8 March - Third Sunday in Lent – Year A

Introduction

I prefer to read the lectionary passages as early in the week as possible – so that they can be milling away in my thoughts as the week goes on. There are various websites, blogs and podcasts I'll listen to for inspiration, and I'm usually involved in discussions of the texts on various social media groups.

This week's passages have an over-arching theme of the abundance of God's grace. Stories of God's provision and underserved gifts. From God's provision for the grumbling Israelites in the wilderness to Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, these passages provide a healthy counter to the prevailing narrative of scarcity that often abounds in the church.

There is also a thread of transformation that an encounter with Jesus provides – transformation that is visible and that encourages others to be curious about faith and about the one who offers the water of life.

Exodus 17:1-7

When the people cried out to God in the wilderness, God provided water from a rock.
Today, there are many who thirst and many who do not have access to clean water. How does God show up as quencher of thirst today?

Massah and Meribah,
is the Lord with us or not?
Massah and Meribah.
That place of questioning,
that place of dryness
where, in the desert of our souls
when we question the presence of God, we discover the answer:
a resounding Yes!
God is with us
especially when we lack sight.
God is with us
refreshing our dry,
discouraged spirits
with wonderful cleansing water.
Massah and Meribah,
those desert places
where God is revealed.

Psalm 95

Psalm 95 is a psalm of praise that takes us to the heart of our call as Christians – to listen deeply to the voice of God in the world. Paying attention to the call of God renders us vulnerable as our hearts are broken by that which breaks the heart of God. The cautionary tale of the disobedience of the Israelites at Massah and Meribah finds echo in this psalm.

Romans 5:1-11

Paul reminds us that, even in adversity, we have the hope of the grace of God. It is not that we need suffering to produce character (contrary to some teaching), but it is often in tough spots that we discover God with us.

In this Lenten season, this passage becomes particularly poignant as we journey with Jesus to His execution and as we witness His suffering. Life with Christ does not mean we will be free from hardship, but it is the hope that we have in the midst of it that makes a difference, enabling us to look forward to the grace of God that is ours.

John 4:5-42

We often imagine the Samaritan woman in this story as fairly passive in her encounter with Jesus, somehow wrong-footed. How about seeing her feistiness – a woman who had an answer for Jesus, who gave as good as she got? Not only was Jesus was transformed in this conversation, by the woman's testimony, a whole community was transformed.

A tale of transformation
By the time Jesus got to the well
in the heat of the midday sun
many women had already drawn
from the depths.
Assembling in the cool morning air
attending to the chores of the day
gathering in community
sharing their news
and their lives
their wisdom
and their angst.
Gathering around a source
that through every season
sustained life and work
encouraged the sharing of confidences
witnessed to life in community.
Those ancient stones
that protected the source
had stories to tell.
Stories of love and laughter
of trauma and tragedy
of flourishing and dying.
Little escaped
that fount of formation.
Around that well
love was kindled
possibility was imagined
hope lived and died
and new stories
were shaped and formed.
Generations drank deeply
passing on tradition and culture
establishing customs and norms
creating kinship.
And, in that place
of community engagement
the Son of God experienced
a transformative encounter
forged in intimacy
confirmed in community
and preserved in story.
Intimacy, community, story
three elements of formation
that make way for encounter
and lead us to transformation.

Sermon ideas

Our readings this morning speak of a search for a basic necessity – water – water from a rock and water from a well – Two ancient stories of the quest for thirst quenching water, set in two very different circumstances, but each story speaking directly into our contemporary culture.

Some questions we might ask of ourselves today:

• Where are the places in which we feel dried out right now?
• Where are the dry places in our lives and in the life of our community, and what might that dryness be teaching us?
• Where can we see God at work in our desert?
• Are our hearts hardened against the possibility of miracles?

As we travel into a new week, with these stories in our minds, may we look at water in a whole new light – as a necessity for life but also as a life enhancing gift.

And, in all our dry spells may we be especially conscious of the presence of God reaching out to transform us as we learn new things together.

May we, like the Samaritan woman, provide testimony to the goodness of God in such a way that people want to go and see for themselves.

Prayers

As the texts live with me during the week, sometimes particular phrases will be more persistent than others and I'll use those in prayer. As an overall theme emerges, that will inform the prayers so that they feel part of the flow of worship, where one thing leads into the next. (Sometimes people express surprise that everything felt connected!)

Call to worship

Christ meets us at the watering places of life
inviting us into relationship,
telling us the things He knows of us,
revealing truths that change our lives.
Come and worship today,
Taste of Christ and never be hungry,
Drink of Christ and never thirst.

Gathering and gratitude – a prayer to be used antiphonally

Lord I am thirsty
Come to the well
My soul is weary
Come to the well
Bruised and battered
Come to the well
Tired and discouraged
Come to the well
Misunderstood
Come to the well
Judged and found wanting
Come to the well
Wounded and withdrawn
Come to the well
Ready to quit
Come to the well
Come to the well
where there is water that is
thirst quenching
wound healing
soul soothing
life giving

Water of life
found in the One
who knows our name
and calls us back
to drink deeply
of the Wisdom of the Well.

