"Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with and the well is deep". .John 4:11

"NOTHING TO DRAW WITHn

It is noon; sun is high. Dusty road like dirty white ribbon struggles to north and Galilee. Straggling vines and olive trees glare in fierce light of sun. In the foreground a cluster of trees marks the only cool place. Under trees and in cool shadows is a well - Jacob's Well. On coping of well sits a man; and coming into picture from the outside glare is woman carrying water jar.

Picture of sharp contrasts. Shadows and sunshine. Man tired but relaxed - suggest­ion of quiet strength about Him. 1 oman is slight and straight. Carries herself very gracefully, perhaps so mewhat jauntily. Her eyes sparkle though rather hard at times.

We listen to dialogue. Saucy sparkle begins to leave her eyes. She loses jaunty manner. Begins to see herself mirrored in eyes of stranger - as she had seen herself mirrored in deep waters of Jacob's Well. As Jesus tells her of nliving water" she cries "Give me this water that I thirst not. • • "

The words of the ·:loman of Samaria are of interest to me this morning. After Jesus had spoken of "living water", she declared, "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with and the well is deep". There, in that sentence is the explanation of much of the poverty, the pettiness, the aridity of our lives - have nothing to draw with- and well is deep.

"All Nature Sings" "And round me rings the music of the spheres" -but how many hear this

music? What a boon and a benediction this universe can be this time of year. Fields

ffNature ne'er could find a way into the heart of Peter Hell; rl nrimrose by the river's brim, a yellow primrose was to him; And it WdS nothing more"

"For 1 h(:j.ve learned 'l'o look on nature •.••

Hearing oftentimes 'l'he still, sad music of hum.anity.

And I llli. ve felt. • • • .n. sense sublime of something far

more deeply interfused, '.'lhos e dwelling is the light of

setting suns. . • • n

A summer night and a sky where a million stars go sailing through a sea of blue -like silent ships thut pass in the night. ··lel k in the woods on an • pril day and see the power of God repeating the eternal resurrection. Stand and watch the daylight die and all the west grow wonderful with a thousand colors.

"He ate and drank the precious words, !Us spirit grew robust;

He knew no more that he was poor; Nor· that his frame was dust.

He danced along the dinghy days, and his bequest of wings was but a book"

;/1 ~r~PI - /J"~a-..6~- '/~ t"'- - J'/;i;;s . - 2 -

clothed in green; hills girded with beauty; skies flooded with loveliness; magnificent canvasses of sunrise and sunset; and the sea e shore where waves come rolling in like sil­ver from the melting pots of the creator. *

Yet, all this means very little to some because they have nothing to draw with - tind the well is deep. Thomas Carlyle spoke re­garding great scientist Newton and Newton 's dog Diamond. "What a different pair of uni­verses. Yet, the painting on the optical retina of both was most 1 ik ely the same". It Wd.S the same image ; but what they really saw was vastly different. Diamond had nothing to draw with; no sense of law and order; no gif t of appreciation and interDretation.

Fact is, nature has nothing for anyone 1 _k~( unless something is brought to nature. Ureat V.{11t.. nature poet was ·Nordsworth . He SPeaks of one,

~~a Peter .l::lell to whom nature meant very little, ~though he lived surrounded by beauty. He had

no desire to turn aside; like 11oses to see a bush aflame with the beauty and glory of God. "Nature ne ' er could find a way into heart of Peter Bell"

On the other band, think of 'Nordsworth and his lines composed above 'l'intern bbey -wha t insight! Could sense uod in nature and in man a part of that nature. He had some­thing to draw with and was able to to take a deep draught at old nature's well - thirst was quenched and his soul revived.

There are Other 'Nells Emil .... uickenson spoke of wbat really great

A literature can do for ~human spirit. "He ate and drank the precious

words ••. " But there has to be a disciplined taste. There has to be a sense of discrimin­ating anp re cia t ion; for the well is deep.

- 3 -

'l'here is that passage in autobiography of Charles Darwin, to guide us and warn us:

a "As a boy I took intense delight in Sbakes­.., pere; but now for many years I have been un­

able to read line of poetry. I find it so intolerably dull it nauseates me. My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of a large collect ion of facts. If I had my life to live over again, I would make it a rule to read poetry at least once a week". Must be something to draw with - the well is deep.

