John 4:7-15

John 4:7-15 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There are people who we don't fully see in society.  The homeless people sitting on the sidewalk.  Those who stand at the end of the freeway on and off ramps.  So many of the urban poor, or those scraping by in other parts of town.  And we don't see the wounds of mental illness, which can be devastatingly paralyzing for those who suffer it, but all can appear normal on the outside. 
  What's amazing is the tender way that Jesus sees, and validates, all people.  Imagine the most marginalized people in society -- these are the ones to whom Jesus goes, and then he sends us to go and do likewise. 
  Here, Jesus is visiting a Samaritan woman who lives with a man she is not married to.  She is surprised that Jesus even talks to her, and yet he not only talks to her but also puts himself in a position to be vulnerable to her.  He asks her for a drink. 
  Following this, there is a long conversation about water, both physical and spiritual.  Jesus is pointing to the eternal, but she cannot see beyond the physical. 
  Friends, God is at work around you.  Our vision is also limited, and one of the prayers we can pray is for God to help us see the world the way God sees it, to love people the way God loves people.  The Holy Spirit draws us together, into community, and it is there we discover that we are beloved by God.  The needs we have are not so different than those around us.  The wounds we carry, which we often assume (usually with shame) are unique to us, are common, for we are all hurting in often similar ways, and Jesus comes to us with humility, honoring our broken humanity and offering us healing that is greater than life.