I am the Resurrection and the Life

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this Jesus said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” John 11:1-27 

Suffering and loss are a part of life. During this time of year, the end of March and the first days of April, I feel loss in my body, even when my mind and spirit are not paying attention. My mother died at the end of March, and my being is troubled. In our story of the raising of Lazarus, we find Jesus in sorrow and suffering as all humans do. And he is able to raise his friend up from death, and promises to raise us all. In the midst of our lives, when we are overwhelmed with suffering, Jesus promises that we are on the verge of new life. It is hard to believe when we have such heartache, yet we can know that the Savior of the world understands our sufferings and our sorrows.

Precious Savior. one with our Creator

you wept by the tomb of your friend

you weep with us now as we suffer

and hold us close in your loving arms.

When we are broken and sorrowful

we cannot see the dawn arriving

we do not feel the new wind of hope

we cannot feel that love is being restored.

Help us in our fear and unbelief

to know your presence in our suffering

you are here with us at the tombs

and you will raise us all to new life. Amen.

My Sheep Hear My Voice

Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled—can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there. John 10:19-42 

Sheepherding is a family and intergenerational business. Everyone has a part to do and everyone knows the sheep by name. There is an intimacy with the flock and with the land. Jesus is calling us to see his closeness with the Creator and with all of us. We might think of the Creator as far off, a God who watches from afar, yet we are invited to see ourselves and the living Creator with feet planted on the earth and standing in the midst of the flock.

Creator God, Great Shepherd of all

you are standing here among us today

you stand with us unseen yet tangible

you breath new life into our days.

We often wander and veer off

we tend to act as if we don't need you

yet you are as close as a silent prayer

as real as the earth beneath our feet.

Help us to tend the flock you give us

help us to be in the midst of the people

give us new hearts and new breath

so that we might love as you do. Amen.

The Good Shepherd

 "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’ John 10:1-18

The good shepherd image is often an idyllic image, a gentle lamb being carried by a gentle man. Caring for sheep and keeping them safe is a grueling, 24 hour a day job. Very few of us could even imagine the work of just getting them enough water and food entails, let alone keeping them safe from thieves, wolves and illness. The work of shearing and birthing are small parts of the overall labor. I couldn't do it. Yet Jesus tells us he is the good shepherd, who acts for us 24/7, who watches for harm and knows us by name. What a gift to have a truly loving and fierce shepherd for us all, since we wander away and fight that care.

Loving Creator, shepherd of all

you feed us, clothe us and care for us

wen we are waking and sleeping

your eyes are ever watching over us.

We act like willful, foolish children

breaking out and going our own way

turning from you heartfelt calls

wandering from danger to danger.

Help us to be grateful for this flock

the gates and the steady care which enfolds us

help us to listen and always return to you

good shepherd, help us be your flock today. Amen.

Expelled

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” John 9:18-41

They threw the blind man who had been healed by Jesus out of the temple. They threw expelled him because they did not understand the transforming love of God especially in beggars, outcasts and strangers. They wanted full control of the temple and Jesus and this man were disrupting that control. My people were forced out of their homeland for many reasons nut especially because others wanted control of the land and her riches, and we were confusing outcasts and strangers in their eyes. They too did not see the transforming love of God in my people. We are invited today to see God's love in the stranger and the outcast, for there we will find the Creator of all.

Creator of all, you love us so well

you put your spirit upon all people

you love all people and cultures

and you are found in all places.

We turn away those who are different

we expel them and we shun them

yet our God is in them all and with them

and we fail to see their gifts of love,

Help us to open our eyes to love

let us open our hearts to the outcasts

help us see you love everywhere

and in those who need our welcome. Amen.

Light of the World

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” John 9:1-17

In our present age, with all the technology we possess, we often don't think we need help. When people navigated the ocean waters in prior times, light houses were essential. And when a storm came upon them, the light house was the beacon, their light, and the one guide that kept them from death. They could return to safe harbor by the light. We now think our technology can save us, but indeed, we need more than man made things to guide us to safe harbor. Jesus is the light and the way home.

Wondrous Creator, light of the world

you lead us and guide us on the calm seas

you find shelter and safe harbor in storms

and seek us out when we have gone astray.

