Through The Lens Of Go
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series I, Cycle A
One day a man told a story which touched the hearts of all. He began, "I was a timid, frail, lost, and lonely six--year--old child when I first arrived at the farm in Georgia. I would have remained that way had it not been for an extraordinary woman. She lived on the farm in a small two--room cabin where her parents resided when they were slaves. To any outsider she simply appeared as any other African--American on the farm, but to those who knew her, she had a spiritual force whose influence was felt everywhere she went.
"She was the first person called when a person got sick. She made the medicines from roots and herbs that seemed to cure almost anything. She had a family of her own, but all the children in the area felt they belonged to her. Everyone called her 'Maum' Jean, a slurred version of Mama. Maum Jean spoke to the Lord often and we all suspected that when she spoke, the Lord stopped what he was doing, listened, and took the appropriate action. Her heart reached out to the small and the helpless, so she took a particular interest in me from the start.
"Maum Jean's sensitive, emotional antennae instantly picked up the loneliness and withdrawal I felt, after three years of suffering from polio. Moreover, her marvelous diagnostic sense surveyed the polio damage and decided that, regardless of what the doctors might think, something could and should be done to improve my condition. Maum Jean had never heard the word atrophy, but she knew that muscles could waste away unless used. Thus, every night when her tasks were done she would come to my room and kneel down beside my bed and massage my legs. Sometimes when I would cry out in pain, she would sing old songs or tell me stories. When my treatments were over she would always speak earnestly to the Lord, explaining that she was doing what she could, but that she would need help. She asked the Lord for a sign when he was ready.
"A creek ran through the farm and Maum Jean, who had never heard of hydrotherapy, said there was strength in running water. She made her grandsons carry me down to a sandy bank where I could splash around quite well. I used crutches and often buckled on the clumsy braces I wore. Still, night after night, Maum Jean continued the massaging and prayers.
"Then one morning when I was twelve she told me she had a surprise for me. She led me out into the yard and placed me with my back against a mighty oak. She took away the crutches and braces. She moved back a dozen paces and told me that the Lord had spoken to her in a dream. He had said that it had come time for me to walk. Thus, Maum Jean said, 'I want you to walk toward me.' My instant reaction was fear. I knew I could not walk unaided. I had tried. I leaned back on the solid support of the tree, but Maum Jean continued to urge me forward. I begged her to stop and I burst into tears. Her voice rose suddenly, no longer gentle and coaxing, but full of power and command. 'You can walk, boy! The Lord has spoken! Now walk over here!' She knelt down and held out her arms. Somehow, impelled by something greater than fear, I took a faltering first step, and another and another, until I reached Maum Jean and fell into her arms, both of us weeping. It was two more years before I was able to walk normally, but I never used crutches again.
"For a while longer I lived in the town, but then one day the circus came to the locale and when it left I went with it. Over the next few years I worked one circus and then another. Then one night Maum Jean's grandsons found me and knocked on my door. She was dying and wanted to see me. I left immediately and followed the young men back to the town. The area had not changed much, nor had the Maum Jean's cabin. She lay in the bed, surrounded by well--wishers. Although her face was in the shadow I heard her whisper my name. I went to her side and she spoke, 'Oh, it's so beautiful.' She then gave a contented sigh and died. Then something remarkable happened. In the semidarkness her face glowed. No one had touched the lamp; there was no other source of light. Her face was plainly visible and she was smiling. It was strange, but not frightening. I could not account for it then, and I can't now.
"This all happened a long time ago, but I still often think of Maum Jean and I remember what she taught me: that nothing is a barrier when love is strong enough - not age, not race, not death, not anything!"1
Maum Jean was a woman who broke through barriers in order to bring the love of God to others. She would not take "No" for an answer, but rather pressed forward challenging people to do their best, with the certain knowledge that there was nothing a person could not do, if provided the right tools and environment. In a similar way Jesus, as demonstrated in today's gospel, broke through barriers, refusing to accept the norms of exclusivity common in his day that kept certain people on the fringes. He reached out to all, made bridges of love and friendship, as he brought the message of God to our world.
