Published on 01/4/2007

Yesterday we asked about a solution to our quest for happiness in life. In a culture struggling with depression and discouragement, with an uncertain year before us, we're wondering if this is all there is.

Commentary

The sky is falling, or at least a small part of it. Today's New York Times tells us that a two-inch chunk of rock fell through the roof of a house in New Jersey yesterday. Experts think it may be part of a meteorite, though no one is yet sure. The Times is also reporting that more human remains have been found near the World Trade Center site.

Meanwhile, Pat Robertson was reported yesterday to have announced that God has warned him of a catastrophic terror attack against America later this year. He's been wrong with previous predictions, but the fact that we're even talking about this subject is fearsome enough for most of us. And President Ford's passing reminds us that all of us are mortal. It's probable that someone reading today's essay has had his or her last new year. Maybe it's the one writing it.

Imagine Jesus going to a gay bar and asking someone there to buy him a drink. That's how a book I read recently describes Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in the eyes of his Jewish society (John 4). Jews considered Samaritans to be half-breed infidels. Jewish rabbis didn't speak with unmarried women in public, much less alone. And no religious leader would be found in a private conversation with a five-time divorcee who was now living with a man. But Jesus always went where the need was greatest, and her need was desperate.

Here's the part which fascinates me today. As this woman sought "living water" which would quench the raging thirst of her soul, the Messiah who would liberate her people and her spirit, Jesus could have responded in any number of ways. He could have written a book filled with formulas for spiritual success. He could have taught her how to deal with stress and manage her time and money. He could have asked to meet with her present partner and former husbands. He could have invited her to a religious meeting to hear him preach. All those things can be helpful.

But Jesus did none of that. He offered himself. And a personal relationship with the personal God of the universe transformed this frustrated, defeated sinner into the evangelist of her village and a hero for all of Christian history. How can such a relationship do the same for us? Let's finish tomorrow.