Staying When Trust is Tested

for March 8, 2026

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Before Worship Begins

Trust Begins by Staying

In today’s gospel, a woman meets Jesus at a well.

She does not come believing the right things.

She is tired. She is guarded. She expects a short, practical conversation.

But when the conversation gets uncomfortable,

she does not walk away.

She stays.

Before you sit down:

1. Put one hand on the doorframe or the back of your chair.
2. Take one slow breath.
3. Say quietly (or in your heart):“I am here.”

You do not have to understand everything.

You do not have to feel ready.

Like the woman at the well,

trust begins by staying.

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Opening Prayer

Remaining with God

Faithful God,

we come to you not because we are certain,

but because you are here.

Some of us arrive thirsty,

some weary,

some guarded,

some unsure what we believe at all.

Meet us as you met the woman at the well—

without hurry,

without condemnation,

without requiring answers first.

Teach us the trust that stays,

the trust that listens,

the trust that remains when understanding is unfinished.

As we worship,

quiet what is clenched within us,

soften what has grown hard,

and give us grace to remain with you.

We are here.

Be with us.

Amen.

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Grace Spoken

Leader

Beloved in Christ,

The LORD who calls us to sing

also calls us to listen.

Even when our hearts grow weary,

even when trust falters,

the LORD does not withdraw care.

We are the people of God’s pasture,

the sheep of God’s hand.

Today, if you hear God’s voice,

you are not turned away—

you are invited to rest.

Hear the good news:

In Jesus Christ, our hardened hearts are met with mercy,

and our wandering is answered with grace.

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

People

Thanks be to God.

With this in mind, let us read Psalm 95 together. I will read the odd verses, and you the even:

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

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Response to God’s Grace

Let us join in prayer together as we offer ourselves to God. Let us pray:

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Passing of the Peace

An Embodied Sign of God’s Grace in Christ Jesus

Because God has chosen to stay with us, let us stay with one another as we are rooted in Christ.

Because we have peace with God through Christ, let us share this peace together.

The peace of Christ be with you.

And also with you.

(Share Christ’s peace in ways fitting to your community.)

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Scripture

Across scripture, God Chooses to Stay.

Today’s readings bring us to places of thirst.

In the wilderness, the people ask whether God is truly with them.

At a well, a woman must decide whether to stay in a difficult conversation.

Both stories turn on the same question:

Will we trust God enough to remain

when certainty is still out of reach?

Listen now for God’s word.

Reading may be shared by multiple voices.

Hebrew Scripture

Gospel Reading

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Shared Reflection

Take time to reflect together. Let the conversation unfold. As a Christian community, you may wish to begin this conversation during worship and continue it over a meal, in a Bible study, or in community later in the week. These questions may also be shaped into a sermon.

You are free to listen quietly, to speak honestly, or to pass.

Leaders are encouraged to choose two or three questions per section, rather than using them all. Silence is part of the work.

When Faith Feels Manageable 

These questions help us notice what feels normal in the story—because that is often where God begins to disturb us.

What seems ordinary or routine about the woman coming to the well—before anything “spiritual” happens?

At the start of the conversation, who appears to be in control—and what is each person trying to keep the interaction from becoming?

The woman comes for water she knows how to draw and carry. What does that suggest about the kind of thirst she expects?

When Faith Stops Feeling Manageable

These questions invite us to notice where the story becomes uncomfortable—and where God may be inviting us to stay a little longer. Do not rush to resolution. God often forms us not by removing disruption, but by staying with us within it.

When does the conversation at the well stop feeling safe or predictable? What changes when Jesus moves from theology to the woman’s life?

Where do you notice resistance or deflection in the story—confusion, redirection, or avoidance? What feels familiar about those moments?

What seems harder here: walking away from the conversation, or staying once it no longer feels manageable? Why?

When Being Known Matters More Than Understanding

These questions offer a clue—not a solution—by inviting us to notice what actually changes in the encounter.

By the end of the conversation, what has changed in the woman’s posture or orientation, even if her circumstances have not changed?

Her response is not certainty, but testimony: “Come and see.” What kind of faith speaks like that?

What seems to matter more to Jesus in this encounter: that the woman understands him fully, or that she knows she is known?

Living the Gospel Together

Practicing What We Have Seen

The story at the well does not end with clarity or resolution.

It ends with a woman who stays long enough to be known—and then moves back into her community carrying an invitation rather than an answer.

