Receiving God's Grace
"The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free:
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,
'Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!
All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.
Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink."
- Samuel Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
There is water everywhere today….in our texts….in the baptism we will celebrate. It is symbolically the water of God's grace. In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner there is water everywhere, but unavailable to the tortured seaman. God's grace is everywhere, but unlike in the poem, God's grace is available to all….offered for us to receive.
In our Exodus story the Israelites find themselves on the move again in their wilderness journey. They doubt the sanity of Moses in leading them out of Egypt. They are all too quick to forget God care for them to this point. How will we drink, where will we find water in this desert place? Caught between the promise and fulfillment, they are quick to think God's grace has deserted them. When God shows up in the story, they find the water they longed for is right under their feet. The place is aptly named-Massah and Meribah-testing and quarrelling. How true that rings for us. When we find ourselves in a wilderness state of mind we become just like the Israelites. We forget all of God's work in our lives to that point and lash out. With grace surrounding us always, literally under our feet…we become an ungracious people. "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink." "Grace, grace everywhere…"
John's gospel takes us to a hot and dusty noonday encounter. There is a wonderful saying: "Don't buy trouble that's not for sale." Jesus can't seem to learn that one through the gospels, and here in this story he is as usual inviting trouble. We find a woman at Jacob's well. Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit Jacob's well which is located in the town of Nablus. The site of Jacob's well is surrounded by high walls; and from the outside doesn't look like much. I was astonished in entering the gates at how much was inside the gates, at the layers of meaning that unfolded in the buildings on the site. It was a reminder that possibilities and opportunities unfold when you are open to them. It is at this ancient well that a woman comes to get water at noon. This is not the time to get water at the well. Water is drawn from the wells at cooler times of day. She comes at this time of day to avoid others. Instead of finding herself alone, she finds Jesus. Jesus invites trouble in talking to her, a woman and a Samaritan. The enmity with the Samaritans and Jews go back to the time of exile. The Jews blamed the Samaritans for the exile, claiming it was because of their intermarrying that led to their defeat by Babylon. Instead of finding blame and shame, the woman finds grace offered to her in the living water Jesus gives. She is so touched by this gift that she shares the news with her town, and a whole people are healed.
Grace, grace everywhere…..in us there is both the woman at the well, and the Israelites testing and quarrelling. Think of the times when human stubbornness has taken over…you have been extended a chance when you don't deserve it; an unearned opportunity…think of the times you respond with pettiness and behave like a grouch. Like the Israelites we get caught up in the details and forget the big picture-God's love is everywhere, surrounding us and keeping us. Life is too fragile to waste on quarreling and testing. I was reminded of that in the loss of a friend who died suddenly and unexpectedly this week at the age of 48. Mark's death, in all of its shock reminds how precious the gift of each moment is.
Then there is the woman who comes to the well in us. There are places in all of us that long for healing; yet at the same time places we are so ashamed of we dare not speak of them. We hide those places, like the woman, we try to avoid being seen in such moments of our lives. For there are places we think beyond redemption. What a gift to come to a place knowing that we deserve our punishment, only to find that instead we are offered a new chance. This morning as we celebrate Christian's baptism we are reminded of the healing, cleansing waters of God's grace poured out for all of us. What is hidden in us, is known and revealed by God….cleansed and made whole again. Grace.
Grace abounds for you and for me, for all. Jesus calls us to the waters of life and love. In response we are called to invite others. There are so many places in the world that exclude and shame people. As those filled with the abundant waters of grace we are called to offer a place for all God's people. We cannot do anything less that that! Will we find ourselves at Massah and Meribah…quarrelling and testing? Of will we find ourselves rushing off with the Samaritan woman, to tell all of this life giving, grace filled water poured out by God's love for the world?