What a well of me an ing g reat writing can be - especially might I add When that writing happens to be part of scriptures -how a fine lines will keep a person going in time of stress and difficulty. These are the wells to which we go. rou know them. :tour Bible opens at these places . .'lords that sus-

- tain us . ..t'salm 23; Psalm 121; John 14; Rev­elation 21 - "No more pain , sorrow, death"

Again let me say , the well is dee p . We must have something to draw wi th. Trouble is within ourselves. These resources are with­in reach but we have nothing to draw with . Like cats and dogs in a library. There is a story "The Cat that Knew Caruso". But no cat ever knew the real Caruso. Recognized a voice saying "Come kitty". Never knew that voice in all its glorious power and beauty. "Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been" -but no cat ever really saw a QUeen.

Vell of Human Relation­e ships a Deep Well We live isola ted be­cause of misunder­standing. Hesent­men ts and dislike

are based on failure to understand. Tnue in personal relationships and in international relationships - in all relationships.

"Defend me there fore, commonsense say I, from the toil of dipping buckets into empty wells, and growing old in drawing nothing upn

- Cowper.

Save us 0 God from sense of futility and failure. Lift us above all our despair and disillusionments. Give us a sense of appreciation that we might draw life a and satisfaction from the deep wells of ~ thy universe - with joy help us to draw from the wells of thy salvation. Amen

lf men WJUld try to understand each other as hard as they try to slay one an­other! But the field of human relationships e is intricate. Ancient fears and mistrust are abroad in hearts of men. Russia doesn ' t trust us; we don't trust her. lf men could get rid of their enmities their enemies van­ish. But the well is deep and we have noth­ing to draw with.

Lack of sympathetic inter est. Fai 1 to see through others ' eyes. Ezekiel came to Israel in captivity. Homesick; in alien land. "Sing us oongs of Zion". "How can we sing?". Ezekiel came to river Chebar and account says, "I sat where they sat". He put new hope in their hearts; new song on lips; he saw things through their eyes. In a word; he bad something to draw with.

So had Jesus. tie knew what was in man. A Could take blundering, explosive Peter and W make him into a rock. Could take John, the

son of thunder, and could see in him a great mystic and interpreter of Himself. He knew people; He had the key to personality. Jesus understood and people understood that He un­derstood. People with heavy loads; weary tasks; people WJ.os e faces etched with fine lines of trouble. They found rest in Him be cause He had something to dr·aw with.

Let us be generous. 1Ne have our prob­lems, difficulties. It's a bard struggle and many people wear hidden sackcloth. God give us an appreciation of others; an understand­ing of their problems; a love for common hum­anity. "Not so b.:. d ...,f t er .... 11 ; ..1ft er ~~ drew t hem out ". That ' s it! But must have some-

A thing to draw with • .Heal ize they "Sons of W God"; that God loves them- and us.

"Nothing to draw with" - is that note of your life or mine? If so, let me remind you that there is no need to live in mood of futility. Well of life is not empty. Springs up into everlasting life. Deep answers deep.

1-t father's JDroyer fen· /-tis Son

FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ, in love Thou didst give me a son. For this great gift I thank Thee. For the privi­lege of helping a son grow into manhood I praise Thy

holy name .

0 Lord, I recognize my unworthiness for this great honor, my unfitness for the high responsibility. I beseech Thee, 0 Father, endow me with understanding and insight, that I may be a wise father . Grant me patience and perseverance that I may never weary of guiding and guarding from error the footsteps of him who is young. Give me earnestness and resourcefulness in the difficult task of establishing bonds of love and faith between my son and his Savior.

Grant me grace, 0 Lord, daily to walk before Thee in uprightness and integrity of spirit that when my son shall walk in my footsteps his life may be an honor to Thy name. Cleanse my life and imbue it with a spirit of love and kind­ness that in all things it may exemplify Thy lovingkindness in Christ, my Lord.