We make tools and think we do not need you

in fair weather we believe we are enough

our arrogance and pride quickly fade

when the seas rise and the winds batter us.

Help us in good weather and in bad

to seek your light and your loving heart

so we might guide others who are lost

and reflect your light in our darkest times. Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Lent - March 26, 2023

The Collect 

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

Old Testament Ezekiel 37:1-14 

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.” So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act,” says the LORD. 

Psalm 130

1 Out of the depths have I called to you, 

O LORD; LORD, hear my voice; * 

let your ears consider well the 

voice of my supplication. 

2 If you, LORD, were to note 

what is done amiss, * 

O Lord, who could stand? 

3 For there is forgiveness with you; * 

therefore you shall be feared. 

4 I wait for the LORD; 

my soul waits for him; * 

in his word is my hope. 

5 My soul waits for the LORD, 

more than watchmen for the morning, *

 more than watchmen for the morning. 

6 O Israel, wait for the LORD, * 

for with the LORD there is mercy; 

7 With him there is plenteous redemption, * 

and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins. 

The Epistle Romans 8:6-11 

To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. 

The Gospel John 11:1-45 

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

The fifth Sunday of Lent is also my eldest daughter's birthday. She came into the world on Easter. Her birth made the whole story very real. There is pain and new life! And our Easter story is about death, resurrection and new birth. In this long passage from John's gospel, we hear a foreshadowing of Jesus' resurrection on the first Easter day. We see God's power of love, that renews all things. We wait in Lent and prepare our hearts for Easter day, a day of great joy after much pain. It is not simply that the flowers have returned from dry ground, or that we have lived through another winter, but God's love is making all things new, making dry bones live, and offering us strong arms to hold us through the rough times.

Loving Creator, you breathe new life

into the darkness of the cold tomb

you restore the dry bones and dry hearts

so that we can love and serve again.

Prescious Savior, breathe new life into us all.

We had suffered loss and great pain

there is fighting and violence everywhere

we feel incapable of changing the world

we feel stuck in a dark, cold place.

Prescious Savior, breathe new life into us all.

The burdens of life overwhelm us all

we are bent with worry, fear and shame

yet you called your friend Lazarus from death

and call us all to newness of life.

Prescious Savior, breathe new life into us all.

You cried with sorrow at the Lazarus' tomb

and your love and power brought him forth

Prescious Savior, breathe new life into us all.

We are fearful that we can do nothing good

to change the sorrows if our world

Prescious Savior, breathe new life into us all.

Yet your love will restore all to new life

and we are given your love to share with all.

Prescious Savior, breathe new life into us all. Amen.

Living Forever

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. John 6:52-59

The religious leaders were arguing and confused about Jesus' teaching. Although they did honor their ancestors many did not believe in heaven or the power and presence the dead have. Today we celebrate the feast day of Oscar Romero. His ministry leadership and sacrifice are still changing the world. In many Indigenous tribes, the dead pass over to another world and are still with us. Their lives and their teaching live in us and we are never far from them. Jesus is never far from us when we recognize his life embedded and living in us. I can still hear my friend and mentor, now passed, Owanah Anderson saying to a great "There is no death, only a change of worlds." 

Creator God, who lives with all of us

you teach us the ways of good living

you lift us up when we are in darkness

and set our feet on the right road again.

We think we are alone in the work we do

that our ideas and gifts came from us alone

we do not see those standing in other worlds

who forged paths for us when there were none.

Lord Jesus, help us to see you in everything

and the hand of the Father in all creation

we only live because of your living sacrifice

so may we live knowing you are with us now. Amen.

Bread of Heaven

Then the Jews began to complain about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6:41-51

Yesterday, we gathered as a diocesan staff to celebrate a belated Pi Day due to the snowstorm. It gave us a chance to gather for lunch and bring pies, savory and sweet to share. We also got to celebrate +Alan's upcoming birthday and ordination anniversary. The fellowship around food shared is extraordinary. Others wandered in, who were coming for a service and joined in with delight. Food joins people from diverse place into one huge family at the table. Jesus finds himself under attack again from the religious leaders, for saying he is the bread from heaven. Indeed, like the feast yesterday, he is the sustenance and joy that brings us all together and makes us one huge family at the table.

