Sunday service for 6 February 2022
6 February 2022
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse phone: 632143
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
To hear the audio recording of this service, please phone 01475 270037. It’s a local landline number so minutes should be included in your phone plan.
Prelude Music
Welcome
Call to Worship (in person — Hymn 510: Jesus calls us here to meet him)
One: The time is coming, to worship in Spirit and truth,
All: to reach across dividing lines
and let go of our fear that someone might see.
One: The time is here and now, to worship in Spirit and truth,
All: for in Jesus God’s kingdom is fulfilled
and living water flows.
One: Come and see the One who goes out of his way to draw us in
and gives us a holy story to share.
Prayer
Loving God, you come to us in broad daylight,
drawing us out of ourselves to meet you in the midst of everyday life.
You sustain us with your word and by your power.
In doing your will, we find ourselves filled with your grace.
In seeking your way, we are nourished by your presence.
We pray this day you would strengthen us for the work of your harvest.
Give us hearts open to receive the gift of labouring in your kingdom,
that we may rejoice together with all your servants in this and every place.
For we confess that we have a lot of ideas about what you should do,
where you should be, who you should talk to,
and those lines look very like the ones we draw for ourselves.
We like to know what categories to put people in, so we know how to behave:
when to act like we know more than we do,
when to change our accents,
when it’s fine to dismiss or talk over or when to listen or when to flatter.
And we admit that we use those categories to subconsciously decide
who is worth our attention,
and who is beneath us,
and who we wouldn’t want to be seen with.
Forgive us, O God, for we create these categories based on
assumptions and stereotypes and old grudges and long lost history,
and rarely allow new facts or personal stories to change our minds.
Forgive us, O God, for we have confined you to the same boxes we put ourselves and others in.
Forgive us, O God, and give us the courage to reach across divisions
and find you there on the other side, offering us streams of living water.
We ask in the name of the One who disrupts the world with love, Jesus the Christ.
Amen.
Music
in person: Children’s Time
Reading: John 4.1-42 (New Revised Standard Version)
Before we hear today’s reading, we need a little bit of historical context. You may recall a few months ago when we read the prophets, speaking about the Assyrian and Babylonian empires conquering first the northern and then the southern kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and taking the people into exile. Well, neither empire took 100% of the population away into exile — they did a simple divide and conquer, leaving the people who were least likely to cause trouble: the poor, the peasant, and the demoralised. The people who had been taken from the northern kingdom never returned, but the descendants of those taken from the southern kingdom were able to return, several generations later. In the meantime, those who had been left in the land, especially in the north, had continued to develop their traditions, including by some intermarriage with others who had been moved into their land. When the returnees in the South began to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, the northerners resisted, as they believed they now had the proper place of worship in the north. By the time of Jesus, that northern territory was known as Samaria, and the people living there were the Samaritans. They followed the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, but they did not include the prophets or books of kings in their scripture. They worshipped, but in a temple on Mount Gerizim instead of on the Jerusalem Temple mount. Judean Jews and Samaritans hated one another, thought the other were heretics and apostate and wrong about literally everything. And the territory of Samaria stuck out into the middle between Judea and Galilee, so Jews who needed to travel between them would most often go around the longer way, crossing the Jordan and going around, rather than go through that evil place.
When we left off in John’s gospel, we had just read chapter 3, when Nicodemus came to meet Jesus. He was a religious leader and he chose to come at night, and at the end of his conversation with Jesus he was still in the dark, never quite managing to understand what Jesus was trying to teach him. Today we pick up just after that conversation, in chapter 4, verse 1. I am reading from the New Revised Standard Version, and as you hear this story, I invite you to close your eyes and picture the scene, as if it is a film playing on the screen of your eyes. Notice the set, the colours and sounds and sights and smells, and the people, their expressions and tone of voice and body language. Let the film play and draw you in to the story.
Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, ‘Jesus is making and baptising more disciples than John’— although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptised— he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’
Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’
Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’ Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ They left the city and were on their way to him.
Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Surely no one has brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.’
Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’
For the word of God in scripture
For the word of God among us
For the word of God within us
Thanks be to God.
Reflection
In the scene that played in your mind, what does the woman look like?
— what age is she?
— what is her hairstyle like?
— what is her body type and shape?
— what does her face look like?
—if you looked into her eyes, what would you see there?
*Talk about the woman.
*Talk about the theological conversation she has with Jesus…starting with the Big Thing that everyone knows separates Jews and Samaritans, and moving on from there.
In the scene that played in your mind, what are the disciples like?
—what age are they?
—what are their faces like?
—if you looked into their eyes, what would you see there?
*Talk about betrothal scenes at the well — throughout the bible this is where the biblical heroes met their wives: Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Moses and Zipporah. Everyone would immediately think of these stories when it begins with a man and a woman meeting at a well!
*The shock of seeing Jesus talking to a woman at a well!! And in Samaria!!
*God so loved the world…Jesus says “look around: can’t you see the harvest is ready here in this place that God loves even though you do not love it?”
**Who are the samaritans for us today? Who are the people with whom we have long standing differences, that we would avoid on the street, that we can’t imagine Jesus talking to?
To see Jesus, we must first look past “the way things are” or “how we’ve always done it”
—those historical/cultural/traditions are barriers that obscure the Truth of Love in the world
—the assumptions we make about people
—the assumptions we make about church
—the assumptions we make about the community around us, in which we live
—the assumptions we make about “others”
**What assumptions or traditions are obscuring our vision and stopping us from offering what we have to give, or inviting our community to Come and See the Word made flesh for themselves?
