Pastor Justin Grimm

October 6, 2019

John 4:5-42

Dear Siblings in Christ, grace to you and peace from God the Creator and our Lord and Savior Jesus who sees us completely. Amen.

Let’s go for a journey to first century Samaria. To a place in the center of town where there is a well. The dust in air from the dirty roads, the chaos of a city filled with people – the well with a few people gathering water, conversations raging and friends uniting.   There she is. Do you see her? Probably not. No one really notices her. Or they pretend not to.

She’s only known bad luck if any luck at all. Married five times and left now fending for herself while living with someone who helps care for her and what she has. People talk about her but never to her. They assume the worst but probably are dead wrong. She comes to the well most days to get water for her chores. But no one notices her. Part of it is that she comes in the heat of the day when less people will be around. Most of the women come to tend their water during the morning or evening when it is cool. But it is noon and all that is going on is conversation and very little work. But she is there, with her water jug. There, now because she has been shamed by culture and her own insecurities and figures that coming now will be the least painful – the time when she won’t need to interact with anyone. It is hot. She’s hot – the sweat is beading around her forehead. She isn’t sure of herself and would just assume that no one noticed her.   She’s a woman first of all which means her status in this society is almost zero. And worse yet she is of Samaritan descent, so the Jewish people disregard her almost completely. But there she is. Do you see her? 

Now look. There’s a man talking to her. It’s that Jesus the one that has been talked about being great – being of God – being God. He’s inviting her into conversation – doesn’t he know she’s not Jewish. But it doesn’t stop him. No, he keeps talking. Let’s listen.   

Do you hear that? He knows her story. He knows that she has been married five times before. He knows that she is a Samaritan…but he keeps talking. He keeps listening. No judgment – no condemnation. He engages her in dialogue, and she confesses to him that she sees he is a prophet. Now that means more than just seeing – she believes he is special. She knows, she believes that he is of God. They keep talking. He mentions living water – he talks about not thirsting about how he can make her never thirst.

He sees her. Others have missed her. Others have failed to take time for her. He sees her for who she is – a broken woman dying of thirst. Thirst that water won’t fix. Thirst that is caused by being told she is not good enough. Thirst that is caused by being pushed to the edges of society and being forced to barely hang on to that. Thirst that comes from being invisible. But he sees her. He loves her. And because of him seeing her she goes – she leaves, as if she is free from that which binds her from God. She leaves her jug and nothing can stop her from sharing her joy.  Joy in being seen. Joy in being loved. Do you see her now? There she goes.

Different now. Transformed even.   Invisible to visible – full of life and light. Can you see her – can you feel her – do you get her? 

Let’s come back to today now. Do you see her – the one that everyone talks about behind her back? Or can you see him – he one that no one agrees with who has known nothing but bad luck if any luck at all?  Can you feel her pain – the pain of separation from her faith – from her God from her church?  Do you see him? The one that voted different? Do you see her the one you always disagree with?  Can you tell he is miserable – bitter to the core because of a past filled with attempting to be whole while hurting himself physically and emotionally? Can you see the pain in her face – the pain of thinking that no one gets her – the pain of trying to live in a certain way because that is what she thinks she must do to be accepted?  Can you see his broken heart – the result of being pushed away to the point of not being seen? Can you see the chasm in his heart – because his marriage is failing and he doesn’t know how to be whole? Can you see her – the one that you don’t want to see – the one that you know will be hard to talk to – the one that looks different, sounds different, loves different?

Can you see the invisible one?  Can you see the woman at the well today?  Can you see?  Or do you feel?  Are you that woman – the one that is seeking – the one that is trying not to be seen – the one that doesn’t want to be visible?  Maybe that’s you- maybe that’s me.   

Friends this is what I know. This amazing story of transformation that takes place in the life of the woman at the well is a story of hope and a story of calling. Hope for you if you feel invisible. Hope for you if you feel you are not understood. Hope for you if you feel down and out – pushed away and neglected. Hope for you if you are dying of thirst – thirst for something different – something better. Hope that only comes in the form of Jesus – the one that knows you – knows your thirst – knows your every need and who sees you completely.

You see that is who Jesus is – the one that comes to you – that sees you – that never gives up and that promises to love you always. But is also a story of calling – calling for you and for me to be more like Jesus – to take seriously the narrative of inclusion and welcome – the narrative of seeing everyone – of taking risks that might make us uncomfortable, if those risks are rooted in living out the Gospel – a calling to see the invisible among us and to give them the story of hope that is Jesus. And a calling finally to be like the woman – who once seen and filled goes and tells – that’s your call dear church!

This is something that you at Immanuel do well – live out your faith in the community and show up. But it can’t stop by thinking you have made it. That you have done enough of the unveiling of the invisibility cloaks that society puts on people. No, the work must continue. The work of responding to the call of God must continue. . . the work of knowing your story and seeing others’ stories and truly listening so they are seen must continue. The work of being vulnerable like the woman at the well and being non-judgmental like Jesus must continue.  

Dear friends – you know those that are invisible – see them. You may feel invisible – see Christ. For it is Jesus who sees you as imperfect sinner but says he sees not your sin but only your spirit – the spirit of a sinner made saint. So go…see…and be seen.  

Thanks be to God. Amen.