Year A, Lent 3, 2020 – Thirsty

March 11, 2020 / Molly Douthett / Lent

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Hey, everyone! Welcome to the show! We have found ourselves a little pressed for time – again – and have decided to record the show live this week. That does not mean that you are hearing us as we record; it means, we did not spend a lot of time preparing each passage prior to turning on the microphones. Instead, we looked them over a bit and then, trusting the movement of the Holy Spirit, came up with ideas off the top of our heads. So, the show is “live” in that we are recording without the safety net of our usual work. You may not be able to tell in the recording, but the worksheets will tell a different story!

Our episode three years ago was Drinks on the House. We took a close look at clean water initiatives in both the John and Exodus passages. In Exodus, we had an idea how to make a “water spouting rock” for your worship space. For Romans, we suggested building Paul’s rhetorical chain in verses 3 – 5 using emojis! And in John, we have some unlikely characters showing up in “enemy” territory claiming to be the Anointed One. We had a lot of material to work with, so combine it with today’s show and you have a smorgasbord to choose from! Bon appétit!

Exodus 17:1-7 – [01:58]

Exodus 17:1-7 – worksheetDownload

I often marvel at the task Moses was given. Not only did he have to risk returning to a land he had exited hastily and for his own safety, he confronted the most powerful man in the world with an audacious demand for freedom. Then, after overseeing some eye popping supernatural events, he led LOTS of people out into the wilderness where they almost immediately began grousing about his leadership. I think what I marvel about the most is that he didn’t just turn around and take them all right back to Egypt like they asked him to do. His question to God, “What shall I do with this people?” is one I’m certain most pastors have asked a time or two. God answers, “Give them something to drink. Here; I’ll show you how.”

  • WORD –
    • America’s Second Great Awakening
    • The wilderness of Sin
    • Massah – from the root nasah which means to test or try
    • Meribah – from the root word rib, to strive or contend
  • EYE –
    • Rephidim – a possible site for the oasis
  • MATH –
    • The number of people Moses led from Egypt is counted in the hundreds of thousands. That’s a lot of people.
  • BODY –
  • MUSIC –
  • NATURE –
    • How did water come out of a rock? Listen to this story from Public Radio International, or PRI.
    • NASA’s plans to find water on the moon and Mars.
  • PEOPLE –
    • The existential question of WHY – here are some modern examples.

Psalm 95 – [12:43]

Psalm 95 – worksheetDownload

We did not use the Psalm three years ago, so all the illustrations and special effects are fresh and new! The Psalm can be adapted for a call to worship or an affirmation of discipleship using WORD smart. People are called to process into the sanctuary, so give that a try if you don’t already do that in some fashion. Get everyone to come in together as an EYE smart/BODY smart special effect. God reminds the people that their ancestors put Him to the test and asked for proof – so use some mathematical or legal terms to illustrate that for MATH smart. Try physically kneeling and bowing before the Lord for BODY smart. We have a lovely worship song for a MUSIC smart illustration. We are called the Lord’s flock, so bring in someone who knows something about sheep for NATURE smart. We have a couple questions for PEOPLE and SELF smart illustrations and a clip from The Daily Audio Bible for a special effect.

Romans 5:1-11 – [21:44]

Romans 5:1-11 – worksheetDownload

Paul connects suffering to hope in verses 3-5, which made me wonder what literary characters might have made that journey. I have a few ideas listed below in WORD smart. David had a great idea for an EYE smart special effect using a cut out heart and red food coloring. Kairos makes an appearance in verse six, which made me think about following a formula in MATH smart: which step needs to be taken when can be pretty important. Looking at verses 3 -5 again, ask how would each of those states of being be expressed physically for BODY smart? I thought the phrase at the end of verse seven – “dare to die” – sounded like a title for a song or a poem for MUSIC smart (although David thinks it’s more an action movie!). Paul affirms God’s grace is unstoppable, and that made us think to use kudzu as a NATURE smart illustration. Reconciliation is a major theme in these verses, so for PEOPLE smart, talk about the work South Africans did once apartheid ended.

John 4:5-42 – [30:29]

John 4:5-42 – worksheetDownload

If ever there was a Scripture passage that has been colored by our own perspectives, this one is it. In WORD smart, we have some commentary and questions about how John uses the woman’s marital status as a stand-in for the Samaritans’ history. This interpretation cuts through a lot of layers that have smeared her morality. For EYE smart, we wonder where is the place to worship God? What in our worship spaces draws our EYE to Jesus as the Living Water? This woman is not afraid to ask questions, which is one of the hallmarks of scientific inquiry. We have a link for that in MATH smart. As in the Exodus passage, BODY smart links to physical thirst, so have some water available. For MUSIC smart special effect, play a chime or a chord every time a question is asked. Progress up a scale until you get to the affirmation of faith at the end. For NATURE smart, talk about how water springs up in dry places and even set up a fountain in your worship space. In PEOPLE smart, there are some interesting comparisons between the woman and Nicodemus, and for SELF smart, consider the sacredness of your worship space.

  • WORD –
    • Written That You May Believe by Sandra Schneiders wherein she argues that the Samaritan woman’s five husbands may have been the five nations that the king of Assyria dropped into the land after Israel was destroyed. 2 Kings 17:24. The current “husband” is Rome.
  • EYE –
  • MATH –
  • BODY –
  • MUSIC –
  • NATURE –
  • PEOPLE –
  • SELF –

Photo is free to use from Pixaby.

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