Reading the gospels shows us that Jesus was constantly in conflict with the religious authorities of his day. He associated with the wrong people, broke the Sabbath, challenged the Hebrew Law, and spoke out against the practices of the temple priests, Pharisees, Scribes, and other Jewish leaders. Today's gospel is a perfect example of how Jesus transforms conventional expectations and challenged the status quo of his world. The Lord broke the strict conventions of his day in two fundamental and important ways. First, he reached out to a Samaritan. The Jews of Jesus' day hated Samaritans. They were the descendants of the ten lost tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, overrun and conquered by the Assyrians 700 years before Christ. It was unthinkable for a self--respecting Jew to have anything to do with a Samaritan, yet Jesus intentionally journeys to this region. Moreover, it was against all accepted practice for a Jewish man to engage a woman in conversation. Yet, Jesus talks with a woman. First--century Jews would have been appalled at such behavior, at the audacity of one who claimed to be a rabbi to engage in such practices. The outrage people felt would have been the same as those who heard Jesus' proclaim his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25--37), when the upstanding of Hebrew society, the priest and Levite, pass by the wounded traveler, seemingly unconcerned, while the hated Samaritan treats the man with compassion.
Why did Jesus engage the Samaritan woman in conversation? On the surface it seems that Jesus is thirsty and is asking for assistance to obtain the water of nature. But we need to read more closely and listen more attentively. The waters of nature are of little significance to Jesus at this point. He engages the woman to teach her, the Samaritans, his disciples, and you and me as well, of the need to seek and find the life--giving water which only the Lord can provide. What is this life--giving water? Some might say it is God's wisdom; others may believe it to be God's grace. Still others might see it as faith. I would like to suggest that the living water that Christ gives is his love, which like water overflowing from a full glass pours out in all directions. Jesus' love goes to all people for all time. Jesus wants us to be open to the fresh and new reality of what he is offering, the life--giving water, instead of continuing to view everything from the lens of old realities. The possibilities that Jesus provides are truly remarkable, but we must be sufficiently open in order to recognize them.
For Christians today, this gospel passage must have great significance. As members of Christ's Body (1 Corinthians 12), the church, we are called to stop shaping life according to societal definitions of what is acceptable and comfortable, and to demonstrate our openness to those who are different, as Jesus did in his encounter with the Samaritan woman. The living water of God's love which Jesus invites us to share goes out indiscriminately to all people at all times. Jesus was never exclusive. His inclusive compassion, assistance, and care for others led him to the cross. If we are true to our common vocation to holiness and follow in the footsteps of our Lord, our fate will be the same. But just as Jesus' suffering and cross led to his glory, so if we persevere will we see our own resurrection.
As Jesus came to break down barriers and reach out to all, so must we be willing to do the same. First, we must recognize the reality that we do create barriers. Barriers exist in our lives in many ways that often we don't even realize. We set up boundaries in our relationships with others. There are certain people who we find acceptable and others who are not. If people possess the right credentials, whether that be intelligence, appearance, power, wealth, or influence, then they are on the inside. Those without these credentials are left out. We set up barriers against ourselves. We perceive that we do not possess the requisite credentials, that we don't measure up to the task and we short change ourselves or give up. We set up barriers between ourselves and God. Sometimes the barrier takes the form of lack of attention. We ignore God, placing him in a bottle on the shelf that becomes as dusty as the family Bible. When we need the Lord, only then do we pull the cork and ask for his assistance. Other times the barrier takes the form of ignorance. We seem content in our own world and refuse to look around and acknowledge the pain of our world which cries out for our assistance. We possess certain expectations of others, ourselves, and God and when they are not fulfilled, the disappointment is sometimes severe.
Jesus broke through all convention and he disappointed many whose expectations of the Messiah were not fulfilled, yet the lessons he taught must never be ignored. Jesus taught the Samaritan woman that the love of God is poured out at all times for all people, those we accept and those we do not, including ourselves. Maum Jean became the Christ to that little boy, pouring out her love to him in abundance. Lent is a time when we seek to be transformed and to be renewed. Jesus provides the perfect example and today's celebration is the ideal environment to enter fully into this process. Let us, therefore, be renewed by breaking down the barriers of hostility, hatred, prejudice, and exclusivity. Let us build bridges of friendship, love, peace, and justice. Let us do what we can to build God's kingdom in our world this day. If we can, our reward in heaven will be great.
