Rev. Theophous H. Reagans, Esq.
The woman left her water jar behind and went back to the town. She said to the people, Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could He be the Messiah? So they left the town and went to see Him. John 4:28-30; Isaiah 56:1-7
We are not here by chance. We have been chosen, sent, claimed, and named by God. We have been called to a mission. I want to reflect on this passage: “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could He be the Messiah?” After Jesus revealed Himself to her and told her that He was the one she had been waiting for, the woman at the well was amazed and believed in Jesus Christ. She wanted to share her faith with others right away. So she went to her village and told the men that she had met the Messiah. Because of her simple testimony, many people came to the well to meet Jesus. God called all of us out of something to God’s goodness. And many of us, like this woman, were not the most likely candidates, at least in the eyes of the world and maybe in the eyes of many in the church. But we were called to live in the power and wonder of the Creator.
This passage shows that God’s call is for everyone and that God has a specific purpose for each of us. In a patriarchal society, Jesus first reached out to the people of Israel as a Jewish man, speaking mainly to and through other Jewish men. But here, to the surprise of His disciples, Jesus shared the good news with a woman, a Samaritan woman, and called her from her weakness to a new life of strength. The rabbis said, “It is better to burn the law than to teach it to a woman!” But Jesus did not agree with that narrow view and He broke the barriers of race and gender by this encounter. So, in this season of Lent, I urge you to remember your calling to God’s goodness. Remember that you were called to a mission just like the woman at the well. Remember your own unique story and how God called you not despite, but because of your circumstances. Go back to your village with joy and wonder. This is our mission—to think of Jesus, to speak of Jesus, to bring Jesus from our own experiences and to be excited like the woman at the well. In this season of Lent, I urge you to live your true identity in response to God’s faithful gift.
During this season of Lent, think about how your place in society, such as your race, culture, economic status, gender, or social status, can help you to continue God’s mission in the world. Declare the radical message from the Messiah and the prophet Isaiah that God’s blessings are for all people, even the foreigners and the eunuchs, who are no longer excluded from worship and who are welcomed as members of the church and citizens of this world. Will you let God use your testimony so that others will come to meet Jesus and hear and answer their call to God’s goodness?
Rev. Theophous H. Reagans, Esq.
Director of Global Ministries
Allen Temple Baptist Church
Oakland, CA
Prayer
Gracious God,
We thank You for Your word that speaks to us and reveals Your love and truth. We thank You for the example of the woman at the well, who encountered Jesus and became a witness of His grace and power. We thank You for calling us to Your goodness and to Your mission in the world.
Forgive us, Lord, for the times when we have ignored or resisted Your call, when we have been ashamed or afraid to share our faith, when we have failed to see Your image in others who are different from us. Help us, Lord, to be open and obedient to Your voice, to be bold and joyful in proclaiming Your gospel, to be respectful and compassionate towards those who need Your touch.
We ask You, Lord, to fill us with Your Spirit and to empower us to live out our calling. We pray that You would use us to bring others to You, to invite them to come and see the Messiah who knows us and loves us. We pray that You would bless us with opportunities to serve and to grow, to learn and to love, to worship and to witness.
We praise You, Lord, for Your faithfulness and Your generosity, for Your mercy and Your justice, for Your holiness and Your humility. You are the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. We give You all the glory and honor, now and forever. Amen.
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