Water is life for the Community

 Life or at least the human body and most organic matter is composed of between 55-60% of water. We cannot live without water and in some regions of the planet water is the single most important commodity that is known. It is not therefore surprising that in a desert environment that water is the first thing that is asked for and required, for life. In trekking through the desert the people who have come out of Egypt request of Moses this most important of commodities (Ex. 17.2). On a hot day trekking through northern Israel Christ stops for water at a well that is quite important in the history of the Faith (Jn. 4.6) resting there while the disciples go to find food at a nearby town.

Our drop of water sends out ripples into the community

There are a large number of things that are going on in the discourse between Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well. Much as been spoken with regards the various themes that run through this passage and their meaning. Many of them are around the taboos that are being broken during the course of the dialogue. Perhaps for us today the underpinning theological and cultural roots of this event are of little importance but rather the more important practical understandings that are raised regarding our own lives in the here and now. Like all of us the Samaritan woman had been culturally conditioned into her thinking, especially when it comes to the use of water. The legacy of the past and our own cultural backgrounds govern how we respond when it comes to the use of water. For many of us living today we expect that water will come out of a tap, it is resource that is forever there and ever will be. In lands like the Samaria and other places in the Middle East this is not as given as we would like to think. In Christ's time even more so and sources were closely guarded resources for the disparate communities. Hospitality was paramount within such communities but fear of the stranger was just as rife. In this irregular social interaction these realities war in the background of the discourse, especially as Christ seems to know more than the local woman. The offer of an eternal life giving source of water has both faith and practical implications to us. The faith implications are with regards our own acceptance of Christ but this has an automatic practical implication for our lives.

Christ's call to us is reflected in relational community in our lives. We are asked to specifically love our neighbours as ourselves as second to love of God. The reality of this for us is a reality based on ensuring that the least amongst us gets the resources that they need. This reflects our love of neighbour and obeying the will of God. It creates for us a willingness to accept the other into our lives irrespective of their view point or their understanding. This acceptance of the other grants to all the means for life and is an eternal well of life as we bring God's presence into the lives of those around us by all that we are in community. How does this apply to our resource that is vital for normal life? The Bishops of the Riverina (Anglican) and Wilcannia-Forbes (Catholic) wrote a joint statement in 2020 that quoted Laudato si', the Pope's encyclical, from which I quote:

"Even as the quality of available water is constantly diminishing, in some places there is a growing tendency, despite its scarcity, to privatise this resource, turning it into a commodity subject to the laws of the market."

If Christ calls us into community how can the view of the individual (private) dominate our thoughts. Like the Samaritan woman we seem to be more concerned about the security of our life's water (faith and otherwise) and its retention for us personally. We need to move from a self centered understanding and box to one that has no definitions other than that which Christ and God imposes, which is outside the box. The growth of the middle man to obtain economic advantage has removed our understanding of God's gift to humanity. If we are to live life as Christ we need to remove our controls and give thanks for what God gives to us whilst sharing it with the other, knowing that God will provide for all. We need to totally re-think how we utilise water and the gifts that God has given us, sharing with all irrespective of their understanding of God, for all are made in the image of God. The Samaritan woman moved beyond her own pre-judgements to bring God's presence into the community. In moving through Lent we also need to move beyond our own understanding into God's presence so that we too may share God's love with those who are our neighbours without imposing our understanding. We also need to re-think how we are to share our resources and not hoard them for ourselves only then will we begin to participate in the life eternal offered by Christ.

Metanoia re-turning to God

 At the heights of Charismania and even today we shudder, or at least I do, when someone asks "Have you been born again?" asking of course if you had accepted 'Jesus' into your life. For any Christian of faith this is undoubtedly the most inane and disrespectful question to ask. In the end it becomes boring and embarrassing, perhaps because of the overly enthusiastic manner of the asking or maybe at the end of the day thinking 'I am a Christian, why do I need to be tagged by these embarrassing invitations to a charismatic event I know I will just shrivel up and die at?' or some other similar thought. I always felt that their tag along lines were fatuous and boring not really portraying the reality of Christian life. Rather it appeared to be a summons into a frivolous and superficial life that had little to do with the way of Christ and more to do with their understanding of what a Christian was. Yet, Christ asks us to be 'Born again' and as Nicodemus asks 'How can someone be born when he is old?' (Jn 3.3-4).

