Keeping in Touch27 August 2023

Dear Friends,

It is incredible to watch as the season changes from winter to summer. It is just a reminder that everything has a season. This week we are focusing on our 3rd story of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We will be looking at the story of the woman at the well. One of
my favourite stories (LOL). Anyway, the story goes that Jesus encounters this woman at mid-day at the well outside of her city. Just for a minute, think about how hot, uncomfortable, and impractical it is to fetch water in the middle of the day. Israel is a desert area, it is incredibly
dry, arid, and hot. Some inland areas can reach above 40 degrees Celsius in those areas. Now imagine going for a long walk, at the heat of day, in order to go and draw water. It must have been exhausting. Not only would it have been exhausting, and it was also impractical, the
water would evaporate quicker.

The women would traditionally draw water early hours of the morning or evening. This was the coolest, and most practical time to go and draw water. They would also do it in groups, for company and security. Yet here we find a woman at the well in the middle of the day. One would
guess that she was trying to avoid the crowds. We find a woman, alone, doing her chores of life isolated and avoiding those that she should be with.

This week we will be exploring something of her loneliness and how Jesus responds to that loneliness. We will then be exploring how this relates to our lives today.

We hope that you will be joining us.
Blessings,
Louise Wernich