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Beginning to Flourish - Week Three

Administrator February 16, 2025 0 3

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Thirsting after — the physical and spiritual intertwined

 

Thirst is one of the most pressing forces in our lives. Needs like breathing, for most of us, are so automatic we rarely think about them unless we are in an emergency. Others like the need for shelter and belonging are crucially important but are often taken for granted until they are absent; but our thirst is a pressing need we negotiate every day that can override everything else. It can be hard to relax, concentrate, or even complete basic tasks when our thirst is overwhelming us. Our need to drink is a constant reminder of our bodies and their precious vulnerability. We will explore what it is to thirst spiritually and physically. This week we will explore the incredible encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the well in John’s Gospel.

SEEDS TO SOW: This week consider how you can support individuals and organisations that help people around the world access clean life-saving water.

 

Read Psalm 42: 1-2

As the deer…

Can thinking about our physical thirst help us to better understand our spiritual thirst… “My soul thirsts for you, my God.”

Q: What does your soul thirst for? We thirst for all sorts of things art, beauty, friendship, goodness.

Q: What does it mean to thirst for the Lord in these experiences?

 

Read John 4: 5-29

Quenching our thirst.

There are so many layers to this passage in John’s Gospel. His human nature was very clearly displayed as he asked the Samaritan woman for water but his divine nature was shown when he offered himself to her as the living water every human needs to survive spiritually.

The cultural tension between a religious teacher and a woman whose faith and morality was suspect all adds to the inclusive way Jesus deals with people. He is not afraid to ask her for help. 

Q: What strikes you or intrigues you about this story?

Q: Imagine you got to speak to the Samaritan woman afterwards. If you could send her a text what would you ask her about this encounter?

 

Read John 4: 39-42

Water travels…

The most frustrating thing about a water leak in a house is trying to work out its source, because water travels, not in the most obvious route, but in the direction of least resistance. We read in this passage that many Samaritans believed in God through the testimony of this woman.

Q: Where do you think the Gospel message encounters least resistance?

 

Lent Transformation Week 3 

The Transforming Refreshment

Make time every day this week to thank God for the drink you are drinking. Think about how Jesus lived a human life and regularly drank with others. Give thanks for the drinks you have and the chances you have to share them with others.