John 4:10-26
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!”

Reflection:
In October, I secretly planned a long weekend trip to California for my daughters. Disneyland and Universal Studios were on the agenda to satisfy our Star Wars and Harry Potter crazes. For me, keeping it a surprise was one of the most difficult things I have done in motherhood, but I did it. I did it because I wanted them to experience the big reveal and all that comes with it – the excitement, the wonder, the joy. When we pulled them from school to tell them where we were headed, I still do not know who was more excited – me or them. That moment has become as memorable as the trip itself.

I imagine our Heavenly Father saying something similar on a much larger scale, “Awesomeness is coming. I can’t share all the details (because it would blow your mind), but here is a glimpse of what is to come…. SURPRISE!”

As part of the longest one-on-one conversation Jesus has in the Bible, Jesus shares a new concept with the woman at the well. After Jesus asks her for a drink of water, he brings up the topic of living water. This woman had multiple partners in her life (cue Johnny Lee’s “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places”), and spiritually parched, needed to quench her thirst. What remarkable timing. What a gift to not only hear this good news and to get a glance of what he has in store for all of us, but to be included in God’s vision for a restored, quenched humanity. Revelation 21 tells us about a new heaven and a new earth. When I first wrapped my head around what John describes as The Finish Line, my soul filled with excitement, wonder, joy…. and love.

For this particular woman, Jesus graciously reveals the Kingdom of God and invites her to be a part of it. As I try to empathize with her and put myself in her shoes, my heart bursts and I share her joy. Three things happened to her through this chance meeting with Jesus: she learned of acceptance, she was restored from her brokenness, and she saw that she had a chance to make all things new in a different way. He pretty much said to her, “I know every skeleton in your closet, but I still care about you and offer you my inheritance.”

Jesus is saying this to us today. We can all be grateful knowing what he has already done on the Cross and with his Resurrection, and we can look forward to what he has in store for us. There is so much more!

Closing Prayer:
Our ultimate event planner,
We know You love us so much that you have the master plan. You are preparing all the rooms, the feast, and all the details. Thank you for all of it. Thanks for giving us those sneak peeks as we wait for the final, big reveal. Help us to continue living in the power of the Resurrection here on earth while we wait for the exciting finale. All the glory to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.