These practices are not meant to solve our questions or hurry us toward certainty.

They are simple ways of staying—with God, with one another, and with the longings that shape us.

As you are able, choose one practice this week.

Let it slow you down, open your attention, and gently form how you listen, speak, and trust.

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Invitation 1 — Let Yourself Be Seen Once

At the well, the woman does not control how she is known—and Jesus stays anyway.

This week, choose one small, appropriate moment to let yourself be seen more honestly than usual.

Choose one:

• Share a real answer when someone asks how you are
• Name uncertainty instead of competence
• Admit you do not know what comes next

Do not over explain.

Do not soften it with humor or reassurance.

Simply stay present.

Reflection: What did it feel like to be seen without managing the outcome? What kind of presence met you there?

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Invitation 2 — Go Back to a Familiar Place at an Unfamiliar Time

The woman comes to the well at midday—an unusual hour.

This week, intentionally return to a familiar place differently.

Choose one:

• Walk a familiar route at a different time of day
• Sit in a public place without headphones or distraction
• Visit a space where you usually hurry—and linger instead

Pay attention to who you encounter, what you notice, and what you usually miss.

Reflection: What changes when you stop moving through familiar spaces on autopilot?

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Invitation 3 — Offer an Invitation, Not an Explanation

The woman does not return with answers. She says, “Come and see.”

This week, practice inviting without persuading.

Choose one:

• Invite someone to a meal, coffee, or walk
• Invite someone into a shared space or experience
• Invite someone to join you—without explaining why or what will happen

Resist the urge to justify or manage the outcome.

Reflection: What kind of trust does it require to invite without controlling the response?

You may wish to hold a brief silence, asking God for courage and clarity to practice one of these invitations—
not perfectly, but faithfully.

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Affirmation of Faith

The Confession of Belhar (abridged and adapted for worship)

1982 in Belhar, South Africa by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC), (a church formed by Black South African Christians under apartheid)

We believe in the triune God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

who gathers, protects, and cares for the church

through Word and Spirit.

We believe that God is present in a world of suffering and division,

that God does not withdraw from human pain,

but moves toward us in mercy and love.

We believe that Christ’s work is reconciliation—

that walls of separation are broken down,

that fear and hostility are not the final word,

and that God calls us to live as one people.

We believe that the church is called to stand

where God stands—

with those who are thirsty for life,

with those who are pushed aside,

with those who are not easily seen or heard.

We believe that true faith is lived in trust and obedience,

not in certainty or control,

and that God’s Spirit continues to lead us

into truth we do not yet fully understand.

Therefore, we commit ourselves anew

to follow the God who stays,

to listen before we speak,

and to live the gospel together

in hope, humility, and love.

Amen.

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Prayers of the People

A Well Prayer

May be lead by multiple leaders.

Let us pray:

Faithful God,

you meet us where we are,

and you stay with us longer than we expect.

So we come to you now,

drawing water from the wells we know,

bringing what we can name,

and trusting you with what we cannot.

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At the Surface

We pray for the world you love—

for nations marked by conflict and fear,

for communities strained by violence, injustice, and loss,

for leaders called to act

when the way forward is not clear.

Where thirst for peace runs deep,

stay with us, O God.

(silence)

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At the Community Well

We pray for the church—

for congregations discerning their future,

for leaders carrying responsibility without certainty,

for communities learning how to remain faithful

when familiar patterns no longer sustain them.

Where hope feels thin

and patience is tested,

stay with us, O God.

(silence)

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At the Edges

We pray for all who come to the well at difficult hours—

those who feel unseen or misunderstood,

those who carry stories they do not know how to tell,

those who have learned to manage their longing quietly.

Where people live with shame, isolation, or exhaustion,

stay with us, O God.

(silence)

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At the Deep Places

We pray for those whose thirst is personal and close—

for those waiting for news,

for those grieving what cannot be undone,

for those unsure whether you are among them or not.

We bring before you the longings we manage,

and the longings we avoid naming.

Where our faith feels exposed,

stay with us, O God.

(silence)

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At the Bottom of the Well

God of living water,

you do not rush us toward answers,

and you do not turn away when truth becomes uncomfortable.

You stay.

You listen.

You know us more deeply than we know ourselves.

So we entrust to you

all that we have named,

and all that remains unspoken.

Meet us here.

Remain with us still.

