Deeper Well

John 4:5-42

In every town in America there is at least one pizzeria.  I grew up in Connecticut where pizza originated, specifically New Haven.  There you still need to ask for mozzarella for the original pies, only had shaved parmesan.  And I, like many others, is passionate about how pizza should taste.  Even within a town people have passionate opinions about different shops in the area.  And how you like your pizza is generally how you were first exposed to it, so if humans are so passionate about pizza pies, you know how much more passionate they are about religious ideas.

The Samaritans were not liked by the Jews, yet they worshipped something closer to Judaism then any of the Gentiles.  The Samaritans thought they were more pure then the Jews who returned from exile.  This tension between the two groups is only exasperated by the fact they both claim to worship the One true God.  We find Jesus in their geographical area, sitting alone at Jacob’s well. 

Within this scripture Jesus crosses that boundary, but He also clearly crosses the boundary of gender, and with a woman with a reputation.  She comes to the well for her water at midday, while the women without a past, would come in the early morning and late evening, to avoid the sun, and even to enjoy the fellowship.  This woman might have even worried when she saw a man at the well and considered turning back.  She may have thought she would just look down and quickly get the water she needed, but she was shocked when Jesus asked her for water.  So shocked she simply stated “the elephant in the room” and said, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”  Jesus quickly turns the question around and eventually states and proves that He is the Messiah the Christ.  This is often what we pull from this scripture, but it is also important to see how the context amplifies His identification.

There is certainly tension that Jesus is talking to a woman but mostly that she was Samaritan as well.  The tension between the two religions is evident by her statement

‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped 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. (vv. 19-21)

Jesus tells her it will not continue to be worship in specific geographical areas, and with His reference to Living Water one would recall when the Jews were wandering through the desert and were crying out for water.  They were at Mount Sinai (or Horeb as it is also called) when this occurred:

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?’ (Exodus 17:1-7)

The Jews received water for life there as well as the Ten Commandments.  The covenant, which they carried in the tabernacle before creating the Temple in Jerusalem.  Those that were exiled also discovered that God was with them wherever they would go, however this tension between the Jews and Samaritans, seems to claim God a geographically bound.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote:

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

And this is what Jesus is fulfilling with His statement about the Living Water. 

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.’ (John 4:13-14)

Like the covenant on our hearts, this living water will be with us wherever we go.  And this well is tapped by Jesus death and resurrection.

C. S. Lewis wrote many great works, and one of these works was a children’s story.  It was to be an allegory for the Christ Narrative for Children.  The title is The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and it is the only children’s book I have ever observed quoted by scholars.  The scene that I want to bring us to, is the death and resurrection of the story’s Christ figure, the Lion, Aslan.  One of the brothers (sons of Adam), Edmund, had betrayed his siblings and his life is due the witch.  Aslan makes a deal that his life would be taken instead.  Anslan goes to the ancient altar for this death willingly, with only the daughters of eve as witnesses.  He is abused and killed.  And as the sisters mourn he does come back to life and the altar broke.  Anslan then explains to the girls that there was a “deeper magic.” If someone willing goes to the altar for someone else, they will be saved and the altar will be destroyed.  For it can only happen once.  It is true that Jesus’ time on the cross has brought forth a deeper well, of Living Water.

God will cross all boundaries to love us.  It may be geographical, gender, and/or reputation, but because of this Deeper Well that Jesus has opened within us with His time on the Tree, we have water for eternal life. 

Don't forget Jesus' Legacy of love (Durant Daily Democrat 3/25/11)

Remember the Forsythia

Rev. J.C. Mitchell

First Christian Church of Durant

There are many things I love about Oklahoma, but the first that comes to mind is spring.  It comes earlier than where my wife and I grew up, especially my wife who grew up in Alaska.  As I go around town I notice all the blooming trees, shrubs, and flowers.  I especially notice the forsythia bushes as it reminds me of my childhood home.  We had a wonderfully large bush.  That blooming bush signaled spring.

I love the yellow and even enjoy saying the name “forsythia.”  Not being a master gardener I never knew much about this plant, but with access to the World Wide Web, I thought I would look up why this plant has such a pretty name as well as beautiful flowers.  I discovered that the name came for the royal British horticulturalist William Forsyth (1737-1804).  I am sure there are many of you who knew that, but if you were like me it would be new information.

I then got to wondering about William Forsyth.  Was he kind? Did he have a large family?  Was this bush actually his favorite?  Did he go by William, Will, Bill, or Billy?  My curiosity was not strong enough to keep on researching; however, I realized that not all of us will be honored by having a plant named after us.  I know it is natural to want to be remembered and for those of us not in heaven we do things to remember our beloveds.   And what is it we remember of those that go before us?

We remember their blooms, their flowers; how they demonstrated the beauty of life.  How they spread the love of God, not their inheritance.  We remember their love and hugs most of all, not their 401k.  For we know Jesus’ words from Matthew 5: 19-21 “‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’” The true legacy is the love of God in one’s heart.

