Romans 5: 1-11                                                                                                             Rev. Dr. Galen E. Russell III

John 4: 5-42                                                                                                                                         March 8, 2026

“But the hour is coming and is now here, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.”

        Prayer: [Thank you, dramatic readers] O God of living water, help us to drink of your life-giving water and live by your word, in Christ. Amen.

Ever since last Saturday, I’ve had a struggle within my spirit. I know many of you had one, too. The fact that the US and Israel started a war with Iran is bad enough. I mean whatever happened to “Do not fire unless fired upon.” That’s how I was raised.

But adding insult to injury, Christians everywhere, in my opinion, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents should be appalled that we’re in war, but instead, many are cheering. We, as followers of Jesus, I believe, should be questioning the reasons, the process, and the morality of starting a war, and standing up against it, but many are buying into the rhetoric, calling the aggressive, violent attacks a necessity, and normalizing the immorality.

Now, I/we know we may not have all the facts. I know this is a complex situation with many moving parts. And let’s be honest about the fact that Iran is a dangerous nation with a horrible human rights record. I get it that the regime has kept the Iranian people under an oppressive thumb, especially women and marginalized people. I understand that people in opposition to Iran’s leadership are often incarcerated or worse, killed off.

I know Iran was trying to develop a nuclear weapon, and back in June we supposedly obliterated their nuclear capacities. And there’s no evidence they’ve recovered from that. And, it feels like to me, their impatience with diplomacy, and worry, and pressure from other global leaders made for war.

And some of you listening to me may not agree with me on any of this, and that’s OK. Let’s keep talking...some will not like me bringing in political worlds here. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to offend. But, my job is in part, to help us live faithful lives and navigate as Christians in the face of this war. To help us live spiritually in a day where living spiritually seems lost, especially among our leaders.

Which takes me back to being in spiritual turmoil. Because I listened to a press conference and video clips where leaders of our government approach Middle East crisis with braggadocios pride and bullying arrogance that a preemptive strike was necessary to knock the enemy down. That we hit them while they were down. That we showed no mercy. And this was coming from Christian people! Who supposedly then went back to the White House West Wing and were singing worship songs.  Isaiah wrote, and Jesus once quoted him, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29: 13). So, yeah, this past week I was in spiritual turmoil.

Because that is a far cry from worshiping the God I know, the God of Jesus Christ.  The God who teaches us to love our enemies, not be unmerciful to them. The God who calls for us to turn the other cheek when struck, not to be the one doing the striking. The God who calls us to be peacemakers, not preemptively knocking enemies down.

This is the God that I know, the God who says we are blessed if we hunger and thirst for righteousness. The God who says we are saved and reconciled to God through the death of God’s son Jesus Christ, and having been reconciled, how much more will we be saved by Christ’s life. This is the God I know.

This is the God who says “I know you. I know your strengths and weaknesses. I know your vulnerabilities and your thick protective walls. I see who you are. I know everything you’ve ever done!”

This is the God who sees our frailty and our glory. This is the God who offers proof of holy love, because even when we don’t measure up, God creates saving grace through Christ without us having to make ourselves worthy to receive that grace first. This is the God I know.

This is the God who invites us, I think, to know that the Spirit sees us. And the Spirit is looking for people who are not caught up in striving for peace through strength that comes by starting a war and bombing the smithereens out of enemies. That kind of peace is like a water jar that must always be refilled of water.

Instead, the Spirit is looking for people who understand that peace through strength comes by worshiping God in spirit and truth. This is the living water that never runs out. It never fails in satisfying our need for God. Never fails in slaking our spiritual thirst. God seeks people who worship in spirit and truth.

Jesus said to the woman at the well, I give you living water, the kind of water that gushes up into eternal life. The kind that leaves you never wanting more because you always will be filled. You’ll be deeply satisfied. This is the God I know, who sees us and knows what we need in our lives.

One preaching commentary suggested that Christ’s living water, just like regular flowing water, always flows to the lowest point. You know that’s a law of physics, don’t you? Water always flows to the lowest point due to the earth’s gravity. In the spiritual realm, it is the same. The living water Christ gives flows to the lowest places of our lives. It can flow to where we have the greatest spiritual pain. To the greatest emotional wounds. To the deepest hurt. To the most secret guilt. It can flow to the most profoundly misguided thinking, or ideologies, or behaviors.

So many times we try to relieve the pain or our innermost trauma with water from jars that just never satisfy and are simply insufficient. Oh there may be a quick spike of satisfaction, but it is never permanent.  Some go on binges shopping, drinking, eating, or watching TV or online to meet the deepest needs, and it may be fun for a moment, but these never satisfy and often times make deeper wounds. Being impatient with diplomacy, then starting a war with a nation, bombing them mercilessly will not ultimately satisfy and creates profound wounds.

With the Samaritan woman, Jesus saw her deeply and went right to where her pain was most acute. Think of it—five marriages? Five divorces? Five cultural faux pas. Five times rejected. Women back in those biblical days were already low on the totem pole of status, but add all that. Whew! What pain! But Jesus’ living water found her, did not despise her. Accepted her. The Spirit saw her and gave her living water.

And what did the woman do? She left her old water jar behind. The old water jar is a metaphor representing all the things in this life that we think will fill us. Everything that we try out to see if it will give us meaning. That will restore our souls. Will make us happy again. That will relieve our pain. That will give us strength.

With Christ, we can leave all those old water jars behind. When the Spirit sees you, you can choose to go forward trusting in Christ’s way. And in the middle of the suffering that we experience, God will give you the living water which will find your lowest point, and give you the water of love, compassion, grace, forgiveness, healing, and the wisdom to go forward. Comforting our inner spiritual turmoil.

God sees us, down at our deepest level my beloved ones, and desires to restore our lives with living water that never runs out. God desires that we worship in spirit and in truth. God wants us to be real in God’s divine presence, truthful about our spiritual frailties, and honest about our need for living water. I don’t know why this way works best for God. I just know that it does. Amen.

Prayer: O God of the living water, You are the God we know. Please see us deeply. Send your Spirit upon us. Give us a drink of your living water which is the only thing that can satisfy our deepest thirst and heal our wounds and pain. May we live spiritually by worshiping you in spirit and in truth, navigating through these tumultuous days trusting you.  Amen.