Making small talk is a valuable life skill. When you find yourself around other people in the office break room, or at a party, or while standing in line at the supermarket, it’s good to be able to strike up a superficial conversation. The more general the topic, the better. “So are you loving this weather?” “I spent $45 filling up at the gas station this morning – can you believe that?!” Small talk should never be too deep, and it should never be even remotely controversial. It’s really just stuff that grown-ups say to each other when it would be rude or awkward to not say anything.

The woman at the well in today’s scripture reading was hoping to avoid a conversation with the strange man she encountered there. Unfortunately, he spoke to her first, so she felt obligated to make small talk. But the stranger, a man named Jesus, wasn’t interested in small talk. He didn’t care at all about superficial interactions. He drew the woman into a conversation that would change her life forever. But she almost missed it. Because she was leery. Because she was skeptical.

Have you ever felt that way? Are you hesitant to let your guard down and be vulnerable when someone wants to get too real? Join us this week as we examine the risks and rewards of vulnerability, and why Jesus makes us so uncomfortable sometimes.