We offer these prayers

in trust rather than certainty,

through Jesus Christ,

who stays with us at every well.

Amen.

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The Lord’s Prayer

We pray together, saying:

(The Lord’s Prayer is prayed in the words familiar to the community.)

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Communion (Optional)

A Table That Unites Us in Christ

Invitation to the Table

Friends,

this table is set in the ordinary places of life—

where we are thirsty,

where we are honest,

and where we least expect to be met.

You do not come to this table because you have figured things out,

or because your faith feels strong or complete.

You come because Christ stays.

Here, God does not rush us toward answers.

Here, we are known before we are certain.

Here, grace meets us at the depth we are able to bring.

So come—

with questions you are still carrying,

with longings you do not yet know how to name,

with trust that is still forming.

Come and receive the gifts of God for the people of God.

(Communion may be celebrated according to the practice of the community.)

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Sending

Loved ones as we go today, remember the good news we heard in the gospel reading today:

The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep.

Where do you get that living water?

Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob,

who gave us the well, and drank from it himself,

along with his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,

but whoever drinks of the water

that I will give will never be thirsty.

The water that I will give will become in them

a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

Amen.

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Reflections for Later

For Newcomers

In today’s worship, we heard a story about a woman who came to a well for ordinary reasons—and found herself met by Jesus in an unexpected way.

She did not come looking for answers.

She did not arrive with her life figured out.

She simply came as she was—and Jesus stayed.

If you are new here, you may feel a bit like that woman at the well:

unsure what to expect,

curious but cautious,

carrying questions you are not ready to explain.

This community is not built on having everything settled.

It is shaped by a God who meets people in ordinary places

and stays with them long enough for trust to grow.

You are welcome to return without rushing.

To listen more than speak.

To linger with questions that are still forming.

May you leave today knowing that you were seen,

and that there is room here to stay awhile,

at your own pace.

Peace be with you as you go.

For Those Rooted in This Community

If this community is familiar to you—

if you know its rhythms, its people, and its history—

today’s story offers a gentle, searching word.

The woman at the well did not arrive as a teacher or leader.

Yet by staying in the conversation,

she became a bearer of good news to her community.

Faithfulness is not only found in what we maintain,

but in our willingness to remain open—

to let God speak again in places we think we already know.

As one who is rooted here,

you are invited this week to notice the wells you return to—

the patterns, conversations, and roles that feel familiar—

and to ask where Christ might be waiting to meet you anew.

May you have the courage to stay when faith feels unsettled,

the humility to listen when the story is still unfolding,

and the joy of discovering that God is not finished with us yet.

Go in peace,

trusting the God who stays.

For Churches Without a Pastor

If your congregation is living in a season without a settled pastor,

today’s story speaks gently and truthfully to where you are.

The woman at the well met Jesus not in a place of certainty or stability,

but in the middle of an ordinary day,

carrying questions she had learned to manage on her own.

Jesus stayed with her there.

This season may feel unfinished—

leadership shared and stretched,

decisions made carefully,

questions carried longer than you expected.

None of this means God is absent.

God’s work does not pause while we wait.

Christ meets communities as they are,

draws out gifts that were already present,

and stays long enough for trust to deepen.

As you move forward,

pay attention to the wells you are gathering around—

the prayers offered by many voices,

the care given quietly,

the faithfulness practiced without recognition.

May you be strengthened for the waiting,

steadied for the work of today,

and assured that the God who met a woman at the well

is meeting you still—

here, now, and in the days ahead.

Peace be with you as you go.

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Suggested Songs (Optional)

Songs may be sung, listened to, or replaced with silence, depending on the needs and gifts of the community. Participation matters more than perfection.

Glory to God (GTG, 2013)
The Presbyterian Hymnal: Hymns, Psalms, & Spiritual Songs (TPH, 1990)

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (GTG 475, TPH 356)

Will You Come and Follow Me (GTG 726)

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (GTG 65)

Bread of the World (TPH 319)

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Need Help?

Follow the link for tips and pointers to help you lead and design worship using this resource.

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Rights and Use

© Church Commons. 2026

Written by Rev. Matthew J. Skolnik unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

These materials may be used and adapted for worship and educational purposes within Christian communities. They may not be sold or redistributed for commercial purposes without permission.

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Resource Details

Date: March 8, 2026

Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95, John 4:5-42

Theme: Staying When Trust is Tested

Lectionary: RCL Year A