March 8, 2026

Beginning with the hymn “Fill My Cup, Lord,” Pastor Ron explains why its popular lyrics clash with the gospel story in John 4: the woman at the well is not really “seeking,” and the chorus turns faith into a self-focused request instead of a response to God’s initiative of grace. He shows how Jesus intentionally meets a marginalized, “in-secret” woman at Jacob’s well, breaks cultural prejudice, and reveals her as a cherished child of God—just as God has always been the seeker, from “Where are you?” in Eden to the cross and beyond.

Drawing in Romans 5 and Exodus, Pastor Ron then unpacks big words like justification and sanctification in simple, lived terms: we are declared righteous by Christ and then led on a lifelong journey of being made new, stage by stage, like Israel traveling through the wilderness of Sin. That journey is often hard, full of complaints, deserts, and blizzards, but God walks every step with us, reconciling us to God, to one another, and to all creation. This homily invites you to trust that there is nothing you can do to make God love you more—and nothing you can do to make God love you less—and to live as a reconciling presence even when it is tough.