Learning to Make Introductions
John 4:5-42
by Jim Westmoreland
Intro.-A funny email prompted me to think more seriously.
Other deep thoughts...
 | If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose? |
| Why is it that when you transport something by car, its called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, its called cargo? |
| Why do we play in recitals and recite in plays? |
| Why isn't the word 'phonetic' spelled the way it sounds? |
| Where are Preparations A through G? |
| Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? |
And I then continued to wonder about more serious things like . . .
| Why did Jesus die on the cross? |
| Why did the twelve disciples forsake Him when He was crucified? |
| Why did Jesus say, "He that is without sin cast the first stone?" |
| Are people in this community turned off by a loving, forgiving God or by their inaccurate idea of God? |
| If God reached out to us, can we reach out to others? |
This passage in John the fourth chapter is one of my favorite passages. It is
early in Jesus' ministry. The disciples have only been with him a short time. They had
traveled down to Jerusalem for the Passover. While there, Jesus had shocked them when he
drove the money-changers out of the Temple. Now, he was ready to go back to Galilee.
Palestine, in Jesus day, was only 120 miles long from the North to the South. And, it was
divided into three regions, Galilee, Samaria and Judah. The Jews hated the Samaritans and
avoided them completely, even to the extent of crossing the Jordan River to avoid going
through Samaria when going back and forth from Galilee and Judah.
Some of the disciples were probably discussing their shock at Jesus' actions
in the Temple as they approached the fork in the road to head for the Jordan River on
their way back to Galilee, except that Jesus went straight North towards
Samaria!! Then, he stopped outside of Sychar at Jacob's well. He sent the disciples into
town to get food. (They would have to do business with Samaritans! This trip would put new
meaning into the word, "disciple"They would have to learn some new things. They
would be stretched and grow according to a new discipline of love and grace that they were
only beginning to learn about.)
Meanwhile, a Samaritan woman approaches the well to get water. A couple of
observations: she is coming at noon, the sixth hour; and she is using the well one-half
mile from town, when there was water in town. It is the heat of the day, not the time to
do manual chores, and she would have to carry the heavy water pots the half-mile back into
town. We don't have to know the end of the story to know that this woman was an outcast
for some reason, and the burden of her shame was heavier than her burden carrying the
water pots.
The good news of this story is that she has the experience of tasting
"living water" as she talks with Jesus. She wasn't sure what it was, but she
knew she liked it, and she knew that Jesus must be the long-awaited Messiah. She was so
completely changed by this experience with Jesus that she went running back into town.
In verse 28-29, she said to the men, "Come and see a man who told me all
the things that I have done!" If all we see here is an enthusiastic response, we miss
the heavy drama of what she is doing. Remember that, under the Jewish law, a woman could
be stoned to death for committing adultery. Of course the women didn't throw the stones!
This was a man thing, and she had run right to those who could become her executioners. As
if that were not enough, listen again to what she tells them, "Come and see a man who
told me all the things that I have done!" Now that ought to make everyone really feel
comfortable! Yeh, let's go out and meet that new guy that can tell everyone what all our
sins are!!
Now, the logical thing would have been to ignore this woman, turn away from
her or join in putting her down. Why didn't that happen?
Because the four things we talked about last week that God wants from us are present in this story about this woman. She was available to be used by God. She was willing to be relatable to people that she knew talked behind her back and could have had her killed. She had a story that was tellable. God in Jesus had done something in her life. She had been loved and forgiven and set free. She was so overwhelmed by God's grace that she ran back into town to tell others. She was compelled by an overpowering love. And, because of her testimony the townspeople were compelled to meet Jesus and hear for themselves. And they believed that Jesus was indeed the Savior of the world.
Conclusion:
This woman and her home town had an experience with the love of God. It
changed their lives. What they did was natural. They introduced others to Jesus. When our
heart is full and overflowing with the love of God, it is not a burden or an imposition to
tell someone about what God has done for us.
I want to close with a story about a 3-yr old boy's love for his infant
sister. But, it is really a story about how God loves each of us. And when we know we are
loved by God, things happen!!--for people, for families, for churches and
for communities. Listen for the presence of God in this story:
The Faith of a little child
Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way,
she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling.
They found out that the new baby was going to be a girl, and day after day, night after
night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love with
his little sister before he even met her.
The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther
Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. In time, the labor pains came.
Soon it was every five minutes, every three ...every minute. But serious complications
arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor. Would a C-section be
required? Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in
very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant
to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell
the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst." Karen and
her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special
room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a
funeral. Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I
want to sing to her," he kept saying. Week two in intensive care looked as if a
funeral would come before the week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing to his
sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. Karen made up her mind, though. She
would take Michael whether they liked it or not! If he didn't see his sister right then,
he may never see her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him
into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket. But the head nurse recognized him as a
child and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now! No children are allowed." The
mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right
into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings
to his sister!"
Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant
losing the battle to live. After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted voice of
a 3-year-old, Michael sang: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy
when skies are gray ---" Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate
began to calm down and become steady. "Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged
Karen with tears in her eyes. "You never know dear, how much I love you, Please don't
take my sunshine away-" As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained
breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr. "Keep on singing, sweetheart!!!"
"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms..."
Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her.
"Keep on singing, Michael." Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head
nurse. Karen glowed. "You are my sunshine, my only Sunshine. Please don't, take my
sunshine away..."
The next, day...the very next day...the little girl was well
enough to go home! Woman's Day Magazine called it "The Miracle of a Brother's
Song." The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God's
love!
As believers and followers of Christ, we have some very special stories to share. But not only that, we can help others share the story that they are discovering in their lives. Yes we can affirm others and help them to grow by letting them tell their stories to us. So, we also need to ask ourselves, when people have experienced something special, are we available to hear them? When they do come to us, are we relatable? Do we make them feel glad they shared with us? Or, do they feel let down, and not taken seriously? Do we see the work of God's spirit in their lives and join them in seeing what they have to tell about God's love and grace? And, last do we feel that God's love and grace and presence in our daily lives are compelling enough to share with others?