Intercessions

God, giver of life, we thank You for all Your gifts to us
for warmth and shelter
for friends and family
for work and vocation.
As you have abundantly blessed us
may we hold out Your blessing for others.
Lord, to Your abundance, we bring the hungry, the thirsty,
the loveless and the hopeless.
We bring those who live on the margins today, praying for Your transformation.
We bring those we care for and those we may never meet.
Lord, transform us, enable us, in Your power and out of Your abundance
to transform the lives of others.
In the name of Christ.
Amen

Closing

God for all that we have shared,
the stories and the journeys
the work and the formation,
the places where we have noticed You
and those places we missed You,
may we be assured of You continuing to work
in our lives and in the lives of those whom You call us to serve.
May we use all that You are teaching us
to bless the lives of others
and so be engaged in kingdom work,
Now and forever.
Amen

Musical suggestions

God Welcomes All (GWA) is the new supplement to Church Hymnary Fourth Edition. This exciting new collection features over 200 hymns and songs in a wide range of styles by writers from Scotland and around the world.

The full music and words-only versions are now available; and digital resources, including the expansion of the existing Church of Scotland music website, will be published in due course, with streaming functions and further information on each song; backing tracks; and lyric videos. God Welcomes All is available to order from here

Our online music resource is on the Church of Scotland website; you can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship. You will also find playlists for this week and liturgical seasons and themes on the Weekly Worship and Inspire Me tabs.

You can find further musical suggestions for this week in a range of styles on the Songs for Sunday blog from Trinity College Glasgow.

• GWA 47 – "Come, all you wounded and weary" – John passage and good gathering song

• GWA 46 – " Let us come and worship our creator" – Psalm 95

• GWA 171 – "Here on Jesus I will stand"

• GWA 44 – "Come people of the risen King"

• GWA 59 – "Listen for God who speaks within our hearts"

• GWA 63 – "Here, as we meet"

• GWA 79 – "Were I the perfect child of God" – Romans 5

• GWA 184 – "Let all who are thirsty come"

• GWA 83 – "Now we are nourished by Jesus our Lord" – John passage

• CH4 167 – "Guide me, O thou Great Jehovah" - Reminder of faithfulness of God

• CH4 525 – "Have you heard the raindrops drumming on the rooftops" - encouraging us to remember this without access to clean water

• CH4 540 – "I heard the voice of Jesus say" - Jesus inviting us to rest

• CH4 133 – "Source and Sovereign, Rock and Cloud" - the many names of God

• CH4 622 – "We sing a love that sets all people free" - assurance of abundant grace of God

Reflecting on our worship practice

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the way we worship has changed and we need to reflect on the changing or newly established patterns that emerged and continue to emerge as a result of the disruption.

We can facilitate worship for all by exploring imaginative approaches to inclusion, participation and our use of technologies in ways that suit our contexts. This is not an exhaustive list, but some things we could consider are:

• Framing various parts of the worship service in accessible language to help worshippers understand the character and purpose of each part. This is essential for creating worship for all (intergenerational worship) that reflects your community of faith.
• Holding spaces for reflection and encouraging prayer to be articulated in verbal and non-verbal ways, individually and in online breakout rooms.
• In online formats the effective use of the chat function and microphone settings encourages active participation in prayer, e.g. saying the Lord's Prayer together unmuted, in a moment of ‘holy chaos'.
• While singing in our congregations is still restricted, we can worship corporately by using antiphonal psalm readings, creeds and participative prayers.
• Using music and the arts as part of the worship encourages the use of imagination in place of sung or spoken words.
• Use of silence, sensory and kinaesthetic practices allow for experience and expression beyond regular audio and visual mediums.

The following questions might help you develop a habit of reflecting on how we create and deliver content and its effectiveness and impact, and then applying what we learn to develop our practice.

• How inclusive was the worship?
  Could the worship delivery and content be described as worship for all/ intergenerational?
  Was it sensitive to different "Spiritual Styles"?
• How was the balance between passive and active participation?
• How were people empowered to connect with or encounter God?
  What helped this?
  What hindered this?
• How cohesive was the worship?
  Did it function well as a whole?
  How effective was each of the individual elements in fulfilling its purpose?
• How balanced was the worship?
  What themes/topics/doctrines/areas of Christian life were included?
• How did the worship connect with your context/contemporary issues?
  Was it relevant in the everyday lives of those attending and in the wider parish/ community?
  How well did the worship connect with local and national issues?
  How well did the worship connect with world events/issues?
• What have I learned that can help me next time I plan and deliver worship?

Useful links

You can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship in our online hymnary.

You are free to download, project, print and circulate multiple copies of any of this material for use in worship services, bible studies, parish magazines, etc., but reproduction for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.