If we are to think of these things in any manner of depth we start to realise that what puts people of from the question "Have you been born again?" is the earnest frivolousness of the poser of the question and the embarrassment felt for their misunderstanding of the question.  The question is real and needs to be thought about especially when Christ is surprised at Nicodemus' ignorance. The real response that Christ is trying to elicit is a turning or rather a re-turning towards God, in essence being born again to God. A conscious movement of metanoia, the re-establishment of God's commandments in our hearts so that we can live them rather than mouth them.  Looking back towards the end of the age of Charismania  the turn off was with regards the embarrassing debacles that many found themselves trapped into and what in reality turned out to be major scams, which lacked any real re-turning. All that it created was a hit in terms of negative publicity for faith in and of itself and in reality turned people away from God and not a re-turning to God. The failure of so many is in the misunderstanding that the call to be born again is a one off singularity that bears no relation to our lived lives.  This is not true because our lives are only human the call is a constant one that is repeated every single day.

The blind lead the blind like lemmings off a cliff but Christ leads us to re-turn to God and new life 

The call of 're-turning' is a long and hard journey as Abram found out (Gen. 12ff).  All that Abram had was a promise from God.  All that any of us has is a promise from God.  God does not promise us an easy life all that God asks of us, in return for his promise, is faithfulness.  God knows that we are only human and have the failings of all humanity. Christ is our example of a life that is to be lived in God, re-turned to God and lived with God; born again.  All we have to do is follow.  We follow where God leads this does not mean that we are lemmings following blindly as we run off the cliff.  Our paths are not always paths that are conducive or even easy but so often we are pulled from what God calls us to by our own petty minded wants and wishes.  It is when we focus on these that we are again reminded that we need to re-turn to God.  In focusing on God we begin to live lives that are filled with the Spirit and bring hope into the lives around us.  If we begin to believe that it is 'our' ministry or 'our' leadership, or 'our' sermon that is changing lives then sadly we have missed God.

Lent is a time for us to re-turn to the path that God calls us to.  It is a path filled with struggles, low places, high places, places of sadness and places of joy but it is a journey that God calls us to.  It is the journey to the resurrection and new life.  It is a journey that calls us to be 'born again' and 'again' and 'again'.  Each time we turn from God's purposes we turn from new life, each time we go our own way we turn from new life.  Just as our initial birth is both a joy and hard labour so our re-birth is joy and hard labour.  Lenten journeys ask us to reflect on who we are, what we have become and to re-turn to Christ-likeness on the long path to God.  Too often we indeed act as lemmings rather than as intelligent beings made in the image of God rushing after this saviour or that only to find disappointment.  God constantly calls us to re-turn and a new birth.  A change in our lives so profound that we ourselves are changed.

It is not the temptation but what you do with it

 The serpentine coils of temptation are with us still in an age of easy communication and persuasive advertising.  The problem or the challenge rather is the need to change gears, so to speak, and see with the eyes of Christ.  Justin Welby introduces this challenge at the beginning of his 2017 Lent book  and needs to be seriously considered if we are to be true to Christ's call on our lives.  Christ offers an appropriate response as he is driven into the desert following his acceptance by God (Matt 4.1-11).  Each time the temptation arises Christ responds with a referencing back to God and God alone.  In some ways the wording and the scriptural references are not important in this passage it is the fact that God alone is the source of all things.

