Sunday 12 March 2023 | Putting God to the test.

Third Sunday in Lent COLLECT Gracious Father, your Son is the source of living water: grant that the gift of his Spirit may be to us a spring of water welling up to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. READING Exodus 17: 1-7 2 They complained to Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses answered, “Why are you complaining? Why are you putting the Lord to the test?” 3 But the people were very thirsty and continued to complain to Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 Moses prayed earnestly to the Lord and said, “What can I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 The Lord said to Moses, “Take some of the leaders of Israel with you, and go on ahead of the people. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile. 6 I will stand before you on a rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Moses did so in the presence of the leaders of Israel. READING Romans 5: 1-11 2 He has brought us by faith into this experience of God's grace, in which we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God's glory! 3 We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope. 5 This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us. 6 For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose. GOSPEL according to John 4: 5-42 5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? PRAYER for Africa God, refresh Africa and all the world, Protect and grow our children. Convict with justice and truth, all our leaders And fill all hearts with your peace. For Jesus Christ sake. Amen. THE BLESSING Go out into the world and in your words and your living make it known that Christ is the Saviour of the world. Make it your food to do the work of God who sends you, and drink deeply of the water of life.