Worship Bulletin

Children Bulletin

Grace and peace, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Opening – Faith After It Has Kept Going

Lent began with distance. God felt far away. Last week doubt crept in while we waited. Today names the next step many of us recognize. This is faith after it has kept going longer than we thought it could or should. This is trust running on empty.

The prophet Habakkuk stands here with us. He is not shouting anymore. He is watching. He is waiting. He is tired. The questions remain, and the strength to keep asking them feels feeble and fading.

I. Worn Out in the Wilderness

Israel reaches Rephidim {REFF-hid-im} with no water.¹ They have seen the sea parted. They have eaten Manna from heaven. Still the road keeps going, and the strength to keep trusting fades.

Their question cuts right through the exhaustion: “Is the Lord with us or not?” This isn’t rebellion. This is weariness speaking out loud. That tiredness tempts us to measure God by our circumstances and the results we can see or measure. The silence begins to sound like abandonment. Tired faith draws conclusions it would never make when well rested.

II. Habakkuk Knows This Place

Habakkuk knows this waiting. Justice delays. Prayer repeats itself without relief. God doesn’t give him answers yet. He gives him a posture:

“The vision awaits its time…
the righteous live by faithfulness.²”

III. Jesus Sits With the Worn‑Out

John tells us:

“Jesus, wearied as He was from His journey, sat down by the well.³”

A woman comes at noon, avoiding eyes, carrying a life worn down by a soiled reputation caused by a repetition hard life and shame. Two things are often missed here:

1. Jesus comes a true man to walk with us. To show He understands the tough things of life. He lived them. He was thirst and tired.

2. We often look at this woman as the problem, but in those days in that culture women had no legal standing. To device your wife you only had to write her a note. What if five husbands had written her a note because they wanted to “upgrade.” What if shew is where she is because no one would love her.

Seeing this event though those eyes changes how you perceive it. She comes to the well at noon, in the heat of the day, because she can be alone. She’s hoping not to be seen.

We recognize this posture. We come quietly. We carry emptiness we cannot fix. Jesus doesn’t demand strength from us. He gives strength. He offers “living water.” Jesus is playing with words here. In their culture “living water” meant cool flowing water. Not warm, still, or stagnant. That is what she would have first heard from Jesus. He shows her He is not offing end the road, but strength to sustain faith along it.

IV. Strength Given Where Strength Is Gone

Paul explains it more plainly:

While we were still weak,
Christ died for us.⁴

Love arrives where strength is gone. The Church confesses: we are justified apart from works.⁵ Faith receives it doesn’t produce. The Holy Spirit gives and sustains faith where we can’t.⁶ So understand weariness doesn’t disqualify faith.⁷ Weakness doesn’t drive Jesus away. Those times are there to pull you closer, to see Jesus closer.

V. The Lord Is Still Present

Habakkuk’s anchor remains: “The Lord is in His holy temple.⁸” God’s presence does not rise and fall with our energy. He remains. Worn‑out faith is still faith. Jesus sustains those who cannot sustain themselves.

Conclusion – Rest That Still Waits

Lent is a season that doesn’t rush answers. Waiting continues. Questions remain. That’s not failure. That is formation. Jesus is present before circumstances change. Living water is given even while the road stays long. We are not yet dome with the song. That comes later.

Next week the darkness deepens. What happens when darkness is all we see? What happens when that sliver of dawn peaks over the horizon?

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NOTES

As We Gather

Today’s message continues our Lenten journey from darkness toward light. As the weeks go on, faith can grow tired. Questions linger. Strength fades. Using the words of Habakkuk and the account of Jesus at the well, we hear how God meets worn-out people, not with quick answers, but with His faithful presence and sustaining grace.

Prayer Before Service

Grant, O Lord, that we may know You and know ourselves; that we may love You and despise ourselves; that we may consider all things as nothing except loving You. Order our lives by Your wisdom, and draw us into Your peace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Historical Background:
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430) prayed and taught extensively on human weakness and divine grace. This prayer reflects his emphasis on God’s initiative in salvation and the rest found in rightly ordered love.