Now when Jesus* learned that the Pharisees had heard, ‘Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John’— 2 although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— 3he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4But he had to go through Samaria. 5So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. 8(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)* 10Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ 11The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ 13Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ 15The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’
These past few days have presented us all with some incredible challenges. The Proposition 8 trial continues to challenge everyone on the issue of Marriage Equality. The win of Republican Senator Scott Brown in Massachusetts after the late Ted Kennedy held that seat for 47 years. This vote has caused the Democrats to take a hard look at how they are going to pass health care and deal with financial institutions that continue to benefit over Americans loosing their homes, jobs and life plans. Just this morning the Supreme Court approved for corporations "right" to spend "an unlimited amount of money to influence and manipulate Federal elections". As the Year 2010 proceeds the fight for LGBT rights is getting more challenging. Prejudice and corruption continues through out our nation. In addition, the country of Haiti already devastated by the earthquake last week experienced a terrible aftershock that continues to make the recovery process that much more difficult.
In Psalm 37:1-18 for morning prayer today we read in verses 1-7:
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
8Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
How can God ask us to be patient when there is so much evil afoot in the world? As people continue to suffer due to their race, religion, sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, health, challenge, gender and for so many other reasons, how do we find God in the midst of all of these difficult circumstances.
One of the important foundations of Benedictine Spirituality is to search for God in all circumstances. For the purposes of what I want to say in my blog today, I am going to use the old Revised Standard Version for the next Bible quote. While I have regard for inclusive language, sometimes an older version can help me state what I wish to convey in a better way.
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." (Jeremiah 29: 11-14).
While God in no way wills for violence and prejudice to happen, God is able to use such difficult circumstances to bring about great things if only God's people will trust in God.
In Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus is confronted by the prejudices of his time. The Samaritans were people who were cut off from the worshiping community. In this exchange Jesus offers to the woman as he offers to all of us that water that will keep us from being thirsty. Jesus offers us new life through his own Living Water. The Living Waters of our Baptism, that have cleansed us from original sin and brought us into the fellowship of God's Church. Jesus reaches across the traditions that have separated class, politics, religions, genders and sexual orientations and/or gender expressions/identities and offered all of God's people that new and Living Water that comes from God's perfect revelation in Jesus Christ. As we have been given the graces of that new and Living Water, we too are called to help reach across those divisions to bring forth new life, where prejudices and attitudes of equality still lay claim to our world. There are plenty of poor people within all communities of people that need the Disciples of Christ to reach out their hands, to serve and to love and to give. There are all kinds of people who feel unloved, unwanted and separated from life-giving communities.
Today is an opportunity to speak out about the evils that are taking place in our society and even within the Church. Today is an opportunity to help ourselves and others who experience marginalization and prejudice to know that they are not alone in their struggle to be free of civil and religious oppression. We have here in our time, in these days the opportunity to use our voices, our email accounts, our telephones and where possible our bank accounts to let people know what causes are important to us, and who needs the help of those who have the power to influence the laws of our land for the better. We can also volunteer our time to helping others to make the world a better place.
How will the Living Waters of Jesus Christ flow from us into the lives of those who are separated from society and the Church today?
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, BCP, Page 215).
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. (Prayer found in BCP, Page 101).
O merciful Father, who taught us in your holy Word that you would not willingly affict us, look with pity upon the sorrows of the people of Haiti, the LGBT Community here and in Uganda and Rwanda for whom our prayers are offered. Remember them, O Lord, in mercy, nourish their souls with patience, comfort them with a sense of your goodness, lift up your countenance upon them, and give them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for those in trouble of bereavement, BCP, Page 831).
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