Last Sunday’s gospel lesson was the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. At church, when it was time for the reading, three of our youth stepped up to the microphone. They proceeded to read — one as the voice of the gospel writer, one as Jesus, one as the woman at the well.

My pastor then broke the scripture open for us in his sermon — talking about the intimacy between Jesus and this woman. How well Jesus knew her and how well she knew the situation she was in as a Samaritan woman serving water to a Jewish man. And later how she goes to tell everyone about the encounter — wondering, thinking, that maybe this could be the Messiah.

It’s a good story for our Lenten journey today because it invites us into that same intimate relationship with Jesus. We can grow closer to a God who knows our hearts, knows our past, and wants to offer us something to sustain us on life’s journey.

Back to the reading — one of the young women who read was the pastor’s daughter and someone I’ve known for almost 11 years of her young life. I actually lived with her family for a month when I first moved to New York City in 2003. I am always happy to see Jessie — and the other youth of our church — participate in worship as readers, ushers, or collecting the offering.

So, in an effort to create more intimate connections with God and others on my own Lenten journey, I sent Jessie a note today — to thank her for sharing her gifts with the church.