Christ is risen. Imagine, if you will, you are
walking across the Sahara Desert. Your feet sink
into the hot sand. It makes progress difficult.
There are no trees to give you shade, so the
sun beats down on you incessantly. And you have
a great thirst. This is a land with no water.
Spiritually speaking, there are many people in
the world today who live in a spiritual desert
with no water, no spiritual water. And they are
thirsty, and many to the point of despair. And
others, they're just seeing mirages, things that
aren't there. distractions to help them cope.
And others survive by drinking polluted waters
that cannot support life for long. Now imagine
that you are trudging through these hot sands
and before you there is an oasis. And it is not
a mirage. And there are palm trees to give you
shade and food and fresh, clean water to drink.
And what joy and relief this would bring you.
And this is what happened to Fotini at the well
in today's Gospel reading from St. John. The
woman at the well, known as Svetlana or as Fotini,
met our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
at that well. And he was a spiritual oasis that
she needed. And Jesus asked her, give me a drink.
And the gospel reads, then the woman of Samaria
said to him, how is it that you being a Jew ask
a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? for Jews
have no dealings with Samaritans. And Jesus answered
and said to her, If you knew the gift of God,
who it is who says to you, Give me a drink, you
would have asked him, and he would have given
you living water. And Jesus makes sure she understands
that he is speaking of spiritual water, not just
physical water, by saying, Whoever drinks of
this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks
of the water that I shall give him will never
thirst, but the water that I shall give him will
become in him a fountain of water springing up
into everlasting life. The Orthodox Study Bible
says of these verses, the living water given
by Jesus is the gift of the Holy Spirit, which
believers receive. And the Holy Spirit becomes
a fountain of water, which flows with eternal
life. And later in the dialogue between Jesus
and the woman, Fotini, Jesus said to her, But
the hour is coming, and now is, when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth. for the Father is seeking such to
worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship
him must worship in spirit and in truth. The
woman said to him, I know the Messiah is coming,
who is called Christ. When he comes, he will
tell us all things. And Jesus said to her, I
who speak to you am he. And from that day, her
life changed, for she knew and believed that
Jesus was more than just a great teacher or a
prophet. He was the very Messiah himself, God
with us. And she became an evangelist, helping
others to find that living water to drink. And
she left the desert and the lifeless sand and
drank. from Christ's holy cup. And so you and
I have now come to this place, this church, which
is an oasis for us. And the world is filled with
desert. Why would we leave this place? This is
life where we are now. And as St. Macarius of
Optima has said, God is in the Lord of all places,
and now, since the incarnation, the whole earth
shines with glory. There is no place whence the
incense of prayer cannot rightly rise. The manna
of the word of God rains down on every city and
every wilderness, and the incorruptible feast
can be partaken of in the humblest church of
the poorest village. The living waters of grace
can be drunk by all who courageously and unflinchingly
seek him who says, if any man thirst, let him
come unto me and drink. Let us beware of those
who would pull us away from the oasis back into
the desert. Slick words that would somehow entice
us away from drinking the living water. Let us
resist that and hold fast to our faith. Let us
leave the desert behind and the oasis of the
church here. Let us be here. Let us be filled
with living water. Let the Lord direct your life.
Thirst no more, for Christ is risen.