Newsletter 6/12/2025

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13–14

I have fond memories of my childhood. Some of the most idyllic recollections I have are moments that involve water. I used to think that the bathtub was going to overflow when my oldest sister ran the water for what seemed like forever. I would cry and yell at her to turn it off and she would just tease me and laugh. I remember being in Lake Tahoe and swimming in the blue water. I recall the times we would travel to California and spend time at the ocean or the Bay, wading up to our knees as the tide rolled in. Once a pipe burst in front of our house someone must have dug a hole. It created massive mud pool and all of the neighborhood children came over and took turns jumping into the muck.  There were times after playing at recess during school that we were so thirsty that there would be a long line at the drinking fountain. Inevitably some kid would humorously complain that whoever was at the fountain was taking too long and that their would be no water left for the whales and fish. Another time on a camping trip my friend and I drank from a small creek in the mountains. I just knew I was going to get sick and die. I didn’t of course. And finally, every kid (at least those raised before we coddled children into a puddle of weakness and fear) knows what is like to take a long drink from a water hose. I don’t think I’d try that today though. 

Water is life. We ingest it, bathe in it, grow in utero surrounded by it, need it to grow our food, and use it for countless daily tasks. Without water, needless to say, we would find that living would be much more difficult. And ultimately without water we would eventually die. There is no way to even measure or calculate the importance of water. It is so commonly used that we take for granted how essential it is. We need it, and that is an understatement. We could never have enough of it. Everyday our bodies demand it. And no matter how much of it we drink, we will always need to come back for more. Our thirst may be satiated for a time, but we will desire it again. Whatever we get in the moment is never enough to satisfy for life. 

Jesus is engaging in a deep conversation with a woman about something as common and simple as water. They are both thirsty. He offers her living water. She’s all for it because she’s tired of returning to the same well day after day. She thinks Jesus is talking about some natural brand of refreshment that will quench her thirst for all time. But He is not speaking of things in the natural. He is speaking about things in the spiritual. The living water is not water. It is Christ. 

Jesus is life. We must receive Him, live surrounded by Him. We need Him to exist and everyday we need His presence just to function fully. Without Him we find that life is so much more difficult. And ultimately, without Jesus we will die. There is no way to measure or calculate the significance of Jesus. He is so commonly referred to that we take Him for granted. But we need Him. And that is an understatement. Jesus is enough. Our souls demand that our spiritual thirst be quenched. And with just one draft of Christ, fulfilling and satisfying the soul, we will never thirst again. We will never need to search for anything else to satiate our deepest longings. We will desire Him, and Him alone. Whatever we receive from Him is enough to satisfy us for this life…and the life to come. 

Pastor Dean