When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (John 4:7)
Expanded Passage: John 4:7–9
I am occasionally envious of extroverts, those men and women who seldom meet strangers. One of my colleagues comfortably strikes up conversations with almost anyone, anywhere, at any time, regardless of racial, cultural, experiential, socioeconomic, linguistic, religious, or vocational differences. Me, not so much—until I discovered a statement by Augusten Burroughs on the back of a Starbucks cup, which defrosted my natural reluctance to engage in conversation with strangers: “I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, ‘Hi.’ They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.”
Jesus met a complete stranger—a woman—at a village well at high noon. He and she were different on many levels: their gender, religion, nationality, race, culture, and morality. In the withering heat of the midday sun, there were so many hurdles to overcome before any kind of significant conversation could occur. But he showed us how to do it: he said “Hi” and asked a simple question: “Will you give me a drink?”
Reluctance to share our faith can be thawed with a willingness to say “Hi” and ask a genuine question, appropriate for the moment.
Try opening a conversation with a well-placed question.
Ed Rotz has served The Wesleyan Church as a pastor and district superintendent. He currently works for PastorServe, Inc. and lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife, Sharon.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
