Epiphany Lutheran Church- New Salisbury, IN

04/03/2026

Join us for Good Friday service, 4/3/2026 at 7:00 pm. Thanks be to God that Christ took our sins upon Himself, that we might be with Him forever.

04/03/2026

GOOD FRIDAY April 3rd, 2026
Title: "Want to know how God works?!"

Text: Matthew 27:37 (ESV) “And over His head they put the charge, against Him, which read,
THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

We think we know what’s good for us. We insist on making our self-will the driving force in our lives. If we really want to spend eternity in heaven, and if we’d like some of it now, then we’d want God to break our self-will so that His will might be done among us now and forever. Luther taught us in his Small Catechism that God's will is done when God hinders & defeats EVERY WILL which sets itself against HIS WILL. The way God often breaks self-will is to allow troubles & suffering.



Do you accept difficulties/disappointments when they surface? Do you BLOW-UP? Have a MELT-DOWN? Do you cuss up a storm? Or do you learn from your problems, setbacks, and even suffering? Do you allow God to use such situations to transform you? If we are to trust God more, it’s vital to know how God works.

Our text gives us some insight with some of the details of Jesus’ crucifixion. As we look at the cross, let’s remove the “aura of sanctity” we usually attach to depictions of the crucifixion. We think a crucifix is beautiful. We might wear one around our neck. However, crucifixion was a disgraceful and appalling way to die.
"Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree" (Deut.21:23; Gal.3:13). The Jewish rabbis applied that passage
to anyone being crucified. Matthew describes the intended humiliation and the shame of that scene.

Golgotha was a public place. People entering and leaving the city passed by that place. Simon (of Cyrene) was on his way to Jerusalem. But soldiers made Simon carry Jesus' cross out to a hill - Golgotha. Christ hung on the cross naked, totally exposed, being so severely strained physically that controlling His bodily functions was NOT possible. That's what a crucifixion was like.

Jesus was crucified between two thieves as though He were one of them. As He hung there, He was mocked and laughed at by onlookers. The eyewitness accounts in the Gospels tell us some people wagged their heads back and forth as they taunted the dying Jesus and hurled insults His way. Others just shook their heads in amazement, wondering how they’d ever placed any hope in Him to restore Israel. They mocked Him by yelling, "...save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" The chief priests, scribes, and elders got into the act and jeered at Jesus with, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself!"

They referred especially to the miracles for which Jesus was famous. If He couldn’t even save Himself, His miracles must’ve been “phony.” Two men crucified next to Jesus also yelled at Him. Jesus entered Jerusalem to cheers, praise, and acclaim as Messiah. The people expected this Jesus to start a new era for their nation.
He was to throw off the yoke of Roman rule. He was to make Israel a nation of power and wealth again, as they had been during the “golden age” of King David and King Solomon. The people believed God had promised to send a leader to do this. They believed the Messiah would reign over them as King David had.

The Jewish people knew this deliverer as THE ANOINTED ONE. In Hebrew, this title is “MESSIAH.” In Greek, this title is "CHRIST." Same title, different language. The Israelites before and during Jesus' time were taught the Messiah would be the new King of Israel.

The Israelites quickly became disenchanted with Jesus. Their concept of the Messiah did NOT allow for Him to argue with the Jewish Supreme Council (Sanhedrin). When that dignified, stately group of men condemned Jesus, it was a great blow to their hopes for Him. When Jesus was brought before the Roman governor, they were dejected. Jesus submitted meekly to Pilate. When they saw Him hanging on a cross, they were further convinced that God was NOT, and NEVER had been, associated with this man from Nazareth. To their way of thinking, Jesus’ crucifixion only proved their case against Him all along. God would NEVER let such a terrible thing happen to His Son, His ANOINTED ONE!?!

Jesus received severe, humiliating treatment as God’s anointed One and we have seen this happen to others and to us. Sometimes, people living under the favor of God's blessings unexpectedly experience suffering, failure, and shame. Sometimes the worst things happen to kind and gracious people. And we’re tempted to conclude that maybe they weren’t God’s people. And we often think this about ourselves. As we’re healthy, successful, and experience good fortune, we conclude: God must be for us!

But, when God allows us to experience sickness, failure, or some degree of humiliation, we begin to think: God must be against us! Our text in Matthew alerts us that such thinking is backwards and upside-down. It’s wrong to think that way about other people and ourselves. It’s wrong to think:“Is this is how God works?”

