With the woman at the well, water is not water. With the disciples, food is not food. With both, Jesus is referring to something bigger, something beyond mere physical needs.
Sermons (Page 2)
On this first Sunday in Lent, we are given two stories of temptation with two very different outcomes so that we might begin the season with self-examination: which choice have I made? Whose lead have I followed? In whose service do I place my abilities and my talents? What kind of world am I helping to create?
Do not give up on the kingdom of God – and do not give up on the people of God who are, together as a body, given to the world as salt and as a light to reveal the goodness and beauty of God’s way, especially in the face of injustice and oppression and persecution and despair.
Jesus wasn’t invited to give his sermon in the council chambers of the rulers. He didn’t have the ear of the military leaders. The people who gathered to hear Jesus speak were the ones like us—most of us, anyway, who didn’t have the capacity to influence big changes.
Preached at a Celebration of Confirmations and Reception
So, if Jesus said it, it was true. There was no need to question, and, no need to interpret. It was there, plain as day. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. Give to anyone who asks. Be perfect. Those are the rules. For someone who was trusting, and a people pleaser, and more-than-a-little naïve, you might have some sense of…
The servant in whom God delights brings forth justice quietly and gently. The servant does not rally a force or demand attention. The servant protects the weak so that they are not further harmed as justice is brought forth. This justice is not promised swiftly but the servant will not stop until it is established…but just who is this servant?