Prayers of the People: Well Enough? ~ 3rd Sunday in Lent '23 Yr A

For Sunday, March 12, 2023 ~ Readings: Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 95, Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42

   Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?"...The LORD said to Moses...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 the people may drink." [Exodus 17:2b, 5a, 6a]

  Come, let us sing to the LORD, let us shout for joy to the Rock of our Salvation. [Psalm 95:1]

  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. [Romans 5:1-3]

 Jacob's Well was there and Jesus tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well...A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."...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...he would have given you living water...God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." [John 4:6a, 7a, 9-10, 24]

    In this Gospel reading, Jesus is taking a shortcut to Galilee. He and the disciples with him are in a part of the country where no respectable Jew would usually travel let alone strike up a conversation with one of those people, who is, of all things, also a woman! When the Jews returned from exile in Babylon, four centuries prior to this encounter, they refused to allow the Samaritans to participate in the rebuilding of Jerusalem and particularly the Temple. For the Samaritans, the Temple separated and centralized the worship of God in Jerusalem which gave rise to the woman’s comment to Jesus about the Samaritan worship of God on their own mountain. Also, the Jews would neither eat nor drink with Samaritans – it was likely, in part, because of the Jewish purity laws although we don't know all the issues that divided them. This passage highlights Jesus' willingness to have this conversation and to tell of the coming time when worship for all will be very different for the true believers, that worship of God is not exclusive to a time, place, or people. It also underscores many of the issues of the other in our current life and times. 
    Differences in culture, dress, religion, food and drink, accents, even among those of our own nation – and foremost, skin color – separate us, narrowing our human experiences, creating deep and ancient, or at least very old prejudices, handed down through generations with little explanation or understanding of the roots of the conflict. The “Hatfields and McCoys*” of life and legend in our land, are just one example. Left unchecked and re-evaluated, layers of mistrust continue to deepen and solidify, turn to un-examined hate, and all too often, violence. Us vs. Them, is a prevailing human issue – if you're one of them you cannot be one of us. All too often we can't – or rather won’t – discuss the whys and wherefores of our opinions and deeply held beliefs. Understanding each other might taint what we've been taught to believe by those we accept as authoritative. Our beliefs have been sustained and enhanced by the continual distraction, misinformation, and propaganda from those who profit from our divisions. And, whether we admit it or not, many of us don’t like facts to get in the way of what we want to believe. Thinking differently about something I thought was undisputed is very uncomfortable, even scary.
    WWYD? What Would You Do – if you were desperately thirsty in a place you didn't feel you belonged in, or your car broke down in a strange location, or you witnessed someone unlike yourself being harassed or worse?  How have we fostered the isolating of ourselves and the marginalizing of others by what we have done and by what we have left undone? **  Possibly in the communal desert of our own making, we falsely believe that it keeps us being us and them away from us which makes everything better for us. Great logic? I regularly have to stop and examine my reactions and the in-my-head responses to think and wonder why I am for it or against it, whatever it is and to whom it is directed, as well as who I accept as my authority on the matter and why.

   Lent is a moment to think about our desert moments in life. Is God in Jesus my Living Water for consolation, hope, compassion, and love of my neighbor as if s/he/they are myself, or just the One I blame and complain to? Jesus told the Samaritan woman that God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. 

   This is a Well that runs deep. How deeply are we each searching to bring up to our conscious thoughts and acts the living water, the spirit and truth of God, the Creator of ALL life in its multitude of shapes, forms, cultures, colors, genders, genomes, and faiths. How often do we say grace yet hate the neighbors – you know, the ones who post opposite political views on Facebook or bumper stickers, attend a different church, mosque, temple, synagogue, or none at all? Jesus tells the Samaritan woman first before all others that he is the Messiah. She believes him. Do we? Time for us each to dig deep. Our love of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is only as deep as our spiritual wells. Is my Well enough?