A sign was nailed to the cross above Jesus's head, which read:
“THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

The Romans wanted everyone to know WHY a victim was being crucified. Crucifixion was an unmistakable VISUAL AID for all who passed by. Crucifixion was intended to be an OBJECT LESSON for everyone. The warning was clear: “If you do what this person did, this is what will happen to you!”

The charge against Jesus? He was the “King of the Jews.” The shaping of this charge began at the trial before the Jewish council. This council condemned Jesus because He claimed to be the Son of God. "SON OF GOD" was a messianic title.

NOTE: The CHARGE WAS ADJUSTED when Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate to make sure that the Roman government would keep interest. The titles “MESSIAH” or “CHRIST” were religious terms. The Roman governor was NOT interested in Jewish RELIGIOUS problems. So, when the council presented Jesus to Pontius Pilate, they stressed the POLITICAL significance of their charge against Jesus. They said He claimed to be the “KING OF
THE JEWS” (Matthew 27:11). That made it a CHARGE OF TREASON against Caesar.



The crucifixion of Jesus was humiliating and shameful. Yet, His crucifixion was also His enthronement. Jesus said to the Sanhedrin council, "From now on you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of power" (Matthew 26:64). When He said "From now on," He was referring to the humiliation of His crucifixion. In this way, Jesus achieved His messianic goal. This teaches us something about HOW GOD WORKS!? When God's will is being done, the way to glory may sometimes take us through the valley of distress and disgrace.

Suffering CAN BE part of the process God uses for our glorification. It was so with Jesus. We reign with Christ as we learn to serve Him and even to “suffer” with Him. We need to realize how God works in the world – how He rules in us. We need to be sensitive to the way He achieves His purposes in us, so that our self-will does NOT interfere with His will. In Jesus' crucifixion, we see how God treated His only begotten Son. Moreover, we see the majesty of God's love for us and the world.

YOU can believe God’s promise in Jesus – He said, “It is finished!” God held back nothing in heaven or on earth to achieve YOUR future. The Holy Spirit is working faith in YOU RIGHT NOW and for the rest of YOUR life. In any situation, YOU know, YOU can count on the fact that the heavenly Father put the Son on a cross at Golgotha to rescue YOU.

That’s how God works!
That’s how God loves YOU, ME, and the WORLD. Amen.

Rev. M. B. Boyd <
Epiphany Lutheran Church – New Salisbury, Indiana
Sunday, April 3rd, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

04/02/2026

Join us for Maundy Thursday service, this evening 4/2/26 at 7:00 pm. Come and hear the Word of the Lord.

03/30/2026

It's ✨ ! ✨

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Hear Christ for you at kfuo.org!

03/20/2026

Interested in joining us for weekly Bible Study? We meet Sundays at 9 am in the Fellowship Hall. Check out study notes from a recently completed walk through Saint Paul's epistle to the Ephesians.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

03/17/2026

INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
In Matthew’s gospel there are at least five ways in which Jesus is portrayed:
(1) as the authoritative teacher
(2) as the Son of God
(3) as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah
(4) as the end of Israel’s history and end of Scriptures
(5) as the fulfillment of key figures in Israel’s history

(1) The teaching authority of Jesus in Matthew is tremendous. We can see this aspect of Jesus by Matthew most clearly in the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), in which Jesus contrasts
His own words to those of His predecessors. Example: “You have heard it said, but I say to you” (Matt. 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-32, 33-34, 38-39, 43-44).

This is quite different from what is found in rabbinical writings, where there was a desire to stand IN CONTINUITY with the teachings of the past. Jesus’ authority in the teachings of His Sermon on the Mount is confirmed by the reaction of the crowd at the end of His message. “When Jesus had finished saying
these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:28-29).

(2) Jesus is clearly designated as Son of God in the gospel of Matthew, both by the Father and by human beings. Divine testimony of this is given at His baptism “This is My Son, whom I love” (3:17), and confirmed by Satan “If you are the Son of God” (4:3, 6) and at the transfiguration “This is My Son, whom I love” (17:5). There are also human corroborations offered by Peter
at his creedal confession “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16) and by the centurion at the cross “Surely He was the Son of God” (27:54).

