Locations & Times

What if the thing you're most ashamed of is exactly where Jesus wants to meet you?

This message flips everything you thought about Jesus on its head. He’s not floating above your mess—He’s sitting right in it. In John 4, we see Jesus intentionally walk into a place everyone else avoided, to meet a woman everyone else rejected. She wasn’t clean, perfect, or put together. She was tired, ashamed, hiding. And Jesus met her there. Maybe you think you're too far gone. Too broken.

This story proves you're exactly who He's looking for. What starts as a casual conversation by a well turns into a soul-deep rescue. Jesus doesn't avoid her past—He names it, not to shame her, but to free her. Her shame becomes her story. Her story becomes a testimony. And her testimony leads an entire town to believe. Jesus does the same for us. He doesn’t need the version of you you’re trying to fake—He wants the real you. The tired you. The hurting you. The hiding you. He knows everything you’ve ever done, and He still wants you.

Set List

Discussion Questions

John - Women at the Well

Aaron Schroeder
Jan 25^th, 2026

// Bible References: John 4:1–45; John 1:14; John 21:31; Galatians 5:1; John 3:23–24; John 1:12–13;

// Community Question: Think about one of your closest relationships in life. What is it that makes that relationship feel safe, meaningful, or lasting? What helped trust grow there over time instead of it feeling transactional or conditional?

// Discussion Questions

1. The message reminds us that many of us carry an unhelpful picture of Jesus (clean, distant, untouchable, etc.) which makes it hard to trust Him with our real lives. How has your picture of Jesus been shaped over time, and how does that picture influence whether you approach Him with honesty or keep parts of your life guarded?
2. John tells us that Jesus “had to” go through Samaria, even though culture, religion, and convenience all gave Him an easy way around it. What stands out to you about Jesus choosing presence over avoidance, and where might God be inviting you to stop going around something difficult and instead step into it with trust?
3. Jesus tells the woman that the water she keeps coming back for will never fully satisfy, but the living water He offers lasts forever. What are some of the “wells” you’re tempted to return to for comfort, control, or validation, and how have those fallen short of what your soul actually needs?
4. When Jesus asks the woman to go get her husband, He isn’t shaming her, He’s inviting her to stop hiding and bring the real story into the open. What makes it so hard for us to bring our wounds, failures, or pain into the light with Jesus, and what do you think keeps Him from walking away when He already knows everything about us?

// Challenge: After encountering Jesus, the woman runs back to her town, not cleaned up or fixed but honest and free, and God uses her story to draw others to Himself. How does this challenge the way you think about your own story, and who might God be inviting you to impact, not because you have it all together, but because you’ve encountered Jesus in your brokenness? Discuss this with your group and commit one way you can share how Jesus is changing you with someone this week.