Today’s gospel is a long one. If we were in the church building I normally
would have invited people to sit through it if they wished. There is so much in it that it would take a
month of Sunday’s to even touch on the richness of all that is contained within
it.
First, we are amazed with the fact that a conversation
between Jesus and the Samaritan woman even took place. Second, we are amazed at the type of
conversation that ensues. And third, we
are richly blessed by the content of the conversation.
What strikes me is that Jesus does not talk down to nor
point fingers at the woman to whom he is talking. They discuss the five husbands but it does
not result in shaming and blaming. It
results in inclusion. It results in a broadened
understanding of worship of God.
Wow! In a world of finger
pointing and shaming that is powerful.
It strikes me that Jesus moves the religious debate from
either this mountain or that mountain to both and so much more. I have always found this in the teachings of
Jesus, which is why I feel so strongly the abundance of life Jesus
offers. It is never a case of either
this or that. It is case of opening even
wider. It always amazes me that, given
that broadness and openness, followers of Jesus today would make membership and
acceptance ever narrower rather than more universal.
In a world of finger pointing and shaming, Jesus’ inclusion
and broadening strike the Samaritan woman to her core. Jesus knows all there is to know about her and
yet he continues to hold the door open to her.
I can only speculate how this made a difference in her life – how it
transformed her.
A woman who comes to the well alone at mid-day, instead of with
the others in the cool of the morning or the evening, dashes off into the very
community that has probably caused her isolation and proclaims that she has
found the messiah. She even speaks
freely about that which isolated her – a powerful testimony to the healing and
acceptance by Jesus.
The transformation of the woman has the people listening and
running to see for themselves. Their encounter
with Jesus, the living water, also leaves them transformed. They invite him to dwell among them, which he
does for two days. One can only imagine
the mark this left on them for the rest of their lives.
It is the transformation and dwelling in community that I
would like to explore briefly, especially in the light of the Covid-19
pandemic. Each of us is inspired and
transformed by our encounter with Jesus – if we aren’t, I think we need to
explore that a little more at a later date.
I have to admit that each day I encounter Jesus and explore the context
and content, I am transformed by the encounter. I learn something new and inspiring causing me
to relook at my life and make the appropriate changes – a constant work in
progress. It is one of the reasons I
love the scriptures so much.
At some point we seriously ask Jesus to come and dwell
within us. And Jesus does! Unlike with the Samaritan village where Jesus
dwelt two days, Jesus comes to dwell within us permanently. As such, our lives are transformed daily as
we grow more fully into his likeness.
That is our witness to the world - the showing forth of
Jesus’ presence in our daily lives. As
brutal as Covid-19 is, this is our opportunity to show Jesus’ presence even
more strongly, even more visibly. We do
this by not panicking. Our faith and
trust in Jesus reassures us that we are never alone – even in this time of
physical social distancing. Our faith
and trust in Jesus means that we do not go overboard in our reactions. It means that we are always aware of how our
actions affect and are read by the wider community. It means we commit ourselves to learning
about and helping the more vulnerable among us as we go through this pandemic.
This is the time that we reach out to each other – not just
to close family and friends but to anyone we know may be isolated and scared. We reach out to anyone we know might be in
need. This is the time that we get so
creative it hurts. How do we reach out
the vulnerable and the lonely when we cannot be with them physically. How do we speak of love and caring in
tangible ways. Yes, a phone call and various
forms of messaging are a couple of ways.
But are there more concrete and creative ways to say we care? There is a challenge – what creative ways can
you come up with over the next few weeks?
Please share them in the comments below or with me personally.
Our faith and trust in Jesus helps us rethink what it means
to be a worshipping community. Is it
just about our Sunday worship? At this
point we don’t have Sunday worship to define us. The challenge is – how do we worship
creatively as a community. Here’s one way. The church is now open at specific
times. I am going to bring a book in to
our buildings (both St. Thomas and St. Mary’s).
I invite you come down at a time the church is open and write a wish or
a prayer for the community or for an individual. I invite you to write in a request for prayer
for yourself or an individual. I invite
you all to read these and respond to each other also in this book.
Are there other creative ways we can care for each other and
worship together in creative, tangible ways?
I would love to hear your suggestions either in person or in the
comments below.
Above all – how do we, as individuals and as a community –
show that Jesus dwells us among giving us hope during this time in history
facing the next few weeks and possibly months.
I feel that the answers the Spirit inspires in you will help us grow and
form a stronger community and witness for the years ahead – breathing new and
abundant life into our Church.
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