Shunned - a reflection on John 4.5-42

Written for delivery on sunday 15 march, as I sit in self-isolation following travel.

SHUNNED - a reflection by Rev. Laura Marie

John 4.5-42

If you've ever spent time with teenagers, you'll know that drama happens.

Old friends and new friends, break-ups and make-ups, couples and groups, there's drama.

And one of the things that we see playing out with that age group is: being shunned. Cast out. Ignored. Rejected. Denied.

This is not just Intentional Social Distancing, to use this week's buzz-phrase.

This is a severing of connection - a denial of community - a clean break that is based on finality.

Shunned is exactly what the woman at the well is feeling today.

She has been removed from her peers.

She has been rejected by her community.

She has been shunned by her own people.

That's why she is alone - when walking alone to a well is not a safe thing to do - even today: where wells are used, women walk in groups for safety's sake.

It's why she is there at noon - the hottest time of day, the most uncomfortable and unpleasant time to do strenuous work - the time when no one else is going to be there.

It's why she has a bit of sass when she speaks to Jesus - she doesn't care what social protocols she breaks, because she is already rejected to the point where it doesn't make a difference if she does more to damage her reputation. She has nothing left to lose.

She is without a voice, without friends, without dignity.

And there is where Jesus meets her:

Where she needs him most - even at an unlikely location.

When she needs him most - even at an inconvenient time.

How she needs him most - even when she thinks she's beyond help.

Because - here is the hard part - she believes what others are saying about her. She believes that she deserves to be shunned.

She thinks she is right to be scorned and ridiculed because of her situations and her life choices.

She believes that she is unloved... And unlovable. And that what the others in town are doing is the right thing.

She has bought into being cast aside.

But Jesus! Jesus comes along, and tells her she's wrong.

He tells her she is worthy.

That she is loved.

That she is important.

That she is more than her past, and more than her reputation.

He tells her that the stigma around her doesn't matter to him.

And that's fascinating, because even she points out to him that they should not be speaking; that society should keep them far apart.

Her people agree. His disciples agree.

Yet: Jesus says: I see you. I see the real you. I see the you that others have rejected... and I value YOU.

It's a powerful thing for the woman to hear.

It's a powerful message for the disciples to hear.

It's a powerful message for US to hear:

Because it's what we all want to hear; and it's what we all *need* to hear.

This is the Good News of God: a God who meets us where we are, who focuses not on what divides, but on what brings us together? A God who celebrates our shared humanity and encourages personal growth and reconciliation? A God who delights in spiritual nourishment and fulfillment?

This is the God who calls to us now.

The God who is meeting us where we are: in our places of fear, and self-doubt, and confusion. The God who is journeying with us in times of uncertainty, and isolation, and cynicism.

This God tells us that we are more than that: that we deserve more than that.

And that we are invited to share that Good News.

We are invited to seek out the people that our community rejects: the people that are suffering stigma, and social isolation, and rejection.

We are invited to extend a greeting of friendship, of peace, of welcome. We are invited to bring the living water to those who are thirsty for Jesus

Especially in an era of COVID fears, where we are encouraged to physically isolate, God encourages us to find ways to spiritually engage.

And so we pray:

May the God who sees the best in people, open our eyes to each other.

May the God who loves fully, open our hearts to each other.

May the God whose perfect wisdom ignores societal divisions, empower us to do the same.

May the God who brings perfect refreshment for our souls, continue to be living water for our thirst.

And may the God who gives us faith, be with us beyond all our fears.

In the name of Jesus we pray; Amen.

Sermon 01 march (Lent 1)

First Sunday of Lent

Gen 2.15-17,3.1-7; Ps 32; Rom 5.12-19; Mt 4.1-11

            What a great way to start our Sundays in Lent - with an overall theme of temptation! Fairly fitting - as since Ash Wednesday, we are in a season of fasting - almsgiving - self-denial - self-reflection - prayer - etc. It's a time fraught with - you guessed it: temptation.

            And temptation is one of those biblical and spiritual and religious words that has shifted into mainstream culture. We understand 'giving up chocolate for Lent' with the intention of diving in to those Easter eggs 40 days later. Raising the stakes, we recognize that someone with an addiction - of toxic substance or relationship - will live with temptation daily, fighting against brain chemistry that tells them it will all feel better once they partake.