In direct contrast the temptation of Eve and Adam (Gen. 3.1-7), created in God's image is the same as that offered to Christ but the responses given are very different.  The same choices are given to us daily and our response is ours to give but our mindset is not that of God / Christ.  Too often our response is still the response of Adam and Eve rather than Christ / God.  Looking generally at what we are offered each day in line with the temptations that Christ / Adam / Eve are offered we can see that it is food, fame and power/authority.  We all have to have some form of energy to  live, irrespective of who we are but it is what we do with our energy source that is at stake.  Adam / Eve were placed in a garden that produced all the food that they would ever want.  The food was provided by God and if we have faith than God will provide for our needs as he did for the first humans.  Christ acknowledges this as he is tempted with food at the end of his fast.  Do we think of Eve's temptation as a temptation of food? Not really but that is ultimately the serpent's approach (Gen 3.1).  The serpent appeals to the gustatory experience and then moves onto other temptations.  We utilise our food resources for our benefit, our profit, our GDP, etc., while the world goes hungry.  We bemoan the fact that there is famine but lock up food so that no one can have the food unless we can profit from it.  If not ourselves, than certainly the multi-corporates that control our food chain.  Is this not the same temptation that is on offer?  God provides us with food but we do not allow it out of our hands (temptation). What will we do? Have we no compassion, can we not see with Christ like eyes those that are in need, overcoming poverty and hunger may solve many of our burdensome population growth problems.

The coils of the serpent surround us still

But then we wilt lose out on our fame and fortune, to be like God (temptation 2), coming in and saving the day acting as if it is out of beneficence that we give our stocks away.  Look at the mileage that we will get out of our 'charity' rather than out of a sense of God's graciousness.  The generosity that is used to provide food is a source of pride and self aggrandisement.  The press is there we are famous for a day and a half.   Our twitter feed will go through the roof and we will have so many likes on Facebook that we will be like God.  Not only do we not seek God's grace but we look for our own prosperity and popularity rather than giving thanks for the goodness God brings.  What else did Adam and Eve require when in the garden? Why did they require popularity or the notoriety of becoming like a God?  Why, Why, Why?  We look around the world today and to get on we have to become popular it would seem.  The biggest twitter feed, more likes than Lionel Messi on Instagram, etc.  All God would like is our attention on God, not on ourselves, because then we may see the poverty and desperation around us.  The injustices caused by our incessant need for popularity and fame.

Then of course the final instalment.  Becoming like God in popularity is not enough we have to have the power.  Jesus' response is the correct one because we are not up to creation but God is and I am sure he weeps over our drive for God's power. Just stop and think about wanting power.  Remind yourselves that with power comes responsibility not only for those around you  and beneath you but also those who want your place in the hierarchy of power.  All of it takes time, effort and work.  Adam and Eve did not have their work cut out in the garden but as soon as they achieved power they had to work to maintain everything.  The consequence is greater than the wished for power.  We have to start relying on ourselves which eventually drives us away from all the good.  We isolate ourselves in our hunger for power.  We are thrust out of the supporting community as we seek power.  Acknowledgement of God and opening our eyes to Christ show us the relationships and support that fill our lives with love.  We gain hope and security as we find we do not have to fight tooth and claw because God's graciousness fills all our needs.  Only when we can see as Christ will we see our own faults and driving brokenness.

Changing perspectives in a new world

 The human being is under constant strain as each person changes on a daily basis in small and large ways.  These changes may be a simple as re-newing our skin each day or the more complex mental and social changes that come with the break up of a partnership.  So often at moments of stress with the implications of change to our perceptions narrow down and focus on anything we can think of to become an anchor (Matt 17.4).  Individuals and organisations all respond in similar ways by re-casting a new foundation that stops the change process and builds a new structure that can bring comfort and solace.

Social change is inevitable as we continue to adapt to our burgeoning knowledge and competencies in new technologies.  This creates instability within our lives as can be seen for example in the looming referendum regarding The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Australia.  Those who presumed that their views regarding race and ownership of land as well as the subordination of those who are different were going to be constant are now challenged. There is now a vacuum of thought in which people are existing attempting to find some solidity to their future thinking in a modern society.  The mountaintop experience drops into this vacuum announcing the possibilities of a new future and hope.  In such circumstances the new vision / hope is subsumed into a twisted reality that falls back onto known ideals and systems that have served over decades becoming fixated in a manner that does not allow for the hope expressed to become realised. Thus, we have an increase in racial and tensions over the other within society falling back on a sense of privilege or previously held archaic views of dominance.

