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Summary:
For the month of February, we will commemorate Black History Month with a sermon series that focuses on what it means to be true to our God and true to our roots as a people. The close of James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” reminds us that life’s mountaintops and valleys, by grace we shall be “true to our God and true to our native land.”
The Samaritan Woman shares her truth with Jesus, affirming her belief that the Messiah will come and reveal the truth. She shares her truth with her community that Jesus is the Messiah. We too are to share our truth with all the world.
Click for Dr. Herbert Marbury’s Bio
Scripture: John 4:28-29 (New Revised Standard Version)
28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?”
Bible Study Lesson
Gathering Time (5-10 minutes).
Discuss the question: How do you know when someone is telling the truth?
Discussions Questions (Approximately 30 minutes)
- Jesus says that God must be worshiped “in spirit and in truth.” One definition of truth is “a verified or indisputable fact, proposition or principle.” How do we worship God “in truth?” What do you think Jesus means?
- The Samaritan Woman shares her truth with Jesus, affirming her belief that the Messiah will come and reveal the truth, but as a woman of another ethnic group, the disciples thought Jesus should not be speaking to her. What truth was Jesus teaching the disciples by openly talking to the Samaritan Woman?
- When the Samaritan Woman leaves Jesus, she tells the people of the city that they need to go see Jesus. How can we tell people about the truth of Jesus today?
Prayer (10 minutes).
Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.
Sending Forth (2 minutes). End by praying the following or a similar prayer:
Loving God,
We are open and our spirits are willing to receive your grace.
Clear the clutter and the chaos for us to receive your truth.
We let go of all that holds us down and holds us back from your living water.
Come and fill us up so that we may never thirst again.
We ask all things in the name of the one who calls us beloved. Amen.