____________
1. Paraphrased from "Maum Jean," in William J. Bausch's A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers (Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty--Third Publications, 1998), pp. 104--106.
"She was the first person called when a person got sick. She made the medicines from roots and herbs that seemed to cure almost anything. She had a family of her own, but all the children in the area felt they belonged to her. Everyone called her 'Maum' Jean, a slurred version of Mama. Maum Jean spoke to the Lord often and we all suspected that when she spoke, the Lord stopped what he was doing, listened, and took the appropriate action. Her heart reached out to the small and the helpless, so she took a particular interest in me from the start.
"Maum Jean's sensitive, emotional antennae instantly picked up the loneliness and withdrawal I felt, after three years of suffering from polio. Moreover, her marvelous diagnostic sense surveyed the polio damage and decided that, regardless of what the doctors might think, something could and should be done to improve my condition. Maum Jean had never heard the word atrophy, but she knew that muscles could waste away unless used. Thus, every night when her tasks were done she would come to my room and kneel down beside my bed and massage my legs. Sometimes when I would cry out in pain, she would sing old songs or tell me stories. When my treatments were over she would always speak earnestly to the Lord, explaining that she was doing what she could, but that she would need help. She asked the Lord for a sign when he was ready.
"A creek ran through the farm and Maum Jean, who had never heard of hydrotherapy, said there was strength in running water. She made her grandsons carry me down to a sandy bank where I could splash around quite well. I used crutches and often buckled on the clumsy braces I wore. Still, night after night, Maum Jean continued the massaging and prayers.
"Then one morning when I was twelve she told me she had a surprise for me. She led me out into the yard and placed me with my back against a mighty oak. She took away the crutches and braces. She moved back a dozen paces and told me that the Lord had spoken to her in a dream. He had said that it had come time for me to walk. Thus, Maum Jean said, 'I want you to walk toward me.' My instant reaction was fear. I knew I could not walk unaided. I had tried. I leaned back on the solid support of the tree, but Maum Jean continued to urge me forward. I begged her to stop and I burst into tears. Her voice rose suddenly, no longer gentle and coaxing, but full of power and command. 'You can walk, boy! The Lord has spoken! Now walk over here!' She knelt down and held out her arms. Somehow, impelled by something greater than fear, I took a faltering first step, and another and another, until I reached Maum Jean and fell into her arms, both of us weeping. It was two more years before I was able to walk normally, but I never used crutches again.
"For a while longer I lived in the town, but then one day the circus came to the locale and when it left I went with it. Over the next few years I worked one circus and then another. Then one night Maum Jean's grandsons found me and knocked on my door. She was dying and wanted to see me. I left immediately and followed the young men back to the town. The area had not changed much, nor had the Maum Jean's cabin. She lay in the bed, surrounded by well--wishers. Although her face was in the shadow I heard her whisper my name. I went to her side and she spoke, 'Oh, it's so beautiful.' She then gave a contented sigh and died. Then something remarkable happened. In the semidarkness her face glowed. No one had touched the lamp; there was no other source of light. Her face was plainly visible and she was smiling. It was strange, but not frightening. I could not account for it then, and I can't now.
"This all happened a long time ago, but I still often think of Maum Jean and I remember what she taught me: that nothing is a barrier when love is strong enough - not age, not race, not death, not anything!"1
Maum Jean was a woman who broke through barriers in order to bring the love of God to others. She would not take "No" for an answer, but rather pressed forward challenging people to do their best, with the certain knowledge that there was nothing a person could not do, if provided the right tools and environment. In a similar way Jesus, as demonstrated in today's gospel, broke through barriers, refusing to accept the norms of exclusivity common in his day that kept certain people on the fringes. He reached out to all, made bridges of love and friendship, as he brought the message of God to our world.