The mountain top gives us a fleeting look at the way ahead

In the purview of religious and faith structures the same thing happens as we can perhaps see in our modern debates around sexuality and we have a tendency to be like Peter grasping for the familiar in a new and changing landscape.  In keeping with all moments of transfiguration or change the moment is fleeting and disruptive.  The sudden understanding that this, whatever this is, is a momentous moment that has an lasting impact upon our lives. It leaves us drifting with no anchor and a need to find ourselves in a familiar a haven.  The mountain top experience is a liminal space and place that is unique in that it brings to the fore a glimpse of the hope for the future yet centring it in the uncertainty of the present. That hope is now our centre, a vision that needs to come into reality within our lives as we cement it into a new way of being / doing / thinking.  Our challenge is to see the hope made reality rather than an anchor in the past to subsume the hope.  The disciples are looking for an unchanged reality that they can cope with and are familiar with, rather than to formulate a new understanding based on the hope that they have seen.

The hope that appears in the mountain top experience is not necessarily something that manifests immediately.  Just look at the disciples it was years before they realised that hope and only after the resurrection.  The experience is but a signpost and something that invigorates us for the next part of the journey.  Showing us that hope is present it is not something that needs to be grabbed but rather it is something that needs to be followed and nurtured in our lives.  It is a breaking into the present of an intimation of the future requiring us to acknowledge it and act upon that knowledge to bring about the hope that has been expressed.  There are as many downs before the fulfilment of the hope as there are ups towards it.  However, if we cling to the familiar we will never move into the future journey that brings us so much joy, laughter and love.

How do we tell the truth?

 I wonder what we think about when we think about telling or stating the truth of our lives? There are so many ways that we can interpret what we think the truth is and how that impacts on how we live and what we do with our personal lives. Indeed it is often said that truth is malleable and is determined by what you know or understand. This may well be the case but it can be seen that there are certain truths that are not malleable but are sure in our lives and can be shown through time. Repeated trial and error experimentation has shown some truths that are understood to be the bedrock of faith in the Christian church indeed lead to a better existence. One of these is the commandment to love, another could rightly be said to be living the way of Christ (although some may wish to substitute Buddha, Mohammed, etc) but in the end human thought has realised that most of the fundamental understandings of faith boil down to the truth of the way.

Too often I find we over theologise those things that matter rather than thinking of the original recipients and how they might receive the message that is being given. The passage from Deuteronomy spells it out fairly succinctly that we need to conform to the ways of God and to love God (Deut. 10:12b). Yet, we still seem to think that what we believe and what we think ourselves is the be all and the end all. Thus, what we believe to be love irrespective of whether that actually entails acceptance and listening or not has to be the correct way and true. Thus, if I state that tradition or my own thought declares that everyone who is different from me cannot be loved this is true, irrespective of that not being how God may define love. So I go my own way and tell my truths as to how I perceive what God's love is for this has to be the truth for it is my truth. Yet, Paul in his letter to the Corinthians speaks against precisely this (1 Co 3:3-4). Once we start pursuing truth as if it belongs to or is only associated with one person then we have fallen away from what God is and asks of us.

Don't make Pinocchio's of our faith and lived lives

Paul goes on in the same passage from Cor (3:8-9) suggesting that we are a team that goes to build the structure that belongs to Christ and hence belongs to and of God. It is in this respect that we as a part of the body of Christ must operate so that we to may conform to God as God's love is not an exclusionary love, as that is humanities conception, but inclusionary to an extent that is beyond our wildest understanding. It is not the love fest understanding of the 60's but rather something that is even more exclusive in its inclusion of all. When we attempt to state that we are in accordance of God's law we often skirt around the issue and say something along the lines of "Yes, we love you but..." or else we say that we are trying to dialogue with ... so that we can include them. Neither of these are really stating the truth that God wants us to conform to or represent as the body of Christ or as that human expression of unity the Church.