(3) Matthew connects Jesus repeatedly to the Servant of Isaiah and God’s Suffering Servant.
READ: Isaiah 53:4 and READ: Matthew 8:17
READ: Isaiah 53:7 and READ: Matthew 27:12
READ: Isaiah 53:5 and READ: Matthew 27:26
READ: Isaiah 50:6 and READ: Matthew 27:21-31
READ: Isaiah 42:1-4 and READ: Matthew 12:15-17

(4) Jesus is seen as the “goal” and the “end” of the people of Israel. This is the clear significance of the genealogy in chapter 1, in which Jesus’ ultimate forefather is Abraham (not Adam, as portrayed in Luke’s genealogy). Matthew’s list of ancestors are placed in a careful arrangement (3x14).

(5) In Matthew, Jesus is seen as bringing into view historic key figures or the fulfillment of key figures, in the life of the old covenant people of God.
a. Jesus is seen as a “new Moses”
– Mt. Sinai and Sermon on the Mount (Exodus 19:1-ff.
and Matthew 5:1-ff.)
– Moses appears w/Jesus on Mt. of Transfiguration
(Deuteronomy 18:15 and Matthew 17:6)
“Him you shall hear” and “Hear Him!”
b. Jesus is also the “Son of David”
– “Son of David” (1:1, 20)
– declared “Hosanna to the Son of David” (21:9)
c. Jesus is portrayed as “Israel”– Jesus went to Egypt (2:14, 21)
– Jesus was in the wilderness (4:2)
– Jesus is the “new” son of God
– Israel called God’s “son of God”
(Exodus 4:22-23)
d. Jesus is portrayed as “YHWH” – Isaiah describes what’ll happen when God Himself, not just the Messiah, will come to save His
people (Isaiah 35:4-6, 61:1, 29:18; 26:19).
– Jesus is named Immanuel,
“God with us,” (1:23)
– Jesus forgives sins (9:2-3)

Pr. Boyd

03/17/2026

Epiphany Lutheran Bible Study Sunday, March 15th, 2026
Matthew 1:18-25 The Birth Narrative

– RECAP: CHRIST’S GENEALOGY –
Q1: What is significant that Matthew introduces Jesus as both, “Son of David” and “Son of Abraham”?
A1: Both were promised that the Messiah would come from one of their descendants.

Q2: Why might Matthew (via Holy Spirit) structure the genealogy into 3 sets of 14 generations (v.17)?
A2: Structure shows divine intent (plan of salvation) through history moving to the promised Messiah.

Q3: What do you notice about the women included in Jesus’ genealogy?
A3: It highlights God’s inclusion of Gentiles and sinners (all) with God working through humans.

Q4: How does the mention of the “exile” (v.17) shape the gospel account of Matthew?
A4: The exile reminds us of Israel’s sin, idolatry, and unfaithfulness. Yet, Jesus brings restoration to all.

Matthew shows WHO Jesus is,
WHAT He did to save us, and
HOW he entered human history.

– INTRODUCTION –
THE ANNUNCIATION: When the angel Gabriel greeted the virgin Mary saying, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you,” (Luke 1:28). Mary knew she was in the presence of a great mystery. She knew this greeting was reserved by the Old Testament prophets for only Israel herself. How could Mary, a humble teenage virgin from the small town Nazareth of Galilee, be addressed by an angel sent from God to a “new” Israel?
The angel Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” No wonder young Mary pondered in her heart what sort of greeting this might be. Mary said, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered by speaking and Mary hearing – bringing about the greatest mystery of all – the incarnation of Jesus Christ our Savior: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
For Martin Luther, and for the Church Fathers before him, this is the moment of conception: Mary conceives, so to speak, through her “ear,” that is, through the very Word of God, the same Word of God that the Holy Spirit uses to conceive Christ in us. “So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The angel Gabriel uses the same word to describe the power of the Most High that overshadowed Mary and was used of the “pillar of cloud” that “overshadowed” the Tent of Tabernacle, indicating the presence and glory of God (Yahweh). [Dr. Arthur Just, Concordia Theo. Sem.]

READ: Matthew 1:18-25 The Birth Narrative
Q6: What does it mean that “Joseph her husband was a righteous man” (v.19)?
Q7: What pressure does Joseph face when he learns Mary is pregnant?
Q8: What does Matthew emphasize about the Holy Spirit’s role in Jesus’ conception?
Q9: What is the significance of the names “Jesus” and “Immanuel” (vv.21, 23)?