*“The Hatfields and McCoys,” A true American family feud with deadly consequences for both sides has become a metaphor to describe great and volatile conflicts between neighbors or groups. Click here to see more: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hatfields-and-McCoys

**from the Confession in the US Book of Common Prayer, pg 360, emphasis added

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God of Grace and Peace, drive us from the desert of discouragement we lead ourselves into by our wayward hearts and selfish grumblings. Guide us back to the saving water from the Rock of Faith that washes away all fear, anguish, and uncertainty. 

                                                Lord of Living Water                                                

          RESPONSE:           Our souls are quenched in You

~ O God of Grace and Peace, awaken, inspire, and turn the efforts of the leaders of this World, this Nation, and this Community into a cooperative spirit, especially now, for the common purpose of the health, safety, and prospering of all Your people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Living Water

                                                Our souls are quenched in You

~ O God of Grace and Peace, pour Your love and enduring hope into those who are seriously ill and fearful of what is to come. Grant health and safety to all who minister to their needs. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petition

                                                Lord of Living Water

                                                Our souls are quenched in You      

~ O God of Grace and Peace, bathe the hearts of the mournful with Your healing mercy, as those who have departed this life now, dance with joy in the fountains of eternity with You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Living Water

                                                Our souls are quenched in You

~ O God of Grace and Peace, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Living Water

                                                Our souls are quenched in You                 

~ O God of Grace and Peace, refresh the spirit of those we have called into leadership for Your Church. May their faith in You course so strongly in their hearts that they and we are sustained and renewed with the courage of their convictions. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Living Water

                                                Our souls are quenched in You

The Celebrant adds: Great Lord of Heaven and of All the Earth, Christ among us is the proof of Your love for us and the model for how to live as an inclusive community of faith. Unharden our hearts to rid the world of prejudice and hate by reconciling ourselves with others, planting seeds of kindness and understanding, and returning real or perceived insults and injuries with calm forgiveness. We ask this through Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation; and the Holy Spirit, the Sustainer of our souls; who live and reign with You, One God, Fount of all that is infinite and eternal.   Amen. 

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 11: Give Up, Take On, Pray '24

February 26, 2024, 2nd Monday in Lent

The Rev. Henri J. Nouwen

When suddenly you seem to lose all you thought you had gained, do not despair. You must expect setbacks and regressions. Don't say to yourself "All is lost. I have to start all over again." This is not true. What you have gained you have gained....When you return to the road, you return to the place where you left it, not to where you started.  

~ Henri Nouwen 1932-1996*

We all have or will have or know people who have those moments in life ~ the loss of someone dearly loved and integral to one's everyday life, a job loss, significant health challenges, or whatever causes one to fall into hopelessness. There is a time and a need to grieve these losses and be surrounded by those who care for us and who give us hope. We need to take the time it takes yet not grieve for the sake of grief. Seeking the help we need when we realize that we have fallen into despair is important and necessary and not a sign of weakness. Life is precious and short; we must live for those who loved us and want us to thrive as they now, in this life, cannot.  We can rejoin the road of this life even if we are limping and bruised. The sun will shine again when we let it.

Dear God of my wounded heart,
       You know the times when it was all I could do to open my eyes and face another day and when I longed to hide myself in the black of night that matched the darkness of my grief. Give me the eyes to see when another is in the merciless grip of heart-felt pain and sorrow and let me be a quiet comforting presence of hope. For today I will give up living in the shadow of yesterday and take on living in the light of today. I pray for the peace to walk down my road, give encouragement to others, and live my life giving thanks for each breath I am given, and in thanksgiving for those no longer here who want my heart to smile again and often. amen.

*A Dutch-born Catholic Priest with a doctorate in Psychology, Henri Nouwen was a prolific writer on the subject of spirituality. He wrestled with clinical depression throughout his life and it informed his abilities for his writing, teaching, and pastoral care. After teaching appointments with The Menninger Clinic, University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School, he accepted the position of Pastor for a L'Arche Community for the developmentally disabled near Toronto, Canada. His books such as Wounded Healer, The Way of the Heart, and The Return of the Prodigal Son remain widely read and deeply held by people of all faith expressions.