Christ makes all of this quite plain in the passage from the Sermon on the Mount regarding oaths (Matt. 5:33-37). Reminding ourselves that he is talking to non-erudite folk who are listening to him and has just finished explaining how we handle our own sexual needs in some really down to earth language that we theologise (Mat. 5:27-30) so as not to or gloss the actuality of what is said. It is perhaps the hardest thing any person can do, especially in this day and age, and that is allow what we say to be who we are in truth. Too often we mask ourselves in what we believe society wants us to say rather than what God wants of us i.e. the truth of our lives. In our words to each other we often gloss over our meaning or our intent in such a manner that the words no longer matter. We make promises to elicit higher effort or to maximise profit for ourselves and our community rather than just stating the truth of the matter, Indeed in some respects we can no longer tell the truth because our society has taught us to lie. It is convenient and also less stressful as the lies that we often tell our no longer notices by those around us. We just need to look at how we portray what we think of as the "best" dressed, beautiful, person to emulate rather than tell the truth of their lives only to find our the darkness that surrounds them. Christ states make your yes be yes and your no no that is how we used to see ourselves. Let us reclaim ourselves as purveyors of God's goodness and not those that do evil in the world.

Presenting ourselves before God

 The Jewish ordinances required that the first born be presented to God which is what happened when Christ is taken to Jerusalem. It was part of the purification ritual that all Jewish people undertook in accordance with the laws given in the Torah  (Ex 13:12-15; Lev. 12). The event is for Mary herself and for the redemption of her first born son, Jesus. The first was to remove the impurities associated with childbirth and is a rite of cleansing something that was a must in ancient times to ensure, not only in terms of faith but also in terms of social behaviours and health, cleanliness with a surety of being disease free. This is also a time when the first born son was presented and redeemed from God who required the firstborn as sacrifice. There have over the years a number of other things been associated with this date in terms of its alternative name of Candlemas when the beeswax candles were blessed for the year.

So why celebrate this, why make a liturgical fuss about a Jewish event for a mother that was normal for the time and has lived out its usefulness in terms of our modern society? Perhaps there are a number of reasons that can be thought of a) it introduces the Simeon prophesy with regards the Christ and Mary, b) it also introduces the prophecies of Anna though we pay small attention to them. Furthermore, it is an opportunity for ourselves to once again present ourselves as an offering to God and seek his presence to guide and direct us in lives that are lived in Christ. Something that we remind ourselves of at the end of each Eucharistic service. In doing this we need to pay attention to both Simeon and Anna as their words, at least some of them, are familiar to us or should be. The words that are not familiar, I suspect most people do not know what Simeon says after what we call the Nunc Dimittis but are indeed important for us, just as the words of the prophetess Anna who we neglect.

We need to present ourselves before God each day of our lives

Anna's word speak of liberation for the people of Jerusalem. It is probably fairly certain that readers and those listening to Anna think in terms of liberation from the Romans. However, like the more deluded and opaque followers, not only in Christ's disciples but also today, this is not the reality, I suspect, of what Anna is speaking of. Christ shows us a way towards redemption and liberation that is not the overthrow of those in power by physical revolution but rather in the revolution of our understanding of living. Once we think in terms of mortal revolution and liberation we begin to be the Che Guevarra's of the day losing our hope and the understanding embedded in the way of Christ. The liberation that Anna speaks to is the liberation of our own lives from the tyranny of the selfish physicality of human thought of power over and to the transformation of our lives to the spiritual reality of living alongside others in creating community by using power with.

