Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 1The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” John 4:16-26

“The Hour is Coming”
The woman from Samaria had, it seems, lived a disorderly life. For whatever reasons, she had lived a less than perfect life. Is this reality any different for any of us? In the midst of living this life, she has an unlikely encounter with Jesus – and recognizes him as something special – even possibly the Messiah – and it changes her life. She becomes a witness to others in her city and she brings many to faith in Jesus because of her testimony.

I think this is the most helpful testimony to the argument that the witness of lay people can be just as powerful and often even more powerful than the witness of someone recognized as a religious leader. You don’t have to be a pastor to be an effective witness for Christ – you just have to have the faith that your encounters with Jesus will not only change your life, but they will give others the courage to learn more about Jesus Christ, and possibly change their lives as well.

We are called to be witnesses, to share our experiences with others, hoping they will share their encounters with Christ with others as well.

Let us Pray,
Lord Jesus, we all live less than perfect lives. Help me to see in my imperfections the perfect love you have for all people — and then to share that love prodigally. Amen.

Pastor Dave