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Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues

Flirting with theology

A tired Jesus is refreshed by a bright woman's thirst for theological conversation
(John 4:6; then 4:32).

Context

• A UN chief asks: Will the Ukraine grain deal be renewed this month?
• David Attenbrough shows the consequences of climate change up close as his new series reveals Britain's wildlife.
• WHO raises concern about the malnutrition of women, especially pregnant women far and wide, exacerbated by the Ukrainian and other conflicts – women again bearing the consequences of male-led conflict.
• How are we educating women around the world and how well are we educating our own young people to work with metaphors and explore the biggest truths? It is heart-breaking to hear of suspected poisonings last week in Iranian schools.
• The devastating consequences of othering were displayed in the murder of a Ukranian prisoner of war, the granting of a last cigarette magnifying the culpability of his killers. (You will understand why I have not included a URL here.)
• As we meet a bravely unselfish Samaritan woman in Scripture, here in the tradition of Ms May and Ms Patel, Home Secretary Ms Bravaman works proudly on creating a hostile environment for asylum seekers and refugees. Women’s suppressed voices are needed all over the world, especially in politics, but these three Home Secretaries warn us not to idealise. It is not a simple fix. Women can of course sometimes bring hostility as well as wisdom. Here is a Reuters link to glimpse ourselves from outside.
• In such a week, Jesus models conversation with an other, an excluded woman, a foreigner arguably from a competitively different faith. They find common ground (the Jacob’s Well tradition) naming differences (John 4:20-22) then find deeper commonality in the life of the Spirit (John 4:23), leaving Jesus refreshed and her energised for evangelism.

 

Ideas for reflection, preaching and prayer

Jacob kissed Rachel when he first met her at this well. Something similar happened for Moses and Zippah, for Rebecca and Isaac. There can be little doubt we are meant to feel a certain frisson as this young man and probably older but energetic woman meet in broad daylight at this auspicious place of refreshment. We don’t need to over-egg this, but we are intended to let the feeling of excitement and possible scandal surface as a profound and adventurous theological conversation begins.

This is the second of four conversations we hear this season. These are always worth hearing in church with several voices - the to and fro and sparkle heard more brightly than when read with one voice. David Ford's brilliant new commentary shows Jesus forming a learning community in Chapter 1. Then John lets us eavesdrop on four (and more) conversations - spontaneous learning communities you might say, in which very different kinds of people search for meaning and shape their relationship with God.

It is fruitful to compare Nicodemus with this Samaritan woman. The respectable leader meets Jesus by night. This conversation with a disrespected, marginalised, powerless person happens at midday. (To this day we chuckle a bit about the five husbands.) They are both offered a metaphor to work with and both push back, testing it. If Nicodemus is left bewildered we may, without doing him down, celebrate the way the woman is more bright, energetic, enthusiastic (‘never again...everything I ever...’) and immediately becomes a commissioned evangelist. (John 4:16)

The broad effect is for John to introduce us to Jesus' playful metaphors (think of the I ams coming) and invites the reader to let them work on their heart. The whole Gospel is about training our desires, David Ford says. In this risky, flirtatious atmosphere, Jesus has intelligent theological conversation with a woman from another culture. She is eager for it, grasping the opportunity of bumping into a prophet to explore the faith. Whatever prejudice she has met in life, she is boldly hopeful that the Messiah is coming. Jesus will explore the theology of emerging creed and indeed theodicy, with intelligent community leaders Martha and Mary, too. His established learning community return and are surprised, but do not question him. As readers, too, we are invited to learn from this woman's learning, and from the way she learns and from the way she reacts and shares what she learns.

Not only might this extraordinary encounter prompt us to pray for women's ministry and theological training the world over, but also make readers continue to ask: if Jesus surprised people by talking theology with people beyond the bounds, and Acts shows the church learning repeatedly to do the same, how far should we see those ripples continuing to surprise the church? Or did the boundaries of acceptability settle with the closing of the Canon?

Who, then, might we be surprised to see Jesus commissioning as evangelists today? Whom we might hitherto have thought not worthy of his conversation?

In all sorts of contexts, we might ask ‘who is not included in this conversation that might even be about them?’

• In the shrill button-pushing talk about banning refugees from Britain if they arrive by strangely labelled ‘illegal’ means, the voices of those making such perilous journeys are notably missing from the discourse. 
• At least now, some church conversations about sexuality in some denominations are beginning to include the voices of those hitherto marginalised by our churches.
• Why were the voices from the poorest countries hit earliest by the consequences of climate change only part of a side event at Davos earlier this year? Will they be included in the G7 Summit in May later this year?
• Every one of us can respond to the exciting shock of Jesus and the Samaritan woman's sparky conversation by scanning our own groups, workplaces and educational institutions to see who is not in the room for any given conversation. What wisdom might we be missing?

Moved by the diversity of Jesus' conversation partners in John, every reader is invited to engage in their own theological conversation, always considering ‘how is my relationship with God?’

Prompts for Prayer

John’s opening of metaphor for faith-exploration might make us pray for language and literature teachers training our young people in emotional expression and intelligence.

Jesus’ words about harvest might provoke intercession about the Ukrainian grain supply deal and then turn literal grain into metaphor, praying for the kind of spiritual food that will nourish cross-border relationship of spirit and truth.

The Samaritans graciously invited Jesus to stay. He graciously accepted. We might then pray for Ukranian and other refugees, and open our hearts to learn from one another.

If our anxiety is around church unity or inter-faith relationships, we might pray for God to show us the Jacob’s Well common ground, to name our difference and to find the bigger picture.

David Warbrick is Vicar of All Saints Kings Heath in Birmingham where he is constantly humbled and refreshed by rich faithful conversation with very diverse people, including some refugees. When he feels tired they, like the Samaritan woman, challenge any self-pity he might nurse.

 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

Last week on Instagram the singer Lizzo shared a post which showed her hugging a fan at one of her concerts after singing Special. It is a song about welcoming and accepting who you are, loving who you are and that yes, you may be broken, but you’re perfect.

We’re all broken; however we’re all enough and perfect to drink from Jesus’ living water. Today we will be looking at how we can welcome everyone, just as Jesus did, but if we’re going to accept others we also need to accept that we too are worthy of God’s love. We don’t earn our worth, we already have it. We are enough, we are loved, we are worthy to take that living water.

Is something holding you back from taking it? Before we learn more about how we can welcome everyone and explore God’s astonishing acceptance, I’d like to invite you to take a moment to welcome yourself into God’s presence. You don’t need to wait until you’ve got it all together, or are praying more, or stop sinning less, you can approach him today. Imagine God is saying these words from Lizzo’s song to you:

“In case nobody told you today, you’re special,
in case nobody made you believe, you’re special,
I will always love you the same,
I’m so glad you’re still with us,
you’re broken but you’re perfect.”

Lindsay Wright is a freelance writer and creative from Lancashire www.lwcreative.co.uk

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