In the scene that played in your mind, what are the other Samaritans from the city like?
—how many are there? Age? Gender mix?
—If you looked into their eyes, what would you see there?
*The woman offers her community her story,
and a question that invites them to Come and See.
*they believed her story and came to see for themselves — they heard the Word made Flesh!
**What do we have to offer our community?
Nicodemus, the professional religious person, came to Jesus and night and went away in the dark. The foreign woman with a difficult past came to the well at high noon, the brightest, lightest part of the day…and looked past her social status, past the rules about what was allowed, past her fear of what might happen if she was caught breaking tradition and doing something new…and she not only walked in the light herself but brought all her neighbours into the light as well. She amplified Christ’s light into the community, like a beacon shining a blessing into her town and inviting everyone to come and see.
May we go and do likewise.
Amen.
Hymn 540: I heard the voice of Jesus say
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
We come to draw from the deep wells of your grace and help, loving God,
giving thanks for your persistence and patience
with all our questions and confusion and wrong-headedness.
We want what you offer, but we do not quite know what to live it.
We pray this day that you would quench our thirst
and satisfy our souls with your presence.
Make us again into your body,
and teach us to live as you live,
for the earth cries out for your good news, O Lord.
We are divided by race, class, and football team.
We turn a blind eye when others are exploited.
We use violence for our own ends.
We insist that one person cannot change things.
Yet still you call, whispering persistently.
Still you lead us through the wilderness toward your stream of living water.
Still you desire abundant life for all creation.
And so we come, hearts heavy with the daily news,
minds overflowing with to-do lists,
bodies hurting as they’re pushed beyond limits.
Fill us with your love, O God.
Give us courage to do your will, even when we don’t have all the answers.
Give us the voice to tell your story to anyone who will listen.
Where there is division, may we seek your peace.
Where there is hate, may we be agents of grace.
Where there is violence, may we be healers.
Gather us around your story and form us into your community,
we pray in the name of the living Word, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray together:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
in person Hymn 683: Go to the world! (Tune: Sine Nomine)
Benediction
Go to reach across the dividing lines and tell the story of your encounter with the living God! May your witness be a blessing to all who hear, drawing together a new community in Christ. And as you go, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.
Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.
Postlude Music
Announcements
* This winter our theme is “Seeing Jesus.” Where do you see Jesus? What is he up to in your life, and in our community’s life?
*You are invited to join in reading the Bible in a year for 2022 — immersing ourselves in God’s word throughout the year. Click here to find a reading plan that’s five days a week (leaving a couple of days for catch up each week!). Watch this space for information about a Bible study as we go through the scriptures together!
* All worship is online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print) and we also meet in person, subject to the usual protocols for distancing, hand hygiene, mask wearing. We can now welcome up to 85-100 people for worship with 1m distancing between households. No booking is required. Masks are required at all times inside the building, including while singing. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door.
* Tonight we will gather with Christians across the nation for evening prayer on the Connect Facebook Page, led tonight by Karen. Log on at 6:58pm to join in.
* The Kirk now has online giving! If you have not already set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Peter Bennett, our treasurer, or Teri and she can give you his details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. Remember: no one is coming to your door to collect your envelopes, so please stay safe!
* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word and/or Westminster Wednesdays on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!
* Update from Venda:
School
Wow, I know it has been a long since I promised the last newsletter for 2021, life has been really hectic here for personal and professional being a mother, working, and also studying part-time. I just want to catch you up on a few of the happening since the beginning of the 4th term (October to December).
2021 was a difficult year for people in South Africa, specifically for school-going children and youth. It is estimated that 49% of people are unemployed, more than 11 million people go to bed without a meal to eat and more than half of high school children have dropped out of school. We are pleased to announce that VMS remained open throughout the year and learners attended school every day. We are COVID -19 compliant schools and our service is regarded as essential service. Here at VMS, we believe that education is the best tool to alleviate poverty and children are the future.
We would like to convey our sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported our children, their extended families, and the 9 staff members of the Vhutshilo Mountain School. Without your generous support, we would never have been able to provide each of our 63 children with an excellent early education, two daily nutritious meals, a fruit snack as well as transportation to and from school, winter blankets, and second-hand clothing as needed. We were able to pay monthly salary to our 9 staff members 6 of them are single mothers and 2 are widows. Hand over 160 decent food parcels in 2021 to needy families.
The graduation ceremony
On the 26 of November 2021, the graduation ceremony was for 8 Grade R and a farewell party for 13 grade 1 students. 40 parents/guardians attended the ceremony and we had guests from the department of education and social development. Before the pandemic, we normally have 250+ guests during the graduation ceremony. The day was filled with lots of music, dances and children perform lots of items and after a long day, lunch was served to all our guests. The local community, parents/guardians make donations of money or kind to help with the graduation lunch. The parents/guardians cooked the lunch together with the VMS staff.
All COVID-19 protocols were followed during the ceremony and it lasted for 2 hours only to keep everyone safe.
Youth on a Mission….
Zwonaka Network members had a busy month of December going around the villages doing manicures and pedicures also educating their clients about gender-based violence. Not only did they earn an income but have shared necessary information regarding domestic violence.
Warm regards,
Khathu Nemafhohoni.
(Director)