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 10, Give Up, Take On, Pray

I really only love God as much as the person I love the least.

~ Dorothy Day* 1897-1980

      How often do you talk about God in your everyday life?  There are many people, good church-going folks, who have difficulty discussing God, Jesus, religion, and/or spirituality in "normal" conversation.  It's one of the taboos of  polite conversation learned early: "Never discuss religion or politics," ostensibly because it leads to conflict and discomfort in relationships.

      Perhaps it sets us up for debates on right and wrong theologies. Maybe there's an element of proselytizing that we are anxious about giving or receiving.  Or it's just a matter of appropriate time and place. Yet those days seem to be gone, at least for now. Social Media and Communications Media are awash in religious and political debate and diatribe that push away as many as it draws in. We, as a people, seem to have lost sight of the difference between debate and dialogue. In formal debate, one argues one’s position against another’s differing position. Someone wins, someone loses. In dialogue, we discuss our position with each other open to one or both of us changing our minds somewhat or not at all, and walking away accepting your position for you, mine for me, with no loser or winner, simply remaining friends.

    What about privately ~ to yourself?  Do you talk to God ~ in joy and thanksgiving, blame and anger, frustration and supplication?  When is it right to talk about God? 

O God, Holder of my soul, 
         I come to You in my quiet and alone time to speak of needs and wants, for myself and for others. I speak to You during worship along with all the others as we lift our voices in prayer and response. But speaking about You to others outside of the Church's footprint has never come easy to me.  I worry too much about not knowing enough to discuss or fend off debate, or being perceived as some kind of "holy roller."  You don't need me to plead Your cause but I would like to be less constricted in doing so. For today, I will give up being embarrassed in talking about my relationship with You. I will take on finding at least one moment, as a start, outside of Church, to say some small thing about my relationship with You in a conversation with another person, even if only in a casual remark.  I pray to You for the right words at the right moment, and, for me to make things less difficult for myself and others as You would have them be. Amen.

   *Dorothy Day was a primary founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in the 1930s, a pacifist nonviolent organization that continues to aid the poor today. She began and continued as editor of The Catholic Worker newspaper from its founding in 1933 until her death, drawing contributors such as Daniel Berrigan and Thomas Merton. She wrote passionately about women's rights, free love, and birth control early in her life but in the 1940s, she became an Oblate in the Order of St. Benedict. An oblate is a lay person unprofessed as a monk or nun who makes a commitment to a specific Rule of Life ~ often called a Third Order.
    In 2000, Pope John Paul II titled Day "Servant of God" as a person whose cause for Sainthood has been opened. She has been named "a person Worthy of Commemoration" in the US Episcopal Church whose guidelines allow for an official remembrance in the liturgical calendar no sooner than 50 years after death. Day's extensive biographical history is amazing in its breadth and depth. She would never have thought of herself as a saint, but she was most certainly a force to be reckoned with. Her canonization process in the Roman Catholic Church continues, not without some bumps in the path.

 

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 9, Give Up, Take On, Pray

I do not ask my students at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison

about their spirituality — I would not intrude on something so personal.

On occasion, however, they do share their views with me.

For a number of them, perhaps for all, the class creates a setting where,

as one student put it, “For two hours a week, we are no longer prisoners."   