We get caught up on physical things while we walk this earth, including our dress.  “And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28-29)  We are not to worry but depend on God and leave only the legacy of loving as Jesus loved.  When I consider the forsythia I am going to remember the beauty God provides.  Sorry, William Forsyth, I know that yellow flower is God’s creation, and I recall the love of my family and the love of my Creator.  I encourage everyone to take the time to remember Jesus’ legacy of love, by going out and consider all the flowers of God’s Garden.

“Spirit in the Sky”

John 3:1-17

John 3:16 is a scripture that has become for many, including myself, such a pivotal and encouraging scripture and you just have to hear “John 3:16” to feel the promise of that scripture.  When I read this scripture in preparation, I was thinking about songs that encourage in the same way as this essential paricope.  The songs came to mind because Jesus talked about being “born from above” and “born of the Spirit” which made me think of the rock song called “Spirit in the Sky.”  That song was very important to me when I was trying to discern if I was called to ministry.  It was that song and “I’ll Fly Away” that I would turn up and listen to often during the time of discernment.  Both those songs emphasize the promise of eternal life, and I played them over and over as I tried to figure out if I was called to stay a lay leader, go to seminary to be a pastor, missionary, chaplain, etc. and which school.  These songs of the promised helped me concentrate on the work I was called to do on earth.

Friends of mine who were not believers did not understand these songs.  They would only think about the eternal life starting after death, and could not relate that promise to their lives today.  They did not understand that the promise relates directly to how I live my life now, for eternity starts now.  Nicodemus did not understand Jesus in a similar way.  Nicodemus was curious and perhaps open to believe, but he was not able to understand Jesus’ use of the word “born.”  Nicodemus could only understand the word literally, and could not relate to it as a metaphor for a newness of someone that turned to God.  This language of being “born from above” and “born of the Spirit” demonstrated a personal conversion that starts one eternal life here on earth.  We are born again of the spirit so we may be the Body of Christ on Earth prior to that time when in a moment our earthly body’s glory becomes our heavenly body’s glory.

We read this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus as emphasizing personal conversion.  This is the major theme of being Born Again.  This language only becomes relevant because understood once as it is written in verse 14, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up…”  This is essential for our personal conversion is only relevant because of Jesus.  He is referring to what is recorded in Numbers 21:5-9:

The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Jesus is to be lifted up on a tree for all of humanity.  Father God lifts Jesus out of the tomb to demonstrate the promise of eternal life with God.  Therefore we are baptized not by a pastor, but by the Holy Spirit to participate in the death and resurrection, starting our eternal life when we are born again.

Confession

Psalm 32

If Jesus died for our sins why do we or should we confess our sins?  Is the question before us today.

To begin with we should look at forgiveness and I believe the best story of Jesus’ forgiveness and His authority to forgive sins is contained in Mark 2:1-12.  I will share you the scripture with some commentary. 

When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. (vv. 1-4)

Now this paralyzed man we assume wanted to be healed, and we are not sure if the man asked these four friends to bring him or if it was their idea.  I can even imagine that when they discovered the crowd, the paralyzed man was not the one to suggest trying the roof.  He probably asked to wait, but these four wanted to bring their friend to the great healer, and the surprise for them, When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?was that Jesus forgave his sins

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? (vv. 5-8)

And this was especially shocking to the scribes, not because Jesus did not heal the man but because only God has the authority to forgive sins.  To be clear, Jesus does not relate the healing to his forgiveness of sins, for He separates the forgiveness from the healing.  Jesus even uses this separation to make His major point, He has the authority to forgive sins.  Which the scribes understood as an authority of God’s alone, but of course Jesus is of the Divine.

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic— ‘I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.’ And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’ (vv 9-12)

Jesus asks a great rhetorical question of the scribes.  Can you heal someone or say someone’s sins are forgiven.  And He demonstrates the healing to acknowledge His authority to forgive.  Jesus does hint that we can also say to someone your sins are forgiven, for we know God does.  God had in the Jewish religion as a yearly act, and Jesus does with His death and resurrection.

So we have established that God forgives, and since we are as the church the Body of Christ, we are to say on behalf of God that others are forgiven, but we still have not explored why we need to confess if Jesus died for all our sins.  I will share with you a chaplaincy experience that I believe helped me to understand the need of confession.  I was visiting a man who was hospitalized for days, and on the second visit he was sharing more about himself and his family.  He told me he had three children and the youngest was a “surprise.”  This youngest also has Downs Syndrome and he shared with me that this child had taught him so much about life, love, and living.  He emphasized how great it is to have her as a daughter for him.  He could have have simply shared it this way as a positive and hinting at his change of heart.  However, he started by telling me how much he had sinned as a man, as a father, prior to this child.  He was confessing to this to me as a representative of the church and thus God.  It was clearly a confession.  He though was already closer to all his children and his wife, active in his church, he was living a righteous life.  The confession was not needed to change his life, it was to accept greater the grace of forgiveness he already knew.

