"Lay Your Buckets Down"
Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman.......John 4 : 4 - 14
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11“Sir,” the woman said,“you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed
A Thought From the Pastor
As we continue our study of the Gospel of John, the core message that is being shared through Jesus is so clear and can be summed up as “I am the eternal God made into human flesh, sent with a message of love and not condemnation, challenging us to step into the light from the darkness of this world. We seem to eagerly accept this message of his grace on Sunday but the message becomes drown out in the midst of our busy and chaotic lives during the week. I believe the statements below can explain why we “forget.”
We forget who Jesus really is. We forget that the Word became flesh. We forget that Jesus is Lord and our Savior. When we forget who the messenger is the message starts to feel like optional suggestions rather than life-giving truth.
We prefer comfort in the shadows. Total transparency is terrifying. Living out the message means stepping into the light which exposes our “life” we have covered up or hidden for so long. We still believe the lie that Jesus came to condemn.
We try to clean ourselves up instead of surrendering. We fall into the “Nicodemus” trap and treat our relationship with Jesus like a partnership or self-help program. The Christian life is not simply about trying harder.
How can we keep the core message of Christ in our lives everyday? We must realize that hearing the message is a start, but we must be patient in our lives of sanctification and growth. Grace, growth, give! Bring one area of your life that your are keeping in the dark into the life. Raise the white flag of surrender with one aspect of your life that needs to be changed. Finally, remember that Jesus came on a mission of love and rescue and not retaliation. When we accept Christ and his message into our lives we must allow ourselves to be refined and reborn. Keep the message of Christ in your heart this week. When we remember that Jesus is our hope and answer, it becomes easier to surrender and take a step into the light.
Prayerful Planning
- Please mark your calendars for the giveRecovery Spaghetti Dinner which will take place on Saturday, October 10 at 5:30 pm. All donations from the dinner will benefit the Community Kitchen and food pantry. Please grab a flyer at the Welcome Center if you need additional information.
- We will be having a “Fall Potluck” after church on Sunday, October 25 . Please mark your calendars for this fun and festive event
Plans and Events at PCOC
- 9/28- - Community Kitchen @ 11:30 - 12:30 @ PCoC.
- 9/30 - Women’s and Men’s Bible Studies @ 6:30 pm @ PCoC.
- 10/1 - Church Prayer Group @ 10:30 am @ PCoC.
- 10/2 - Bridge Street Baptism Service @ 6:30 pm @ PCoC.
- 10/10 - GiveRecovery Spaghetti Dinner @ 5:30 pm @ PCoC
Purpose For This Week
- Pray that we would seek to follow Jesus.
- Pray that we would learn to live as His disciples.
- Pray that we would find joy in following him and becoming his disciples.
Praise Reports & Prayer Requests
- Please continue to cover Tim Harbaugh in your prayers as continues his healing and recovery from his back surgery.
- Please continue to pray for Eric and Shana Hopkins and their family. God has blessed them with so much in regards to family, their business, but it all can be overwhelming. Please specifically pray for their family priorities to be focused on God and connection and also Eric’s health.
- Please continue to pray over Joe Soper and his continued desire to find answers to his health issues.
- Please continue to cover Chaning’s eye issues and pregnancy in your prayers.