We all know this story.
The woman who had five husbands and was now living with a man who was not her husband (but perhaps someone else’s husband) meets a 7th man, Jesus, at a well.
Jesus knows all about her, of course, and this woman is well-versed in the Torah. They begin a theological dialogue and discuss worship.
She exclaims,
“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews [you people] say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship” (John 4.20, NKJV, italics mine).
Jesus then says something that changed the course of history and that we need to look closely at today.
He explained,
“Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews, but the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4.21-23).
These two had church that day and it was not in the synagogue or in a building called a church, but CHURCH was certainly happening at the well. They had no offering, no hymnal, no music, but plenty of word and preaching on both sides. Shall I also point out that it was ecumenical, multicultural, and possibly multigenerational. These folks were not even supposed to be talking to each other.
How simple could a Fresh Expression be if we would just approach someone at a coffee shop, or invite them over to our homes for a meal or just a convo on our porch/deck? And do it with someone who does not look, smell, dress, worship, talk, have money, have the same sexual preference (the religious folks just stopped reading…oops!) like us! We could be a part of healing this land if we would only get out of our own self-righteous ways!
God is looking for the true worshipers: those who worship in spirit and truth. They are located everywhere – dog parks, swimming pools, laundry mats, bars, crack houses, prison – they are everywhere. Let’s find our brothers and sisters and worship!
