Those whose lives matter to Jesus show others how they, too, matter. This is part of the Christian’s evangelical witness, to value the people in our world who feel like they have no value.
It is a short reading from John’s Gospel; a mere three verses. But there is more than enough in this reading for a substantive sermon for your congregation on this celebration of Pentecost. The sermon could be divided into three parts, one part for each verse. John gives us (1) an invitation, (2) a promise for a new reality, and (3) a description of the next act in God’s story of salvation.
The Invitation (7:37)
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.’”
The context for this invitation is important. It was the last and great day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Any decent commentary will give you plenty of details about this annual festival, including what it recalled and what was done ceremonially with water on this last day. You could spend a little time in this part of the sermon explaining what was happening before Jesus stood up. Depending on the biblical literacy of your congregation, this might be helpful.
But there is another way you could approach Jesus’ invitation. Instead of talking ABOUT His invitation to come and drink, you could DO for your listeners what Jesus did for us. What did Jesus do for His hearers? He tapped into a metaphor that captured the reality of longing, desire, and need in order to speak about His Spirit which He would be sending. So, He talked about water. This made perfect sense to the people of His day. Water was a scarce and precious commodity. When the people of Israel wandered in the desert, water was difficult to come by. It is true that everyone still needs water every day. But the abundance and ready availability of clean water in our lives puts us in a very different position. While we still thirst for water regularly, our thirst is almost always easily and quickly quenched.
There are other things we thirst for today, however, that are not acquired so easily.
In January, Jennifer Wallace authored a book called Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose (Portfolio Publishing, 2026). Here is how a promotional blurb describes it: “In this groundbreaking work, Wallace makes an urgent case: Mattering—the feeling that we are valued and have an opportunity to add value—is a core human need, as essential to our well-being as food and water. Yet, in today’s world, that fundamental need is going unmet.” This book is a New York Times Bestseller for a reason. Many people question whether they matter. From the grandma in the nursing home who feels like a burden, to the retired executive whose email box is empty, to the mom whose children have left the house, to the graduate who did not get the job, to the high school senior who made the JV team out of pity, to the fifteen-year-old whose first girlfriend wants to be “friends,” to the tweenager who puts herself to bed each night with an iPad, to the little boy whose ADHD has tried his kindergarten teacher’s patience one too many times. People at every stage in life often wonder if they matter.
Imagine such people hearing Jesus stand up and cry out with this invitation, “If anyone wonders about their value... If anyone feels useless... If anyone questions whether or not they matter... let him come to Me!”
Each of these people do matter to Jesus. When Jesus sent His chosen people to bring the good news of His death and resurrection to all the ends of the earth, He intended it for all people. Your privilege as a preacher is you get to proclaim the promise that everyone who hears your sermon matters to Jesus. He values them, not because they are so lovely or so wonderful on their own, but because His love makes them matter.
When Jesus sent His chosen people to bring the good news of His death and resurrection to all the ends of the earth, He intended it for all people.
The New Reality (7:38)
“Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Those who hear this invitation and come to Jesus with faith in His promises are changed. To use theological jargon, those who are justified by faith in the promises of Jesus are also sanctified. That is, they are changed people—renewed, transformed, and reborn. Their sanctification is incomplete this side of Jesus’ return, to be sure. But the process has begun and they are on their way.
Using the water metaphor, Jesus says that those who come to Him and drink become a spring of living water. That is, the life-giving water they receive from Jesus flows out to others. Or, to use the idea of “mattering,” those who come to know and believe they matter to Jesus also begin to matter to others. Those who know they are valued by Jesus, begin to add value to the lives of others.
The grandma in the nursing home matters to Jesus, so she spends her time praying for others. The retired executive matters to Jesus, so he volunteers at the new immigrant ministry in the city. The mom whose children have left home matters to Jesus, so she steps in to help the new (and overwhelmed) mother of small children in her congregation. It goes on and on. Those whose lives matter to Jesus show others how they, too, matter. This is part of the Christian’s evangelical witness, to value the people in our world who feel like they have no value.
The Next Act (7:39)
“Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
John’s off-hand comment in verse 39 about the Spirit reminds us that, after His death and resurrection, Jesus instigated the next act of God’s plan of salvation. He sent His Spirit to enliven and empower His people for service in His name (refer to Acts 2:39). On the day of Pentecost, God poured out His Spirit on all His people (Numbers 11:29, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!” Acts 2:17-18, “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy... even on My male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”). Which means all Christians matter—not only to Jesus, but to others.
In other words, the “mattering” of every single Christian applies both to their own standing before God and to their relationships with their neighbors. They go forth in the power of the Spirit who bears fruit through them, showing the people in their schools and places of work and families and neighborhoods who need to know they, too, matter.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on John 7:37-39.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching John 7:37-39.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