Loving God, you call us to gather

with friends, family and strangers

knit together by you in one family

a people fed by your heavenly bread.

We often set limits and bar strangers

we too often hide among our kind

yet you call us to fling the doors open

to set the table and trust your love.

Help us know that you are with us

when we welcome the stranger

when we make a bigger table

for you are our bread from heaven always. Amen.

Bread of Life

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’ John 6:27-40

Every culture has a bread that is something more than just bread. Although Frybread is really not historically traditional, since so many of our tribes had to live off of government procured commodity foods, like white flour, white sugar, big blocks of cheese and the like, frybread became for many, the common bread we all crave. Our various people took the handouts and made them revered. We will drive out of our way for a good frybread stand and drive many hours for great powwow frybread. Best of all is the frybread made by one woman who has the gift. Jesus is the bread of life, that food which restores us, heals us and gives us an identity. Whatever bread is special in your tradition, may we all know Christ's presence and his call to belong.

Great Creator, source of all life

we are molded and shaped by you

mysteriously held in your loving hands

and renewed by your life-giving spirit.

You have claimed us as your own

and we often do not trust that belonging

your have poured your spirit upon us

but we often run away and hide from you.

Help us to trust that we will be well fed

help us to embrace the love you give us

make us into your family and people

so we might feed those you send our way. Amen.

Stormy Times

When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” John 6:16-27

We live in stormy times. Not on boats on rough water, necessarily, but there is conflict everywhere and we are a very divided nation. Personally, many folks are facing or are in the midst of rough seas. There is much grief left over from Covid, and we ache to have things back the way they were. And things will never be the same post Covid. The Gospel tells us that Jesus was in the midst of the storm and helped the disciples get to the another side, and a new way of being. We too have Jesus here in our storms and are being invited to new shores and new ways of being.

Wondrous Creator, you pours the seas

between the mountains and lowland

you stir the wind and move the tides

always among us, always leading us.

Sometimes we forget you are here

we think this is the worst of times

yet even in the most dangerous moments

you are bringing calm and healing.

Let us set our hearts on new shores

following you in the stormy seas of life

let our faith and trust be always in your hands

and help us live as your disciples today. Amen.

 

So Nothing May Be Lost

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’ When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. John 6:1-15

We live in a very disposable culture and are suffering its effects. We often throw out what can be reused, and we often push people aside when they seem like they don't fit with us. The people following Jesus were an unlikely lot. He took a child's lunch and turned it into a feast for a great crowd. We often focus on what we lack, yet, we regularly toss out the confusing fragments. In the Jesus way, nothing and no one is lost. There is love enough and room enough for everyone. 

Loving God, you feed us all

you gather the broken fragments

the lost, the weary and the hurting

and renew them with your love.

We push away all our discomfort

we set aside those who confuse us

we limit our care and our service

to those who make us comfortable.

Help us take the risks to gather

all the fragments and all the lost

show us your deep love for them

and make us grateful for your love for us. Amen.

Fourth Sunday in Lent March 19, 2023

The Collect 

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

Old Testament 1 Samuel 16:1-13 

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the LORD.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. 

Psalm 23  

1 The LORD is my shepherd; *

I shall not be in want. 

2 He makes me lie down 

in green pastures * 

and leads me beside still waters. 

3 He revives my soul * 

and guides me along right pathways 

for his Name's sake. 

4 Though I walk through the valley 

of the shadow of death, 

I shall fear no evil; * 

for you are with me; your rod 

and your staff, they comfort me. 

5 You spread a table before me 

in the presence of those who trouble me; * 

you have anointed my head with oil, 

and my cup is running over. 

6 Surely your goodness and mercy 

shall follow me all the days of my life, * 

and I will dwell in the house 

of the LORD for ever. 

The Epistle Ephesians 5:8-14 

Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 

The Gospel John 9:1-41 

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

Tomorrow is my first visitation as Assistant Bishop, and the readings are a little too close to home. After many months of setbacks and recovery, I will be preaching on this passage from John, the healing of a man born blind. The man's response when finally understanding who had healed him was "Lord, I believe." In the face of the years of begging on the street, the intense questioning from religious leaders, and the overwhelming sensation of new sight, the man simply states, I believe. May we who have not faced such sorrow and such healing, also respond to Jesus with. "Lord, I believe!"

