A Message from Pastor Kaji
Dear Church:
Our text this week brings us to a little town in Samaria, the region north of Judea (where Jerusalem is) and south of the Galilee, where Jesus was from, and where he was headed in this story. For geographic context, Samaria includes the area which includes modern-day Tel Aviv and Ramallah. Our passage is part of a broader story of the Samaritan woman at the well. In your preparations for Sunday, I would encourage you to read the entire chapter of John 4. There, you see a woman preparing to draw water from Jacob’s Well, in Samaria, at the height of heat in the day.
To understand Jesus’ remarks on “spirit”, you have to know something about the differences between Samaritan Judaism and the Judaism Jesus was born into. High level? Much of the dispute is about location. Where does God dwell? At the Temple in Jerusalem (of Judea)? On Mount Gerazim in Samaria? OR. Or is God beyond geography? Does God dwell in “spirit” more than location? This is what Jesus begins to share in our text this week.
As you prepare yourself spiritually for worship, I encourage you to ask the question: where do you expect God to show up? Some common answers might be: in the Holy Land. In worship. In your prayer life. As you come up with your answers, I want you to imagine a time when entire faith traditions were built on the supposition that you had to go somewhere in particular to find God. If that were the case for you, how might your relationship to God look?
This Sunday, in addition to our regular worship, we have the incredible opportunity to do one of my favorite things in the world: we will consecrate our elected leaders! If you were elected in our most recent congregational meeting, I encourage you to be present so that your church can bless the next phase of your ministry amongst us. God will be present, and I hope that you will be, too.
I can’t wait to see you in church. Pax Christi,
To understand Jesus’ remarks on “spirit”, you have to know something about the differences between Samaritan Judaism and the Judaism Jesus was born into. High level? Much of the dispute is about location. Where does God dwell? At the Temple in Jerusalem (of Judea)? On Mount Gerazim in Samaria? OR. Or is God beyond geography? Does God dwell in “spirit” more than location? This is what Jesus begins to share in our text this week.
As you prepare yourself spiritually for worship, I encourage you to ask the question: where do you expect God to show up? Some common answers might be: in the Holy Land. In worship. In your prayer life. As you come up with your answers, I want you to imagine a time when entire faith traditions were built on the supposition that you had to go somewhere in particular to find God. If that were the case for you, how might your relationship to God look?
This Sunday, in addition to our regular worship, we have the incredible opportunity to do one of my favorite things in the world: we will consecrate our elected leaders! If you were elected in our most recent congregational meeting, I encourage you to be present so that your church can bless the next phase of your ministry amongst us. God will be present, and I hope that you will be, too.
I can’t wait to see you in church. Pax Christi,
Pastor Kaji
SCRIPTURE
John 4:24 –29 (Year B, p. 175):
24 [Jesus said to the woman at the well,] “God is spirit, and those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming, the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I AM, the one who is speaking to you.”
27 Now just then his disciples came and were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you speaking with her?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city and said to the people, 29 “Come and see a man who told me all I have ever done! Is this not the Messiah?”