Photo by Klara Lulikova on Unsplash.
Karen Hollis | October 12, 2025 Pentecost 18 | Creation 2
Water: 13th century theologian, Thomas Aquinas said: Sacred writings are bound in two volumes - that of creation and that of Holy Scripture. Both creation and holy scripture are connection points for us to encounter the Living God. So, for this second week, we’re going to experience a “reading” of both, and then I’ll try and bring them together.
We just had an opportunity to observe water being poured out and changing from the shape of the pitcher to the shape of the bowl. We observed droplets of water or felt the dampness on our heads and (some of us) fingers. We experienced the ability of water to carrying God’s blessings-and-affirmation today and every day.
Water is so essential and accessible to us that the sacredness of it is often an afterthought when we’re turning on the tap 100 times a day, yet those moments are also an opportunity to listen for God speaking.
The sacredness of water is captured in author, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Anishinaabe language. The word for water is translated, “to be water.” To be water is to be animate and filled with God’s presence.
“To be water” not only takes the shape of their container, they also shape their container. The top left image was taken on Gabriola Island and is an example of water changing the shape of the rock over millions of years. An eye practiced at observation can deduce from the wear patterns in the stone, how the water moves with the changing tide. Any wave that come into shore, anywhere in the world, will respond to the ocean floor and give the observer clues about the shape of the floor underneath.
Observing water will also tell us something about the wind. On a still day, the water will be glassy, offering a perfect reflection at the horizon. On a windy day, we might find our favourite parking spot by the beach to watch the show of waves and surfers.
How many of us have gone walking on the beach and looked for indicators of the high tide mark? We can see changes in the dampness of the sand. Notice where the seaweed, rocks, and wood have been left by the waves . Then, maybe we’ll watch the waves, themselves, for a couple of minutes to see if they are inching closer or farther from the shore? Whether the tide is coming in or out? It can be useful for telling us how much time we have for a walk or it can simply bring us present with the ocean’s movements to say, “Hello, I see you.” (breath) I invite Bev to come and offer a reading from the second volume of sacred writings.
John 4:4-15 Jesus had to go through Samaria on the way to Galilee. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us today, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen
Sermon:
What is this Living Water Jesus offers? We’re quite familiar with water. What does Living Water mean? He doesn’t ever really explain it. One might assume that Jesus came up with the term on his own . . . actually it’s part of his tradition. Living Water in Judaism describes water that is connected to a larger source, such as a stream or the ocean. According to author Richard Smoley, “to this day Jewish mikvahs, ritual baths, must adhere to rigorous specifications in this regard.”1 Perhaps this is why John baptized in the Jordan river – to immerse people in those Living Waters.
Smoley continues: “On a physical level, water of this kind is believed to have certain energetic properties that stagnant water lacks.”2 Have you felt the difference between a small lake or pond and a running river or the ocean? The next time you encounter different bodies of water you might take note if there are different qualities or energies to them.
There’s also a symbolic level here, which indicates a dependence of the psyche (the self) on a constant connection with the deeper streams of universal life.3 When we’re missing that deeper connection, life can feel more flat or disconnected.
Jesus comes this morning with good news of Living Water. In the story he approaches the Samaritan woman – I’ll call her Photini (luminous one) as she is known by some in the church. There are many reasons why readers of this story would be alarmed at their meeting by the well – Jews and Samaritans have a storied history.
Here's just a bit of it. I always assumed Samaritans were Gentiles, non-Jews . . . but it’s not that simple. Samaritans understood themselves to be descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and they held the Torah (5 books of Moses) as their scripture – their name means “keeper of the law.”4 However, the Northern and Southern Kingdoms disagreed on some other things, including their primary place of worship: Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem. The schism between them continued for centuries, such that Samaria was the last place a Jew would find themselves . . . and yet, Jesus, full of God’s love for all, intentionally goes there.
As Jesus and Photini meet, they enter this space that is both fraught and full of love . . . they are both aware of the history and the rules that should keep them separate, however the God of their shared history is doing something new.
They come with a mutuality of need and a mutuality of offering. His physical body is in need of water from a long journey, and she has a bucket. Photini is in need of the universal stream that sustains life . . . but she doesn’t know it’s within her. Jesus offers to her a direct connection to the waters of life . . . a connection that is for her, for Jesus, for Jews, Gentiles, Samaritans, and for us.
Jesus says to her: “those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Eternal means “without beginning or end,” which may refer to an experience after this life; it may also refer to an experience in this life. Jesus offers a way to connect to what is eternal in us, a source that no one can take from us, and something that may endure after our physical bodies return to the earth.
Perhaps Jesus doesn’t quite explain this Living Water because it’s difficult to put into words and is a different experience for each of us. I wonder if this is something we can possibly identify? Think to yourself: is there a story of Jesus that now lives within you and feels like Living Water? Is there a teaching or practice that feels like something that endures? Did you ever have an experience that revealed a truth that continues to nourish you? Have you had an experience of God or feel God’s presence daily?
Living water dwells within each of us – and Jesus helps us find it. The connection to Living Water provides a source of life, of connection, of wisdom right here within us. We are so used to turning outward for the answers – if you’ve been in my office, you’ve seen how many books I have. I’m constantly scouring my shelves for insight on this and that . . . and sometimes it’s helpful. The only thing that is truly and consistently satisfying is connecting to that living stream and listening.
We were studying the Gospel of Thomas over the summer at QBS and there were a couple of weeks where our conversation brought me back to this line again and again, because I don’t have better words than these: ‘those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.’ Thanks be to God.