Isaiah 7:10-14 ‘Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel.’”

Matthew 1:20-21 “. . . .because what is conceived in [Mary] is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:22-23 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet [Isaiah]: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ which means, ‘God with us.’”

Q10: What does Joseph’s response and actions tell us about “obedience”?
Q11: How does the truth that God is “with us” (Immanuel) help us face uncertainty and difficulty?
Q12: Why does Matthew (via the Holy Spirit) make the point that Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until after Jesus’ birth (vv.24-25)?

Matthew 1:24-25 “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And [Joseph] gave [the son] the name Jesus.”

NOTE: Matthew ends the chapter by showing Joseph stepping into God’s plan with trust/faith. Matthew 1 is not merely “background” information. It sets the expectations for the whole gospel: Jesus is the promised king, the Savior from sin, God’s presence among His people.

Pr. Boyd

03/17/2026

Epiphany Lutheran Bible Study Sunday, March 22nd, 2026
Matthew 2:1-23 Visit of the Magi and Escape to Egypt

– INTRODUCTION –
The second chapter of Matthew records two very different kings, Herod and Jesus. Time had passed after the birth of Jesus. A different Greek word is used for a newborn (teknion) vs. a toddler (paidion [nine times]) when the Magi arrive. There is a stark contrast between these two kings. Herod was a shrewd politician, wealthy, and clever enough to stay in the good graces of Roman emperors. He craved power and influence and was well known in the region. Herod in his later years had illnesses which fed his paranoia. He turned to cruelty with continuous fits of rage and jealousy killing many of his closest associates and staff, his wife, and at least two of his sons.

By contrast, the “King of the Jews who has been born” (v.2) was unknown, defenseless, dependent, and vulnerable even though His arrival was prophesied in the Old Testament. The true King would be found in lowly Bethlehem, where David himself was born, and not in Jerusalem. Upon questioning the Magi, Herod conceals from them his murderous plot and dispatches them to locate the precise location of this new Child-King. On the surface, the powerful king Herod seems to be in charge. But God intervened. The star that the Magi had seen now reappears and guides them to the true King of the Jews.

So, how would a 1st century Jew respond to the announcement: Look! “Magi from the east came to Jerusalem” (2:1). The Magi are Gentiles and their presence in Matthew, chapter two, is an intended anticipation in this very “Jewish” Gospel that Israel’s Messiah and true King has come for the BLESSING OF ALL THE NATIONS! The Magi did not worship the God of Israel; they were Babylonian practitioners of occult learning, an offense to any 1st century Jewish audience.

The Magi were not “wise” in matters of Yahweh, the living God. They were unlikely participants. They arrive looking for the new King of the Jews in Jerusalem – they must be guided by Scripture to know the correct town: Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. Their gifts are for an earthly monarch as they are ignorant of the significance of this unique toddler. Conclusion? The Magi are not “wise” whose learning leads them to Christ, but that they are ignorant representatives [much like the shepherds seeing/hearing the host of angels on the night of Jesus’ birth] to whom God reveals the Savior of the world.

READ: Matthew 2:1-12 Visit of the Magi

Q1: What do the Magi notice, and shy does it matter (v.2)?

Q2: Why is king Herod “disturbed,” and why is all Jerusalem “disturbed,” too (v.3)?

Q3: What is the significance of the chief priests/scribes quoting Micah 5:2 (v.6)?

Q4: What is noteworthy of the star going “ahead of them and stopping over the place” of the child (v.9)?

Q5: Why are the Magi warned in a dream not to return to king Herod (v.12)?

READ: Matthew 2:13-18 Jesus Fulfills Prophecy as God’s Son

Q6: Why does God warn Joseph in a dream, and what does Joseph’s response reveal (vv.13-14)?

Q7: Why is Egypt important in this account of the journey of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus?

Q8: What does king Herod’s violent reaction reveal about his character and kingdom (vv.16-18)?

READ: Matthew 2:19-23 Return to Nazareth

Q9: Why does the angel appear again to Joseph (vv.19-20)? What does this show us about God?

Q10: Why is the detail about the death of Herod-the-Great important?

Q11: Why does God lead Joseph to Galilee [north] instead of Judea/Jerusalem [south] (v.22)?

Q12: What does Matthew mean when he writes, “He will be called a Nazarene” (v.23)?