            Yet for all of us an even more dangerous reality is what's being highlighted to us today: spiritual temptation. This is more than a dessert indulgence or an addict's fix. The biggest challenge with spiritual temptation is this: temptation finds YOU. Every scriptural expression of temptation is one that has come - with forceful intentionality - towards the individual: it accuses - it slanders - it tempts. In fact, the very word Satan (Ha-satan) means these things. And, WOW, is the accuser and tempter VERY good at their job.

            Because part of what this trickster does, is to show you something very simple. Basic. Common. An everyday thing that might make your life a little bit better.  And hidden deep within that offer is the fine print. And the tempter doesn't want you to read the fine print.

            Take our first passage this morning - the infamous fruit in the Garden (Fruit, not apple; it was likely a fig, if the later fashion show is anything to go by!). The temptation to bite into that fruit is not about a succulent morsel - it's a taste of ego, of arrogance, of pride. It's the entitlement - our earthly Eve and Adam believe the serpent that they can gain knowledge to be equal to or higher than God, without God knowing that they have done this.

            Temptation. It tracked them down - and reached to their most vulnerable space - and thus we began knowing the word "sin" - to turn away from God.

            The Gospel reiterates this. For here we have Jesus - immediately following his baptism, that celebration of community and sinlessness - being swept into solitude, and offered exactly what his body wanted most. 'Hungry?' Satan asks a famished Jesus - 'have some bread - I won't tell that you've broken your diet. Worried about your physical safety? We can keep you safe. Power and fame? I'll give you those too - - -

just worship me. (and, by extension - NOT God.)'

            And.... there it is. The fine print. The catch. The temptation - to turn away from God.

            The tempter is smart - knowing exactly the physical and psychological needs that Jesus - any human - would have. Returning again and again with increasing temptations. The tempter threatens, and when vulnerability is highest - slides in with an offer. Food for the hungry; safety for the threatened; control over others when feeling weakened or vulnerable.

            I'm going to point something out here, that might be overlooked: the tempter is not actually offering anything. Temptation - biblical and otherwise - is all smoke and mirrors. The fruit was already on the tree, never touched by the serpent. The bread is only a stone that Jesus would have to change himself. The pinnacle descent would rely on Jesus to call his own heavenly attendants. And the authority - well, that's an empty promise, as Satan never had it to give in the first place.

            Temptation. It looks really good - on the surface.

            It's when we go below the surface that things get more complicated.

            It takes significant faith to stand up to our temptations. BUT - this is the Good News - we can do it. When we are prepared, when we are firm in our hearts and minds and souls, we can overcome the tempter.

            This is what Paul assures the church in Rome - that through faith in Jesus Christ and a holy lifestyle the forgiveness of sins will be paramount - and we shall benefit from "justification and life for all."

            It's there in the psalm - that as we bring ourselves truthfully before God, we are never alone. There's a highlight here on community - which we know we need - to carry us through the temptation of our desires or addictions! "Great are the tribulations of the wicked; but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord."

            And this is what we do - especially during Lent. We acknowledge temptation. We spend time in prayer, to make our connection with God stronger. We fast, to remember our frailty and not get caught up in entitlement. We give alms - sharing of our abundance that others may have basic needs met. We reflect on our own lives and journeys, so that we might be better prepared for when the tempter - in whatever form - comes to us.

            And we do this together. Because temptation is easier to face when we're not alone: this is one of the joys of being in Christian community: not just holding one another accountable to that chocolate intake; or helping one another through the moment of weakness where we fear we may succumb.

            It's the benefit of being family: of knowing and loving one another well enough that we come as we are: sinners in need of redeeming, lost sheep in need of a shepherd, children in need of loving arms. And in this family we do receive just that: the love of God, the salvation of Christ, the blessings of the Spirit.

            So I invite us to spend a holy Lent - aware of the temptations around us, preparing ourselves for what we may face: and embracing one another as beloved in the Lord. For in this communion we will lean on each other for strength, engage one another for guidance, delight in communal worship. For the love of God, and in God's holy name: may we share a blessed Lent.