Sermon from 18 February 2024

Synopsis: In the 23rd Psalm, David praises the Lord, his Shepherd, who fills his cup of blessings to overflowing. In the Gospels, Jesus, who calls himself The Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, tells the Samaritan woman at the well that if she knew who he is and asked him to do it, he would give her endless, limitless springs of living water. These promises were not just for David or for that woman, they were for all who trust in God and believe in Jesus Christ. So, why do we feel so empty? Why are our cups (our lives, our hearts, our souls) not filled to overflowing as God promises and intends for us? Lent should be a time of reflection and repentance, a time to journey with Jesus toward the cross, and to prepare to obediently take up our own crosses and follow him. Perhaps a good way to begin is by asking God to empty our cups (our lives, our hearts, our souls) of anything that is getting in the way of our relationship with him and asking him to prepare us to be filled with the welcoming love of the Last Supper table, the forgiving love of the cross, the victorious love of the Resurrection, and the Jesus-like self-sacrificial love of discipleship he wants to overflow from us onto a world that is “running on empty.”