Day 26 – March 20, 2010
The Universal Gospel
“Universal means all persons. A church that witnesses only to those who come to its sanctuary will
soon be a museum or a mausoleum. The church that believes in the gospel of Christ will go to the
community in which the church is located.” (Prophetic Evangelist: The Living Legacy of Harry
Denman, 1993)
When the disciples followed Jesus through Samaria on the way from Judea to Galilee, their minds were
on practical things. So, when noon came, the disciples were thinking about what most of us do at noon.
They went looking for food.
Jesus seemed to have his mind on practical things as well. He wanted to rest, and he wanted a drink. But
why did he choose to sit in this particular place and ask this particular woman to share with him the water
she drew? Could it be that the Lord thirsted for something more permanent than a sip of water?
Jesus came to reconcile humankind to God. That was the mission that consumed his mind on the way to
Galilee that early afternoon. And when a social outcast came to draw water at midday, the Lord was there
to draft her into the mission of the Kingdom.
Why her? Because a woman who has so much to regret needs to know that someone who knows her
whole story still believes in her worth. And when a woman with so much to regret feels the transforming
power of forgiveness, her love for her redeemer is profound. That love will cause her to intentionally seek
out and witness to the folk she hid from in shame before her transformation.
Living faith seeks to be shared. Congregations that actively share their faith in the community are
drawing on rich spiritual nourishment. Those that do not are flirting with spiritual starvation and will
forfeit congregational growth.
Jesus has done the first work. Generations of the faithful have carried the mission forward. But the
harvest is incomplete. The Lord’s message to our generation is the same as the one he spoke to those first
disciples. “Wake up and look around!” Let’s go out of our way to find the sinners outside our walls.
John 4:34-35 (New Living Translation)
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from
finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up
and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.”
Submitted by: Rev. RuthAnne Henley
