This encounter gives us an account of Christ’s showing us on how to live a human life.
- The way He shared the faith: He has [is!] something beautiful; he shares it simply with others – not out of ego but so that there would be more healing and joy in the world. He saw a woman in need of healing, hope, and joy; and He gave it to her. He saw a woman worthy of love, and He shared it with her.
- The way He ministered and healed this woman. He knew everything about the woman at the well – to include the sexual sin of serial monogamy that was destroying her life and her community; but he connected with her as a person worthy of his attention NOT as an object of scorn or ridicule or as a pawn in some kind of ideological war. Repentance did happen, but it came about through His kindness and generosity, not through the wielding of some kind of +5 Stick of Judgment and Righteous Chastisement
- He brought her into a joy that she then desired to share with others. And so the whole process spread, and through that healing and joy was spread throughout this Samaritan community.
How well do we follow this example?
- How do we share the faith? What do we share with others? Do we do it out of a desire to bring peace, healing, and joy to real people whom we honestly believe are worthy of these gifts? Are we a blessing to others? After five minutes with us, are they filled with more peace, hope, and love than before our time together?
Too often, we do not share anything others would want to have: people with access to various parts of the truth use it as a bludgeon rather than a source of warmth and light. We are not Christ (or even Photini/ Svetlana/ Fiona/ Claire) the Illuminator, but Beelzebub the Bringer of Disease, Darkness, and Despair. A religion meant to inspire and save becomes, in our hands, a way to bring others down so that we might lord over them; our rationality and science that should bring glory to God [and a better life to those in need] become, in our hands, a way to blaspheme the Logos and Source of Illumination [and to hoard as much as we can, covet against those who have more than us, and [be a] scrooge those who have less].
- How do we minister to others? Do we see every person we encounter as a person worthy of God’s love and our compassion? Do we desire to share the best that we have in our lives with those in need? Do we see those who are living sinful lives as objects that reify our worldview, or as precious children who suffer from the maladies of the fallen world in the same way we do?
We all know that there is a temptation among some Christians to focus on certain types of sin and use it to puff themselves up while dragging others down (a parody of theosis!); but it isn’t just fundamentalists that do this. Everyone is tempted to dehumanize and demonize others. In today’s society, it is those who pride themselves about their own rationality and scientific illumination that seem the quickest to alienate, belittle, condemn, and anathematize their ideological opponents. I don’t care who does it – it is wrong. Christ was very gentle when bringing to repentance those who are addicted to or have committed sexual sin… but he was not so gentle with those who used their religion or ideology to reinforce their own vanity at the expense of others. Again, everyone should really leave the +5 Stick of Judgment and Righteous Chastisement at home.
Photini repented of her sin, but not because Jesus belittled her. She wanted what he had and learned what it was that kept her from it. Repentance was a natural part of her healing… it was not imposed as a condition to earn his love and attention. She saw that a soul filled with sin is like a vessel filled with mud: it cannot hold the living water.
- Do we share our joy with others? To the pantry people: do we say; “you came for food…” to those who come for money, do we say; “you came for money…”, if they came to hear good music, do we say; “you came for good music…”, if they came to feel comfort, do we say; “you came for comfort…”, if they came to be with the wonderful people who worship here, do we say; “you came for fellowship with friendly people…”.
When people encounter St. Michael parish, whether it is through our pantry, our worship, our evening fellowship, or by seeing any of you about town, they have an opportunity to encounter Christ. Let’s do our part, as Photini the First Evangelist did, to make sure that that encounter is done in His Name and according to His will.
