Today is the Third Sunday of Lent. The Gospel reading is John’s account of the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. The image of water has already played an important part in John’s Gospel: in chapter one, John baptized with water; in chapter two, Jesus turned water into wine.  Now the image of water is transformed in two ways.  First, the image is now concerned with ‘living water’. The flowing, moving, dynamic nature of living water is contrasted with the still, motionless water at the bottom of the well.  Second, this living water, like Jesus himself, holds the key to eternal life.  Here is one of the key images of Messiahship held out during Lent. 

For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of running water. In today’s picture from his book, Water, Teddy Horsley and Betsy Bear are watching the fast moving river rush their Pooh sticks down to the sea.    

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Lord Jesus Christ, 

you are the living water 

welling up into eternal life. 

Draws us to that living water, 

that we may drink from the well of life; 

for your name’s sake. 

Amen. 

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Next Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Lent that is also kept as Refreshment Sunday (in the middle of the Lenten fast) and as Mothering Sunday. The Gospel reading chosen for Mothering Sunday is taken from Luke’s account of Mary taking the infant Jesus to the Temple and meeting there with Simeon. The image to help prepare for next Sunday’s theme is Mary mother of Jesus. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.  

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