A Litany for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

Loving God, who brought us into life

you bring us new life every morning

guard us as we climb into our beds

and you bring us healing every day.

Lord, help us to believe you are the light of the world.

We are often impatient and disappointed

we never want pain or suffering near us

we do not like to have to wait on others

to help us through our challenging days.

Lord, help us to believe you are the light of the world.

Yet you are patient and kind with our humanity

you seek us when we are so very lost

you send your light into our very dark places

and send angels to minister to our lack.

Lord, help us to believe you are the light of the world.

We can feel abandoned by you when we are ill

yet your compassion surrounds us still.

Lord, help us to believe you are the light of the world.

We cry and curse when we suffer in pain

you hear us even when we will not listen.

Lord, help us to believe you are the light of the world.

You are the light of the world and the healing of hearts

help us to reach out to you in all times and places,

Lord, help us to believe you are the light of the world. Amen.

Feast of St. Patrick of Ireland

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ Matthew 28:16-20

Today, in the US, folks will drink to excess and say they are celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Yet most have no idea who he was or why he is so revered. Patrick was born in Britian, the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest. Like many PKs, he had no interest in God or the church. At 16, he was captured and taken as a slave to Ireland. After escaping years later, he became a priest and returned to Ireland as a missionary. In the Catholic dioceses of Ireland, it is both a solemnity and a holy day of obligation. Here we celebrate it as a day of Irish pride, but we are invited to honor the love St. Patrick had for his captors, for the people that enslaved him, as a model of true Christian love.

Gracious God, you send us saints

from every tribe and every culture

who live full of your faithfulness

as true servants of the Gospel.

We often serve ourselves alone

finding any excuse to have a party

turning holy moments of reflection

to boisterous and loud celebrations.

May we truly see the sacrifices

of the people who lived for Christ alone

so that we too might model their service

and their love for even those who enslave us. Amen.

The Truth Will Make You Free

Again, Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:21-32

Americans like to believe we are all rugged individualists, self-starters, entrepreneurs and completely independent. The truth is, we are all dependent on the land, other people, our relatives, and all the named and unnamed folks whose shoulders we stand on. The truth we often don't want to hear is that we are not self-made, we are made in the image of God, and raise by many villages of folks who help us day after day. Jesus understood his Connection, interrelation and dependence with the Father, and that he did nothing on his own. May we rejoice and give thanks today for those who have come before us and on who shoulders we stand.

Wondrous Creator, we are made in your image

from the dust of the stars and frail sodden earth

you plant us in families and large communities

who feed us, protect us and help us to grow.

We often thin we do not need you or others

we believe that we are so special and unique

we pretend we do not need the help of others

until our world collapses into failure and hurt.

Help us today to see the strings that bind us together

the hands and hearts that have held us so close

and the vast array of faithful ones who sustained us

so that we can be grateful and carry on your love. Amen.

 

Walk in Light

l

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.” Then they said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. John 8:12-20

For many years, when I was a child and when we had children, we would rush to finish supper and chores so that we could go to the beach and watch the sun set. My parent's home was just two blocks from the ocean and we loved being there and with them. As children we would run in and out of the waves while the light changed colors and spread beauty as the sun set. Light on the water is stunning, and sunsets over the water are magnificent, changing with the seasons and the weather. Jesus called himself the light of the world, aways giving us a way forward, always delighting us and surrounding us in all seasons.

Loving Creator, giver of all good things

you shower us with light in the morning

you send shade for the heat of the midday

and paint the sky for us as night falls.

We take your presence and blessings for granted

we try to manipulate your natural world

we assume we are in control of the small island

when in fact we are heled in your hands.

Let us open our hearts to receive Christ's light

let our actions and our words always serve you

may we carry your light and love to the aching

and model your peace and forgiveness in our time. Amen

Thirsty

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.'” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.” John 7:37-52

Today began with rain and now it is snowing like crazy. We are in the midst of a nor'easter, winds pounding the coast and dumping gallons of rain and snow every minute. There seems to be no shortage of water. And yet, worldwide, there is a shortage of clean drinking water, and the poorest among us suffer greatly from the lack. We can also be thirsty for spiritual strength and support in our daily lives. Jesus offered that to the people, many of whom never got enough clean water to drink. For those of us fortunate to have clean water to drink, we are often those who are most spiritually deprived by our own negligence. May we draw near to the well of living water today.