Reading the gospels shows us that Jesus was constantly in conflict with the religious authorities of his day. He associated with the wrong people, broke the Sabbath, challenged the Hebrew Law, and spoke out against the practices of the temple priests, Pharisees, Scribes, and other Jewish leaders. Today's gospel is a perfect example of how Jesus transforms conventional expectations and challenged the status quo of his world. The Lord broke the strict conventions of his day in two fundamental and important ways. First, he reached out to a Samaritan. The Jews of Jesus' day hated Samaritans. They were the descendants of the ten lost tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, overrun and conquered by the Assyrians 700 years before Christ. It was unthinkable for a self--respecting Jew to have anything to do with a Samaritan, yet Jesus intentionally journeys to this region. Moreover, it was against all accepted practice for a Jewish man to engage a woman in conversation. Yet, Jesus talks with a woman. First--century Jews would have been appalled at such behavior, at the audacity of one who claimed to be a rabbi to engage in such practices. The outrage people felt would have been the same as those who heard Jesus' proclaim his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25--37), when the upstanding of Hebrew society, the priest and Levite, pass by the wounded traveler, seemingly unconcerned, while the hated Samaritan treats the man with compassion.
Why did Jesus engage the Samaritan woman in conversation? On the surface it seems that Jesus is thirsty and is asking for assistance to obtain the water of nature. But we need to read more closely and listen more attentively. The waters of nature are of little significance to Jesus at this point. He engages the woman to teach her, the Samaritans, his disciples, and you and me as well, of the need to seek and find the life--giving water which only the Lord can provide. What is this life--giving water? Some might say it is God's wisdom; others may believe it to be God's grace. Still others might see it as faith. I would like to suggest that the living water that Christ gives is his love, which like water overflowing from a full glass pours out in all directions. Jesus' love goes to all people for all time. Jesus wants us to be open to the fresh and new reality of what he is offering, the life--giving water, instead of continuing to view everything from the lens of old realities. The possibilities that Jesus provides are truly remarkable, but we must be sufficiently open in order to recognize them.
For Christians today, this gospel passage must have great significance. As members of Christ's Body (1 Corinthians 12), the church, we are called to stop shaping life according to societal definitions of what is acceptable and comfortable, and to demonstrate our openness to those who are different, as Jesus did in his encounter with the Samaritan woman. The living water of God's love which Jesus invites us to share goes out indiscriminately to all people at all times. Jesus was never exclusive. His inclusive compassion, assistance, and care for others led him to the cross. If we are true to our common vocation to holiness and follow in the footsteps of our Lord, our fate will be the same. But just as Jesus' suffering and cross led to his glory, so if we persevere will we see our own resurrection.
As Jesus came to break down barriers and reach out to all, so must we be willing to do the same. First, we must recognize the reality that we do create barriers. Barriers exist in our lives in many ways that often we don't even realize. We set up boundaries in our relationships with others. There are certain people who we find acceptable and others who are not. If people possess the right credentials, whether that be intelligence, appearance, power, wealth, or influence, then they are on the inside. Those without these credentials are left out. We set up barriers against ourselves. We perceive that we do not possess the requisite credentials, that we don't measure up to the task and we short change ourselves or give up. We set up barriers between ourselves and God. Sometimes the barrier takes the form of lack of attention. We ignore God, placing him in a bottle on the shelf that becomes as dusty as the family Bible. When we need the Lord, only then do we pull the cork and ask for his assistance. Other times the barrier takes the form of ignorance. We seem content in our own world and refuse to look around and acknowledge the pain of our world which cries out for our assistance. We possess certain expectations of others, ourselves, and God and when they are not fulfilled, the disappointment is sometimes severe.
Jesus broke through all convention and he disappointed many whose expectations of the Messiah were not fulfilled, yet the lessons he taught must never be ignored. Jesus taught the Samaritan woman that the love of God is poured out at all times for all people, those we accept and those we do not, including ourselves. Maum Jean became the Christ to that little boy, pouring out her love to him in abundance. Lent is a time when we seek to be transformed and to be renewed. Jesus provides the perfect example and today's celebration is the ideal environment to enter fully into this process. Let us, therefore, be renewed by breaking down the barriers of hostility, hatred, prejudice, and exclusivity. Let us build bridges of friendship, love, peace, and justice. Let us do what we can to build God's kingdom in our world this day. If we can, our reward in heaven will be great.
____________
1. Paraphrased from "Maum Jean," in William J. Bausch's A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers (Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty--Third Publications, 1998), pp. 104--106.