Q13: How does this chapter of Matthew continue the theme of “fulfillment”?

Pr. Boyd

03/11/2026

We pray that our God would preserve His Church until Christ returns! Hear Christ for you at kfuo.org.

The Lutheran Hymnal 260

1. O Lord, look down from heaven, behold
And let Thy pity waken:
How few are we within Thy Fold,
Thy saints by men forsaken!
True faith seems quenched on every hand,
Men suffer not Thy Word to stand;
Dark times have us o'ertaken.

2. With fraud which they themselves invent
Thy truth they have confounded;
Their hearts are not with one consent
On Thy pure doctrine grounded.
While they parade with outward show,
They lead the people to and fro,
In error's maze astounded.

3. May God root out all heresy
And of false teachers rid us
Who proudly say: "Now, where is he
That shall our speech forbid us?
By right or might we shall prevail;
What we determine cannot fail;
We own no lord and master."

4. Therefore saith God, "I must arise,
The poor My help are needing;
To Me ascend My people's cries,
And I have heard their pleading.
For them My saving Word shall fight
And fearlessly and sharply smite,
The poor with might defending."

5. As silver tried by fire is pure
From all adulteration,
So through God's Word shall men endure
Each trial and temptation.
Its light beams brighter through the cross,
And, purified from human dross,
It shines through every nation.

6. Defend Thy truth, O God, and stay
This evil generation;
And from the error of their way
Keep Thine own congregation.
The wicked everywhere abound
And would Thy little flock confound;
But Thou art our Salvation.

03/10/2026

3rd Sunday in Lent March 8th, 2026
Title: Full of Surprises! Text: John 4:5-26

BACKGROUND: During the two mass Jewish exiles (722 B.C. Northern ten tribes by Assyria) and (586 B.C. Southern two tribes by Babylonia) the conquerors took thousands of Jews around the Fertile Crescent to Assyria and Babylon (modern-day Iraq) and transplanted their own citizens into Israel to live, intermarry, and influence the remaining Jewish people left behind in Israel and Judah. From that time the south (Judah/Benjamin) always looked down on the northern inter-mixed tribes with disdain, bigotry, and racism. Nathanael once said, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” This festering bigotry and hatred of the Southern Jews toward the former northern tribes, called Samaria climaxed 150 years before our text in John chapter 4. The High Priest in Jerusalem ordered troops to destroy the Samaritan temple near the town Sychar at the foot of Mt. Gerizim. The prejudices went both ways for centuries. This brings us to our text.

The story we just heard of Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at the well in the town of Sychar is a story full of surprises. The best surprise of all is that this story has room for YOU/ME. This morning, let’s consider these surprises.

The 1st SURPRISE is that the conversation happens at all!? The social barriers to it are great. Jesus is a Jew and the woman is Samaritan. Between a Samaritan and Jew is a wall of separation no less than what in our time separates Israelis and Palestinians. The Jews and Samaritans are related peoples. Both have Hebrew roots. The Samaritans are from the old northern kingdom of Israel, while the Jews are from the old southern kingdom of Judah. During the exile, the Samaritans inter-married with non-Jewish peoples, and lost much of their ethnic identity, while the southern Jews maintained theirs.

Each group ended up with their own temple for worship, the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim, the Jews on Mount Zion. And so, it is a strange choice Jesus makes to travel through Samaritan territory. That He strikes up a conversation with a Samaritan is even stranger. There’s something additional that makes this conversation at the well a surprise. In that place and time men and women were NOT to talk to one another in public. It was considered improper. Especially so when the man is, a rabbi, a teacher, like Jesus and someone looked up to as an example of respectability. When the disciples returned, they were surprised with whom Jesus was speaking. This nameless person is a Samaritan + a woman.
She had been rejected even by her own neighbors.

She comes to the well to draw water at noon, and she comes alone. Noon is the hottest time of the day. Morning and evening are the times to do the hard work of drawing water from a well and hauling it home. Back then, this is work that women do in the company of one another. It was a chance for a chat, some sharing, and social contact. But this woman goes to the well at a time when she would be alone. She sees herself as a misfit. She avoids others in order NOT to
be hurt yet again by their words, attitudes, and their hard stares.

