Good Shepherd News

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

Unlike many of his compatriots who chose to circumvent Samaria on their journeys to and from Galilee and Judea Jesus chose the direct route, through a country and a people despised by the Jews. The Samaritans were considered half-breeds, religious misfits. They were unclean and everything they touched was unclean. And yet in the blazing heat of the noonday sun Jesus, a young Jewish man, enters into conversation with one who is triply unclean: a woman, a sinner, and a Samaritan. In doing so he breaks three social taboos, and she is astonished. And we learn at least four things about the heart of God.

One: God's grace always goes before us. He does not wait for us to take the first step. Jesus initiated the conversation with the woman at the well, he did not wait until she was "clean" to enter into a relationship. St Paul puts it this way "while we were still sinners Christ died for us ... while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son."

Two: God acts gently with us to reveal our sin. Jesus knew the woman's background before he started the conversation with her. He entered into a relationship before gently showing her that he knew her sin. He will not burden us with showing us all our sins at once, but will gently lead us to see each desert area of our lives that needs to be washed clean by his living water.

Three: God is not put off by our past. He pays no heed to the externals. He looks deep within and and knows our potential. Our Lord was willing to trust the truth about himself with a sinful half-breed, an outcast among outcasts, and she became the first evangelist to the Samaritan people. Known in the Orthodox Church as St. Photini, which means "equal to the apostles."

Four: He can, and will, call any of his children to be about his kingdom work.

We do not need to grapple our way to God, he comes to us. We do not need to be "good" to be loved by him: "while we were still sinners Christ died for us." We do not need to be overwhelmed by our sins, he gently reveals them to us so that he can wash us clean with his living water. We do not need to be bound by our past, he sees our potential and breaks the bondage of past sins. We do not need to wonder whether or not we are worthy to be entrusted with his kingdom work.

The Lord goes out before you, let him show you the desert places in need of his living water, allow his spring of life-giving water to well up inside you. The desert will blossom, and he will use the overflow from you to bring life to others.

In His Peace, Grace, and Love,
Rev'd Sarah+