~ Dr. Amy-Jill Levine*

      What does it mean to be a prisoner of unexamined faith?  Have you ever asked yourself, "What exactly do I believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and/or the Bible, the rules and expectations of my particular religious affiliation and practice, and, perhaps more importantly, why do I believe or accept it? What or who has influenced you in your beliefs? Maybe you do have questions but aren’t sure who or how to ask.  Sometimes it is just easier to go with the flow, follow the crowd, and just believe what an authority figure tells you is correct, especially if they’re ordained and/or extremely persuasive. But Lent is a time to begin to look more closely. There are no easy answers but within a trusting community, there are great opportunities to examine your absolutes, your maybes, your confusions, your questions. Maybe you’re curious about other denominations and even other faiths and practices, how they are different and similar yet not certain where to look for dependable and trustworthy information. Ask a librarian, search online, read several articles or books on the same subject by different authors with different backgrounds and credentials to think about. Perhaps you've examined your faith in the past and are confident in all that you believe, great! Yet now and then it is useful to review as in the grocery or hardware store list updates; some things retained, some things crossed off, some new things added. Think about finding or beginning a reading group to discuss, agreeing first that agreement on content isn’t necessary and will not be forced. Lent is the perfect time to check in with yourself again for some self-examination and discovery of what it means to oneself to be "faith-full" even with certainties, doubts, questions, and uncertainties that linger and change.

We have heard with our own ears, O God,
    our ancestors have told us,
What deeds you performed in their days,
   in the days of old ~ **
And those stories are so important in our faith journey and yet, there seems to be so much conflicting information, differing opinions ~ go this way, that's right, that's wrong, don't ask...I get confused. She said/he said/they say, and I like all of them, how can they think so differently?  I think I know what I believe about all the important things but I'm not always sure why or if what I believe is the right thing given all the shouting and controversies. Another moment for a long, slow, deep, breath... Today I will give up going through the motions of believing that I completely understand my faith. I will take on asking people I trust how to begin to sort out what I really believe and why. I will pray for an open mind and for the opening of the gates of my heart and soul to allow for changes in thought if they should appear; and also for the patience to accept that the journey of examined faith will ebb and flow with doubt and certainty and be as long as my earthly life.  amen.


*Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University School of Divinity.  She self-describes as a "Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominantly Protestant divinity school in the buckle of the Bible Belt," Levine "combines historical-critical rigor, literary-critical sensitivity, and a frequent dash of humor with a commitment to eliminating antisemitic, sexist, and homophobic theologies."

**Psalm 44:1  NRSV

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 8, Give Up, Take On, Pray

       Rumi was a 13th century Persian Poet, Teacher, Theologian, and Sufi Mystic. He gives us much to think about this Lenten season and in every day of our lives.  He was described as America's favorite poet in 2007.  I'm slowly realizing, after years of reading Rumi's poems, quotes, and thoughts, that I could be a much better human if I acted on more of his messages instead of merely enjoying them.
     Teaching unlimited tolerance, goodness, charity, and awareness through love, his message appeals to a wide range of creeds and sects around the world. Continuing on from yesterday’s message of love,  people ~ whether they are liked, disliked, loved, hated, or invisible in our sight ~ create all sorts of reactions and responses in our lives. Pay attention to the people you meet today ~ family, friends, co-workers, customers, clients, drivers on the road, fast food workers, store clerks. What words come to mind with each encounter (be honest with yourself!)...is there a lesson for you to think about?  How will you accept or resist them? How will they accept or resist you?


Dear Loving Creator of All Humanity,  
           We, Your people come in all shapes, sizes, colors, temperaments, personalities, beliefs, etc., and we judge them all according to our own sense of right, wrong, or indifference as us and them. Yes, yes, I know I'm not supposed to do that however it just seems to come all too naturally ~ meet, size up (also known as judge), decide, all in a nano-second. For today, I will give up deciding about someone based on a snap-judgment. I will take on an attempt to remember that I do not know the stories behind their eyes from a lifetime or an hour ago, as no one knows mine, and that smiles, disinterest, or anger doesn’t teach me anything about who they are. I’ll try to learn something, especially about myself, from each individual I encounter even if it is only seconds long. I will pray for everyone I see, or as many as I can, even if only with a quick "Bless her/him/them, Lord," even if the moment is unpleasant, or, perhaps because it is. I'll try to change the ugly words that sometimes come into my head in order to be the kinder, more considerate, and thoughtful person I want to be, as You want me to be. Help me, Lord, to remember that each person is Yours as I am, and to be grateful that “we” are in Your Creation together. amen.