It is a SURPRISE, therefore, that this conversation even happens!? Yet, the conversation itself contains more than one surprise. It’s a big SURPRISE that Jesus promises “living” water. Living water is water that flows, bubbles, runs, and sparkles. Such water is a welcome change from the quality of water in ancient wells or cisterns that may be flat or even stagnant. Jesus and the woman meet at a well that’s more than a hundred feet deep and seven feet wide. At first the woman presumes that Jesus is talking about some hidden stream He knows that is far better than this well. She wants the equivalent of a faucet in her home, so, she won’t have to haul buckets any more -- can’t blame her!

But what Jesus promises is a source of life in her heart, so that she can truly live. She’s confused about what He’s offering, yet she seems to grasp that it’s something she needs desperately. It’s a SURPRISE that Jesus knows the details of this stranger’s life. Those details remain unclear to us, BUT it’s apparent that she’s had a difficult and unhappy time. She’s had five husbands? Did the marriages end through death? Or divorce? Or abandonment? Were they truly marriages, or something else? And why is her “current husband” NOT really her husband?

We don’t have answers to these questions and, apparently, we don’t need to know. Nonetheless, we can see that this woman feels alone & rejected. She “exiles” herself from her neighbors. The woman is surprised that Jesus knows the truth about her life. She is even more surprised that, knowing the truth, He accepts her. For her it’s a “holy” encounter. She thought: “This teacher must be a prophet.”

There is another SURPRISE. The woman asks Jesus to resolve the long-standing question of who is right: Jews? or Samaritans? Which temple is the correct temple: Mt. Gerizim? or Mt. Zion (Jerusalem)? The SURPRISE comes when Jesus raises this issue to a new level. True, Godly worship, will NO longer be dependent on location, BUT it will be a matter of SPIRIT and TRUTH!


The conversation ends, yet, with one more SURPRISE. The woman confesses her faith in the MESSIAH WHO IS TO COME!
Jesus said to her: “I who speak to you am He!” In other words, “You’re talking to Him!” SURPRISE!!!

Jesus reveals His identity NOT to His disciples, NOT to His own people, NOT to the religious leaders, BUT to this person
who is “marginal” three times over: she is a Samaritan, a woman, and shunned among her own people. We do NOT know her name, yet Jesus entrusts her with His deepest secret: THE TRUTH OF WHO HE IS! Their conversation ended because His disciples returned from their trip to buy food.

Still, surprises continue. The woman suddenly leaves her water jar there at the well. It is valuable, yet it is heavy, and
she wants to be unencumbered as she runs further into town. There in Sychar, she tells people to come and see this Jesus. She testifies, “He told me everything that I did!” Soon a crowd follows her out to the well. So large is this crowd that Jesus compares it to fields ready to be harvested. These people accepted the woman’s testimony, and they are coming to Jesus. It’s a surprise that someone like this bears a fruitful witness. After all, she’s rejected by her people,
a woman with no name, no social standing. Her experience with Jesus was very brief, she has NO training. It’s a surprise that people believe her message!? Yet, they do!?

Here we have yet another SURPRISE in a surprising true story. This unlikely prospect becomes an effective witness to Jesus Christ. True, she may be a woman of questionable character, or at least she’s had plenty of experience with a harsh and difficult life. True, her understanding of Jesus was far from complete. Yet, she gives a witness about Jesus based on her personal encounter. She’s radically changed by Jesus, telling everyone without restraint. Her focus was on Jesus, NOT on herself, NOR what others think of her. And NOT only does she point her own people to Jesus, BUT she shows
us how we can witness to others about Him. If Jesus has called to us, accepted us, led us to see ourselves differently, then we can “invite others” just as she did.

Like the Samaritan woman at the well, we don’t need to have our life together in every way. We don’t need to know all there is to know. What we can do is tell others what it’s like being adopted into God’s family and given the gifts of forgiveness, life, salvation. We can invite and tell others about life with God and leave the results to God. We can help people look, NOT at us, BUT to look at the Son of God.

Then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they will forget about our testimony, and confess, along with those people from Sychar, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe,
for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this
is indeed the Savior of the world.”

God surprises us in many ways, and none is more surprising than the people whom God puts in our path to share our own salvation story. We serve a God of surprises! He always surprises us ordinary people with His extraordinary love.
AMEN!

Pr. Boyd
Epiphany Lutheran Church – New Salisbury, Indiana
Sunday, March 8th, 2026 at 10:00 am