However, as Simeon points out in his final words to the parents, particularly Mary, such a liberation that is promised by Christ is not without its own issues and challenges to our lives. Some of these challenges will pierce our hearts with doubt and sorrow. So that in following Christ we follow fully to the cross and its underlying pain and struggle. Power over is an easy route to take as it establishes us without concern for the other. The revolution that Christ calls us to is a liberating of our need to control and allowing God to take that power. By presenting ourselves as a sacrifice as the parents of Christ did we relinquish our idea of power over to attain a more cooperative understanding of God's presence that allows us to care for the other and encourage them to perform the miracles of community with us rather than subjugating themselves to us. This is liberating in this day and age as we forgo the need to maintain ourselves as powerful but rather we submit ourselves to the authority and presence of God within our lives. We give ourselves to God, truly as a living sacrifice, as required allowing for God's leading and direction to fulfil that which brings justice. All liberation in Christ is about bringing that justice which is God's rather than the justice promulgated by our own power and authority.

Yesterday's wisdom is today's fallacy

 The basis of our wisdom is often the knowledge that we gain over time. More often then not those we consider to be wise are those who have studied over a long period of their lives. We can look at all sorts of examples of people who for us have grown wise over time. Indeed if we were to go back in time the wisest were often thought to be the elders of the community whom we looked to for guidance and direction. In more recent years this understanding of wisdom has perhaps been laid to rest as we turn to those who are younger who keep up with modern trends and have thoughts of the future. They are wise in the world because they encompass the fast moving elements of society and we allow ourselves to be guided by them. However, our wisdom is based on the knowledge that we have and is thus limited by our own corporeality. Furthermore, our knowledge has, since the enlightenment, been more and more based on the physical reality of the world negating that which can not be defined or physically witnessed. This is the wisdom that Paul denigrates in his letter to the Corinthians (1:18-31).

Wisdom is not knowledge

Following Christ and basing ones life wisdom on God is not based on a physical proof or understanding of the world. Rather it is based on a deeper basis of understanding that goes far beyond the physical relying on the persons own 'faith' and interaction with God's Spirit in their lives. The wisdom of the world changes from era to era determined by what society perceives to be of the greatest good whether that be science or computer technologies or other increasingly fashionable knowledge bases. In taking up the cross and being counter to the current feeling of what is wise we maintain the wisdom of the ages that do not change at the foundational level but like any building can be expressed in a variety of forms. For Christians or those that follow Christ our living and ethical foundations are found in what are commonly referred to as the Beatitudes or the things of supreme happiness.

Unfortunately, over time we have come to think of the sayings at the start of the 'Sermon on the Mount' (Matt. 5.1-12) also found in the 'Sermon on the Plain' through the lens of theology. It is always fascinating to think of Christ's audience when we look at these writings. I can guarantee you that there were no theologians in the group that were listening to him. They were rather ordinary people who were given not theological masterpieces but gems of wisdom on how to live. Just thinking about the first one "Blessed are the poor" not from a theological perspective but from the perspective of reality. The wisdom of the world around us suggests that we should chase and hanker for the riches of the world in such a way that we neglect those around us. We pursue the goods of the world driving ourselves into debt so as to emulate the rich. Thus, finding ourselves lonely or without strong connections within the community whilst at the same time not allowing us the time to be with God. The wisdom of the ages suggests that the poor are blessed. I am not sure about you but the those living in poverty often are the more joy filled around us because they live within their own means and are happy with friends and community around them.

If we were to continue to look at this sermon of Christ we would find a way of living that is totally contrary to the wisdom of our present social circumstances. In order to be deemed wise we are to follow the tradition that has been set before us in both the academic sense and the worldly sense. Going against the grain of perceived knowledge and understanding places us on the outer edge of society and its various circles of influence, We just need to look at how we teach our children to see that we are often dependent on archaic knowledge and understanding to frame how children are to learn and grow. It is not surprising then when we follow such teaching and knowledge (that is claimed to be wisdom) we inevitably end up being stressed and not blessed in our lives. It is only when we adhere to the basic foundations that Christ gives to us will we find the blessedness of life in the fullness of God's presence.