Merciful Father, look graciously upon the son Thou gavest me. Forgive his sins, for Jesus ' sake. Overlook his failings and shortcomings. Make him sensitive to the voice of the Spirit and obedient to Thy will, fervent in prayer, eager to serve Thee. Give him Christian manliness . Hinder Thou that he should ever stray from the path of rectitude and godliness. Uphold him in the hour of temptation . Com­fort him in trials. Revive and sustain him when his faith falters , and in time of danger give him all needed courage. Establish his confidence in Thee.

Heavenly Father, keep Thou my son and all who love him steadfast unto the end in the fellowship of faith through Christ our Lord. In His name we ask it all. Amen.

A.P.H . No . 763

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FREMONT STREET N'.ETHODIST CHURCH Gloversville, New York Fred Clarke, Minister

Marjorie Gensemer Minister of Music

Grace L. Gifford Church Secretary

Alioejoy France Minister's Assistant

ORDER OF MORNING WORSHIP ssohn

ORGAN PRELUDES - "Andante" from "First Sona. ta" Mendel-" In Summer" Stebbins

INTROIT - "To God on high be thanks and praise" Decius INVOCATION - By the minister HYMN 1 - "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty" SURSUM CORDA: Minister: Lift up

People: v1Je lift Min1ster: 0 Lord,

People: That we Jf:inister:

your hearts. them up unto the Lord. open thou our eyes. may behold wondrous things. open thou our lips.

Nicaea

People: 0 Lord, And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.

DOXOLOGY - To be stmg by all

* RESPONSIVE RF~DING - 22nd Sunday - page 588 GLORIA PATRI ::APOSTLES' CREED

* SCRIPTURE LESSON - John 4:1-15 ANTHEM - "The Prayer of' the Norwegian

Tho Carol Choir PASTORAL PRAYER :: LORD'S PRAYER OFFERTORY ANTHEM - "Praise My Soul the

The Fremont Choir HYNIN 177 - "Our blest Redeemer, ere He

SERMON - "Nothing To Draw With"

Child" Kountz

King of Heaven" Andrews

breathed" St. Cuthbert

HYMN 488 - "Hail to the brightness" Wesley BENEDICTION :: CHORAL AMEN ORGAN POSTLUDE - "Prelude and Fugue in D Major" Bach

10:30

10:30 11:00 11:55 3:00

7:30

JUJ:E 15, 194 7 - CALEFDftP. F'C.':l. 'J:'l'D: 'l - ·· - - -·-·--·-

Morning Worship. Carol and Fremont Choirs. The organ students of Miss Gensemer will assist with the service - Mrs. Harold Brown, Marion Brown and Marilyn Olson. TodAy is Miss Gensemer 's farewell service. We are deeply appreciative of her fine ministry and pray God's blessing upon her future. Church-time Cherub Hour. Primary and Junior Church. Church School Hour. Classes for all. Youth Fellowship leaves the church for Ogden's Camp. Lunch will be served at 6:00. Union Evening Service at st. James Lutheran Church with the Rev. Herbert o. Cooper preaching.

Altar flowers today are given by Mr. and Mrs. John Scham­berger in memory of their son, Philip.

MON. mo.

7:30 '7:45 8:45

THROUGH THE WEEK AT FREMONT

Boy Scouts meet at the church. / The Mid-week Service. Everyone invited. Meeting of the superintendents of the Church School to complete plans for next Sunday.

THURS. 8:00 The Laurel Band will meet at the home of Mrs. Clarence Ferguson, 36 Second Ave • • Letter F. Beginners Department will rehearse at church in preparation for Children's Day.

SAT. 2 :00

3:30

3:30

Couples' Club outing at the Kennedy Camp. Phone reservations by Tuesday - 4859R, 4059W. Cordial Class Outing at Scout Island.

SCHOOL OF 1ffiSIC - The Carol and Chapel Choirs will rehearse Saturday morning at 9:30.

NEXT SUNDAY AT 10:30 - Children's Day and Youth Sunday. An invitation is extended to all. Sacrament of Infant Bap­tism will be administered. Classes will be promoted.

OUR BEST WISHES are extended to Miss .Alicejoy France this morning as she begins her mi~istr;:,r i r . ou:- m:l.dst.

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