How's your water-cooler witness going? Recently Archbishop Peter Jensen challenged us to evangelise boldly around the water-cooler at work. A Herald writer slammed the idea as a violation of Australia's religious pluralism and the private nature of religion. It showed how wise we need to be in sharing the gospel at work, but it shouldn't intimidate us.

Be alert but not alarmed! Christ offers living water and it needs to be shared around the water-cooler, over a coffee, or with a beer, wine or orange juice over lunch or after work.

Jesus firstly crosses racial, sexual and spiritual barriers by going through half-caste and religiously plural Samaria and talking to a woman. Then the socially outcast woman comes to get water in the heat of the day, unlike the other women. A tired and over-worked or over-walked Jesus gently approaches her and asks for water. His common humanity and their mutual felt need for water builds a bridge of hospitality where normally there was hostility.

Jesus surprises her, slipping under the guard of her stereotypes, asks for her help and opens up a relationship.

The woman is intrigued by what Eduard Schweizer calls "the man who fits no categories'. She is even more intrigued when he offers her life-giving water. My favourite definition of evangelism is "one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread' " or water.

The woman wants the water but doesn't fully comprehend it. Behind spiritual incomprehension there often lies a major moral, relational or lifestyle problem. Jesus puts his finger on it. She's had more husbands than Liz Taylor or J-Lo. Her multiple partner disorder perhaps also symbolises Samaria's spiritual adultery.

She's evasive " morally "I have no husband' " and religiously " "we worship here, you worship in Jerusalem.' We can't face our sin directly or nakedly " that's why God gave us clothes in the garden. Behind the moral, religious and socio-political issues that often crop up at work " living together vs marriage, gays, gender, who to vote for, why are there so many religions etc. " Jesus sticks to the point of spiritual thirst and identity " his and hers.

Her comprehension of Jesus and herself increases step by step. From "one greater than Jacob', to "a prophet', to the Messiah. Then she tells the whole town of the one who read her like a book and then the town come to recognise Jesus as "Saviour of the world'.

Could the same thing happen in our workplaces? There are such stories of workplace witness coming out of the US and in Third World countries where spirituality, of all sorts, is much more upfront. A woman told me recently that it was much easier in India to share her faith when people brought their Hindu gods to work to pray for success. It is more difficult and slower in more overtly secular and religiously reticent cultures like Australia. But not impossible. It just takes time and trust in God's sovereignty.

Watchers of MCSI will know Lockhart's principle that "every contact leaves a trace'. Some missiologists say it takes 30 or more contacts on average for someone to become a Christian. Lead a godly life at work expressing kingdom values of love, justice, creativity, reconciliation and hospitality.

They have eternal value in themselves but are also attractive to people who are spiritually thirsty and sick of spiritual and moral promiscuity. They lead people to ask questions to which we can give "an answer for the hope that lies within us' (1 Pet 3:15). And other Christians' contacts will leave traces too.

Water-cooler conversations about moral issues can often be difficult and embarrassing when a Christian position is politically incorrect. But behind moral and lifestyle issues " whether bedroom or boardroom ethics " issues of careerism, workaholism and compromise " or what is worth doing, lie identity and character questions of self-worth.

And behind them lie idolatry questions of worth-ship " what do you give absolute worth to and will it satisfy your spiritual thirst? Jesus connected at the level of common human need and hospitality before he corrected the Samaritan woman.

He started with felt needs and moved to ultimate needs. If it's good enough for him it should be good enough for us as we witness by work and word in the workplace and at the watercooler.

Gordon Preece is the Director of Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au).