Jesus and the Woman at the Well

The topic this week is Jesus and his encounter with the Samaritan in John 4. Since the focus of worship today is how each of us reads and fits into the story, I am saving my thoughts for here in the blog, as I want worship to be about other people's views and ideas.

One of the things that strikes me about this story is all the different characters that are present and the fact that we can read them all in so many different ways. The classic example of this is simply trying to figure out who this woman is. There are several different theories that are debated amongst scholars. The traditional reading is to see her as a sinful woman, an adulterous who moves from one man to another. While this reading enhances her transformation story, it does so by first emphasizing how "fallen" she was to begin with. The marginalized nature of her, as a woman, and even more so as a Samaritan is powerful enough that we do not need to add to that. In fact some readings see her multiple husbands, not as a sign of her infidelity but as further evidence of how her gender turns her into an object, something to be passed from one master to another.

Who the woman at the well is gives us one thing to focus on, however there are several others to look at. One of the characters that stuck out to me in looking at the story are the Pharisees. The role that the Pharisees play is simple, their jealous and envy over Christ's ministry drives Jesus from Galilee into Samaria. The inability of the establishment of that day and age to accept this new ministry causes Jesus to shift his focus from working with Jews to working with Gentiles. As I think about the journey to and from the Well, I wonder how often I end up on the sidelines, like the Pharisees, watching others partake but unable to really accept that life giving sustenance for myself because I know better.

Reflecting on this story and the roles that each of the characters play in it as made me realize how rich the story becomes when we take the time to see the characters as real people. Too often I think we mine the gospel stories for Absolute Truths, scrapping and dredging the Word of God for every nugget of wisdom we can find. In doing so I think we can mar the natural beauty of the story. Instead of looking for the richness and depth of the story, we try and make it into a tract or essay. I want us to read the story with fresh eyes and new hearts and look for it come alive for us. Rather than looking for the bullet point versions, let us focus on who each character in the story is, what are they feeling, and how are they eager and ready, or scared and reluctant to experience the life-giving water and message that Christ offers to all.

Baptism

This week our focus for water is around baptism. The two video clips we used during the service (The Lion King and O Brother Where Art Thou) give us two clear examples of baptism as seen through film. What is interesting to note however is how baptism plays a role in other films without being so overt. A third film that I considered showing but decided against was "V for Vendetta." In V, you have the story of a tortured soul seeking revenge against a 1984 style government that destroyed his life. V, the main character enlists the aide of a young women, Evee in his attempt to bring down the corrupt government and return the power to the people. The moment of baptism comes fairly late in the movie, but it marks an ultimate transformation for Evee. She goes from someone who is still caught up in the structures of conformity and fear that the government has placed over her. Pretending to be the government, V captures her and through her imprisonment she learns to no longer be afraid. Once she abandons her fears she gains a power she never knew she had. This all comes to a climax in a scene where she stands on the rooftop basking in the rain. Her conversion is contrasted with V's own rebirth. His comes from fire and leads to hatred and revenge, hers comes from water and love and leads to new life.
The scene is so powerful to me because in it I see the ways that baptism can work in our lives. I am struck by how we become trapped in the needs and desires of our society. Through baptism we can be born into something new. New life in Christianity frees us from the traditional needs of our society, acceptance, wealth, and ultimately survival. In baptism we are guaranteed a new life with God, a return to relationship with the Divine. In contrast to that the needs of this world become trivial. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that until we overcome the fear of death we can never be free. Evee is able to overcome her fear of death and through baptism we can do the same. In baptism we are promised new life, if we are to take it whole heartily what do we have to fear in death? How do we let our baptism transform our life?
V for Vendetta gives us one perspective on baptism, but how do we see this being shown in other movies, in other pars of our lives. The language and symbols of Christianity are interwoven into the larger culture. As we look for these symbols we can gain a better understanding of the sacred and divine gift of grace that comes through water. How can we see and experience this gift? How can we let it change us and be born anew for God?

The Flood Story

Well, since I did not get to preach on the Flood Story last night it would be tempting to use this space to add my lengthy pastoral reflections on it, but I will start with just outlining again what we did and what that was like for me.

As we were designing this service, I wanted us to highlight the destruction element, so we started by destroying a mountain of sand with water at the same time as our arc floated to safety. From an organizational standpoint I was nervous about whether or not it would work. It makes me wonder how slow the flood might have been. The waters in the fish tank slowly crept up slowly eating away the sand and moving towards the arc. It was hard to tell at first that the arc was even going to float. What would it have been like to be on that boating, hoping as the waters approach that everything is ready and secure and you will be safe for the journey?

The second stage of the experience was one of hope, of being held in by God and hoping that all will be alright. As we placed candles on the water and watched them float I think this was a really cool experience for people. Several people shared their own feelings of feeling alone like the candles floating there. Something being adrift is so powerless. No where in the design concept for the arc is there any thought given to steering, that is left to God. Watching those candles drift around in the pool of water reminded me how helpless we can be and how dependent on God we can be for direction. Someone shared a really cool thought about the tensions between fire and water and yet they were able to co-exist in this space.

Ultimately for me the experience brought to life to critical elements of the flood story, its destructive nature and its faithful/hopeful nature. While the flood is about destruction it is also about new life and new hope for the future. The flood reminds me a lot about baptism, we submerge in water in order to be made new. But that is something for another week.