John 4:1-26 Worship in Spirit and Truth

Observation: Jesus goes way off his "home turf" , to Samaria, and defies cultural expectations by not only talking to a woman he's not related to, in public, but a woman who happens to be a Samaritan. Jesus just got done saying "The Spirit blows where She wills." God's Spirit has brought Jesus to this unfamiliar place, and Jesus follows Her lead.

Application: Even when we as Christians start to see ourselves as "disciples making disciples," trying to share God's love and grace wherever we go, we naturally tend to want to share first with the people like us. For years, Lutherans looking to start a church would "look for the Lutherans"--i.e., the Germans and Scandinavians--and go there. And when the communities around us started to look less German and Scandinavian, and frankly less white, our congregations started to flounder. This, despite the ELCA setting a goal at its founding to be at least 10% nonwhite and speaking a language other than English, and 28 years later, still being 98% white. I think if we're listening for "where the Spirit is blowing", we need to stop making assumptions about what a Lutheran looks like, and start listening to voices different from our own. We need to go off our own turf, like Jesus did, and start some new conversations...or really, listen carefully to conversations that have been going on for years, and letting those who we have seen as "other" than us set the agenda. That's what Jesus did.

Prayer: Spirit, lead us where we would not at first think to go. Start a conversation. Help us to listen and not interrupt. Help us to find a new worship together, which isn't based on our own cultural assumptions, but rather on your guidance and your truth. In Jesus' name, Amen.