An Advent meditation and prayer
Jesus, a Jew, a man, and a rabbi and the Samaritan woman at the well stepped across every cultural barrier to meet and to talk.[1] Jesus assured her that he would provide living water, by which he meant the Holy Spirit,[2] that, gushing up within to eternal life, quenches all thirst. Thus, Jesus clarified and amplified the testimony of John, son of Zechariah, who declared, “I have baptized you with water; but (the Messiah) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”[3]
O Lord Jesus, as Photina[4] prayed, so, as I wait for you, I beseech that you give me this water that I, for your righteousness, may thirst no more, but rather be blessed and filled.[5] Amen.
© 2022 PRA
Illustration: Christ and the Samaritan Woman, Jan Joest van Kalkar (1450?-1519)
[1] John 4.5-42. Their encounter, seemingly wholly fortuitous, utterly accidental, I reckon as serendipitous, that is, a work of the Holy Spirit of God who honors no human-recognized boundaries of race or ethnicity, gender, and station of life.
[2] See John 7.38-39
[3] Mark 1.8
[4] Although scripture gives no name for the Samaritan woman, Eastern Orthodox tradition calls her Photina (or Photine), from the Greek, phos, “light”, meaning, “the enlightened one.” For she, in her testimony to her fellow Samaritans, led many to believe in Jesus as “the Savior of the world” (John 4.39).
[5] A reference to Matthew 5.6: Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
occasional observations of mind and heart, soul and spirit 
Paul,
When I’m thirsty water always used to be the last thing I’d reach for…. But lately water has become my go to!! I’m not exactly sure why I switched but I feel better physically having done so.
I also had an amazing experience in the thermal hot springs of Costa Rica where the temperature changes from 65 degrees to 107 over the course of a mile. Kendal insisted we spend the entire day there on her birthday last week. We each spent time in the water in the different areas and sat on the rocks and reflected too. At the end of that day I felt so different after getting out of the water and I even said to them that I felt as if I’d been baptized again!!
Love
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“Baptized again!” NOW, that IS a most powerful image, indeed, reality! Thank you for sharing this! AND I am grateful that you have had this experience!
Love
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