a different take on it.   

The ancient rabbis wanted to know why it was important that Moses would strike the rock? In the passage, God calls Moses to strike the rock with the staff to bring forth the water. This is an absurd action…why bother? If God were only the God of quick fixes, God would have simply made it rain or made a spring pop up or cracked open the rock right then and there. Why strike the rock? 

Rabbi Rachel Barenblat says, 

“Perhaps this instruction is meant to spur a leap of faith, mirroring the leap the Israelites took when they entered the [Red Sea]. Midrash tells us the sea parted only when the Israelites had entered the waters up to their necks. Here, similarly, the rock gives forth water only once Moses takes action as he is commanded -- however illogical that action might seem.”

So perhaps instead of reading into the story that God is a giant vending machine in the sky. Put your prayer or complaint quarters in and out comes water.  Perhaps the message is deeper than that. A reminder to the people of God in that time and in all times: The miracles of God, the activity of God in the world invites our participation. We play a part in it. Does God want us to take the first step? To take a leap of faith?  The story offers a resounding, “Yes!”  As Rabbi Barenblat says, “In the ongoing waltz that is our religious life, God expects us to lead. God will gladly teach us the steps and tell us how to perform them, but putting them in action is up to us.” 

The God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rachel, Mary and Joseph. The God we know in Jesus Christ is the God who calls us to faithful action. God may be in charge, but we are called to join in the mysteries and miracles of life that are all around us. In the face of hardship and distress. In the face of violence and oppression. In the face of hunger and thirst. In the face of seeming dead-ends and even death itself -- to believe that God can make a way when there is no way.  Be not discouraged, be not afraid, to take those first steps of faith with God toward the miraculous. Toward wholeness. May it be so. Amen.  

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*Closing Hymn - Fill My Cup, Lord #351, v.1-2

1  Like the woman at the well I was seeking for things that could not satisfy;
and then I heard my Savior speaking;  “Draw from my well that never shall run dry”

[Refrain]
Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord! Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;
Bread of Heaven, feed me ‘til I want no more - fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!

2 There are millions in this world who are craving the pleasure earthly things afford; 
but none can match the wondrous treasure that I find in Jesus Christ my Lord. [Refrain] 

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Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney

As you leave this place, may God bless you with seeking.
Seek out the hungry.
Seek the weary.
Seek the good in every person you pass.
Seek out the hopeful.
Seek the faithful.
Seek God in each of us.
As you seek and as you wonder,
may you find what you are looking for.
In the name of our loving God,
who is always seeking us,
go now in peace. Amen.

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Postlude - “Tis So Sweet To Walk with Jesus” [by A. B. Simpson] - Sarah Park