Gracious Creator, you send rain and snow

to water our earth and provide for our crops

to slake our thirst and fill us with good food

yet we fail to seek you with our whole hearts.

You were tested,, poorly judged and dismissed

yet you did not fail to offer your love to all

even when we fail to recognize our need for you

your arms are open wide to receive each of us.

May we be so aware of our thirst and need today

that we run to your outstretched loving arms

may we be filled with your loving presence

and carry to a very lost and thirsty world. Amen.

Sent

About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him. “Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?” The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me and you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” John 7:14-36

I was watching some clips from Monty Python, and one was from the Life of Brian. No matter what you think of Monty Python's irreverent humor, they got something very right. People are bound to misunderstand and not hear things clearly. We are easily confused and easily deceived. We find Jesus teaching in the temple and the questions come fast and furious. They indicate that only Jesus understands from whom and why he was sent. Everyone else is confused, from the religious leaders to the simple folks attending the temple. "What does he mean?" is a regular question asked. Yet we are invited by faith to listen to the heart of God, who sent Jesus for the love of the world and every one of us.

Gracious Creator, you open your arms wide

and we have too many questions and concerns

to give in to the call of your loving embrace

to step forward and receive all your love.

We would rather argue and question

seeking to find fault in others' arguments

aching to be right and clearly understood

while we spread confusion all around.

Help us to move to your loving embrace

so we might receive your tender grace

which send us back in to the aching world

with your love and compassion to share. Amen.
 

Third Sunday in Lent March 12, 2023

The Collect

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Old Testament Exodus 17:1-7 

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” 

 Psalm 95 

1 Come, let us sing to the LORD; * 

let us shout for joy to the 

Rock of our salvation. 

2 Let us come before 

his presence with thanksgiving * 

and raise a loud shout to him with psalms. 

3 For the LORD is a great God, * 

and a great King above all gods. 

4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * 

and the heights of the hills are his also. 

5 The sea is his, for he made it, * 

and his hands have molded the dry land. 

6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * 

and kneel before the LORD our Maker. 

7 For he is our God, and we are the people 

of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * 

Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! 

8 Harden not your hearts, 

as your forebears did in the wilderness, * 

at Meribah, and on that day at Massah, 

when they tempted me. 

9 They put me to the test, * 

though they had seen my works. 

10 Forty years long I detested 

that generation and said, * 

"This people are wayward in their hearts; 

they do not know my ways." 

11 So I swore in my wrath, * 

"They shall not enter into my rest." 

The Epistle Romans 5:1-11 

Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person-- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 

The Gospel John 4:5-42 

Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’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.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The 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.) Jesus 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.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but 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.” The 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.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

She represented the other in her culture and her lifestyle, a person to be avoided and ignored. For Jesus to sit and talk with this woman, let alone drink water with her, was strictly forbidden. He simply needed her help and regarded her as a fellow human. The Indigenous people of this hemisphere were regarded as less than, creatures, not fully human. Those who came to "settle" this country, as well as Canada and South America, needed the help of Indigenous women and men. Pocahontas (Matoaka), Sacagawea, Massasoit and the Wampanoag people, as well as many others, unnamed, helped the early settlers to survive. Yet they were still outcasts and the other, strangers and often enemies. Jesus broke the barriers that we humans construct, loving and sharing God's love for all.

A Sunday Litany

Gracious Creator, lover of all creation

your people divide and spill blood

we claim superiority and importance

while you invite us to the table together.

Precious Lord, help us to share your living water.

The unnamed woman at the Sychar well

share her water and her story with him

she was known and loved in an instant

as we are known and loved by you.

Precious Lord, help us to share your living water.

We try to avoid the different ones

those who language and custom scare us

yet you hear the peoples' prayers

in every language and every place.

Precious Lord, help us to share your living water.

Turn our hearts, dear Lord, to others

make us your hands and hearts here.

Precious Lord, help us to share your living water.

Help us to see the different as friend

the stranger as a new neighbor.

Precious Lord, help us to share your living water.

Let you love be our guide and stay

so we might bring your love to our world. 

Precious Lord, help us to share your living water. Amen