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 7, Give Up, Take On, Pray

The Rule of Love for all of us is perfectly simple.
Do not waste time bothering whether you "love" your neighbour; act as if you did...
When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.
If you injure someone you dislike, you'll find yourself disliking him more.
Do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less...  

~ C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

         Of course, there's a slight catch ~ Lewis tells us further that doing a good turn to just obey the laws of charity or only to impress God isn't what the rule of love is all about. We are to treat others as equals in the sight of God. Will we fall head over heels with everyone ~ no!  But we can care for them anyway and begin to love them ~ or at least like ~ even if they don't love/like us back or drip gratitude all over any of our attempts at good deeds. Oh and, remember we are told by Jesus in the Summary of the Law [in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke] to love our neighbors as ourselves, that is, as if that neighbor is my self, me. Sometimes we do love our neighbors as, in the same way that, we love ourselves, so, perhaps, while working on loving that grumpy, annoying, irritating, over-extroverted or over-introverted, terribly driving, late night partying, “get off my lawn” neighbor, we need to examine ourselves more deeply within. Perhaps what we don’t like most in others is what we don’t like most in ourselves. It might help if I keep in mind that the only person I can change is me.

*Eternal Spirit, 
Earth-Maker, Pain-Bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all, 
Loving God, in whom is heaven...
      It is always easier to do good things for people I love and like. It is downright difficult and even unpleasant to attempt to do nice things for someone I dislike and all the harder if the dislike is intense!  Sigh....Ok, it's Lent, a time to try on new behaviors, new ways of living into the love of Christ. SO, for today, I'll take a deep breath and give up looking down on people I have decided for some reason that I don't like. I'll take on looking at all people through a different lens, seeing them as children of God just as I am. At the very least a kind word with no desire for or expectation of return would be a start. I'll pray for the tranquility to leave the details of who is right/wrong/good/bad to God. All I need to do is love others as if they are myself (and figuring out just how do I love myself) ~ and seeing myself and another as equal in the eyes of You, our Eternal God. I will definitely  need some help with this so You and I will be talking about this again. amen.


Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) held the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University in England and is considered a significant Christian writer of his time. An author of more than 30 books, he is probably best known today for The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters.

*The beginning of an alternative to the Lord's Prayer in A New Zealand Prayer Book

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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 6, Give Up, Take On, Pray

“It is true that we cannot be free from sin, 

but at least let our sins not be always the same.” 

~ St. Teresa of Avila  (1515-1582)

     Teresa of Avila: Mystic, Nun, Saint, Author, Theologian, Doctor of the Church, also known as Teresa of Jesus. Teresa founded the Carmelite order along with priest/friar, mystic, poet, and author of The Dark Night of the Soul, John of the Cross. Her writings, especially The Interior Castle and her autobiography The Life of Teresa of Jesus, as part of the Spanish Renaissance Literature are still widely read and cherished today.  Her ecstatic experiences informed her exercise of meditation and provide us with The Way of Perfection. Human and Saint, the often feisty Teresa still offers us down-to-earth yet heavenly advice and direction.

God of Heaven, Earth and every Universe, as I wake each morning my mind and heart intend for me to be a better person, live a better life, and be more faithful to You. By the end of the second cup of coffee, I've wandered off the track again. At the end of the day, I've unconsciously thought and acted in ways contrary to Your love and will for me. For today, I will give up unconsciously doing the same things in the same ways, and I will take on living with a conscious mind ~ thinking carefully and acting thoughtfully, keeping You uppermost in my mind.  I pray for the awareness of Your Presence, the memory of the sacrifice of Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, now and always. amen.  

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