Jesus saved us all from sin, and forgave us all from the cross as He states, “Forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).  We don’t confess to receive forgiving grace, we confess because it allows us to accept the grace as the Psalmist writes:

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
   and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,
   and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)

Deposition

2 Peter 1: 16-21, Matthew 17:1-9

The transfiguration must have been an awesome experience, in the truest sense of the word.  Those who went up the mountain with Jesus were His disciples, but this experience should have casted out all doubt for them.  We are of course born years latter and depend on the written accounts and our tradition.

The young adult class has been exploring the basics of apologetics through a study by Lee Strobel, titled “The Case for Christ.”  Apologetics is the discipline of proving Christianity with reason and logic.  There is a long and important history of apologetics. For us who believe it may not seem essential, however, exploring this field of study does provide assurance as well as important information, that people who do not believe may need to be shared.

Two of the interesting points that have been highlighted I will share.  The first being how the Gospels seem to contradict each other.  The fact is if you had four witnesses on the stand and their stories were exactly the same, the other lawyer and the judge, for that matter, would think their was collaboration.   And exploring that further, it is clear the Gospels tell the same truths, and it is clear that the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection are the most similar.  The pivotal event of the witnesses.

The second point I would like to share is the number of manuscripts we have of ancient writings. You may have read or learned about the Iliad, but did you know we only have about 60 ancient texts, while the Christian Bible in Greek we have over 5,500 texts, and many closer to the original written date then that of Homer’s Iliad.  The point is that scholars consider the Iliad to be an important and influential text and that the translations we have are close to the original.  The Bible can claim that with greater numbers. 

Now those that claim to be Atheist, have actually concluded there is now God because of their reason and logic.  Lee Strobel was one himself, until he took two years to research and as you may have guessed, concluded there is no other reasonable explanation then faith.  It reminds me of a ride back from east of Durant on my motorcycle, when all of the sudden I was having a hard time keeping my speed up on Highway 70.  Nothing seemed to happen except that I needed to provide more gas.  Eventually I had the accelerator twisted fully open.  I was convinced that there was something wrong with the engine.  It did not sound different (except the higher RPM) but it simply had much less horsepower.  I thought I should get back to town to have someone look at the power plant.  At that moment the small gas station in Blue was there, and I thought there is no harm in stopping and checking even if I couldn’t get the bike started again, I wasn’t that far from Durant.  Well as soon as I hopped off the saddle I could see that my rear tire was flat.  All the sudden with that little piece of information, my whole theory that I truly believed, was turned upside down.  The puncture was large, but it leaked at a pace that I did not notice, but a couple more miles and it would have started shredding and I would have been in the ditch.

Reason and logic are important for there are many that simply need to see something that will change their whole perspective.  And thus open them to faith itself.  Peter saw the transfiguration and writes about it as a witness for our benefit, yet Peter clearly writes in verse 19:

So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Peter compares the transfiguration, which he witnessed, as a light in a dark place.  It seems he is saying it is like a flashlight in the darkness, it leads us and lets us see things, but it is not the full light.  We need that light to dawn in our hearts.  Even one of the witnesses of this awesome event, reminds us that we need our hearts to be filled with faith.

This reminds me of Anselm of Canterbury’s famous statement:

For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this I believe - that unless I believe, I should not understand.

March 2011 Newsletter Article

Lent begins on March 9, and that is exciting because that means spring is closer.  The old English word “Lent” means spring, but as we know it is not only a celebration of longer and warming days, it is a preparation for the great miracle of Easter.  How we prepare is the question.  The answer for many is to demonstrate the discipline of giving up something (a type of fasting).   For some what they give up is something they love, and for others it is something they would like to get rid of forever.  The latter certainly seems a positive use of discipline, and the former proves the ability to be disciplined, which is also positive.  Yet I cannot help but wonder why someone should prove their discipline with restricting themselves from something they love, unless each time they add also the discipline of prayer.  If every time the desire comes to mind and thus we turn to prayer and remember Jesus’ miraculous sacrifice for us, this practice of discipline will focus one towards the cross and the empty tomb.

I do believe the tradition the discipline of fasting is very useful and positive.  I also recommend the addition of a spiritual discipline, hopefully one that will take hold after Lent.  It may be daily devotionals, Sunday school, reading the Bible, or prayer.  Adding these disciplines prepares us for Easter and helps us with witnessing the Gospel throughout the year. 

During Lent we have traditionally as Christians been taught to be penitent, and I believe that is important.  We must realize that we as individuals and we as society have sinned.  We call out like the Psalmist :

Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
   blot out my transgressions. 
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
   and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-2)

and we are always remembering what Jesus has done for us, remembering that we are Easter People.

Blessings,

Pastor JC