The Woman at the Well

 John 4:1-42

Prop: Display Carracci's painting, "The Samaritan Woman at the Well" found at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annibale_Carracci_-_The_Samaritan_Woman_at_the_Well_-_WGA4446.jpg

This is an oil painting created centuries ago by a famous painter named Annibale Carracci.  It's a picture of when Jesus met a woman in a country called Samaria.  This story can be found in the Bible, the Gospel of John, chapter 4.

Jesus is the person on the far right, in a peachy-colored robe with a blue sash, and the woman is in the center; the only woman in the painting.  

One day, Jesus and his disciples needed to travel from Judea home to Galilee, and Jesus suggested they take a short cut through Samaria.  A short cut sounds like a good idea, right?  Well, it would be, except the people where Jesus came from couldn't stand the people of Samaria.  It was a feud that had gone on for centuries!  It was so bad that most Jews took the long way around to avoid passing through Samaria, whenever possible.

Jesus' disciples may have felt uncomfortable, even anxious, with Jesus' decision, but he was the teacher, and so they all took the short cut.  

They came to a small village, right at lunch time.  The disciples went into town to get something to eat and Jesus stayed behind at the well to rest.  Can you see that big, round thing Jesus is leaning against?  That is the well.  You can even see a big jug there, too.  That's what the woman would put the water in to take home, but I'm getting ahead of the story.

While the disciples were away, a woman came to draw water from the well.  They didn't have indoor plumbing in those days.  Jesus said to her, "Would you give me a drink of water?"  Now, this sounds like a reasonable request.  Jesus was tired and thirsty, and he didn't have a jug or cup of his own.  But actually, Jesus asking for a drink from the woman was quite strange for two reasons.

1. As I already mentioned, she was a Samaritan, and Jesus' people didn't speak to Samaritans, unless they absolutely had to.

2. She was a woman.  In Jesus' time, men and women kept their lives separate, except for at home, and the men didn't speak to women they didn't know.  It was against the rules.

So even though there were two very strong reasons why Jesus should ignore the woman, he chose not to.  He chose instead to talk with her, to care about her and to care about her life.  In the end, she believed that Jesus was sent by God to set all people free.  He told her that he was living water, and she believed him.  She believed that this kind man who broke the rules was and is God's Chosen One--the Messiah.

Carracci chose to picture the end of the story in this painting.  You can see that the disciples have returned--see the man on the left is carrying loaves of bread--lunch--in his sash.  One man is pointing at Jesus as he speaks to another disciple, as if he's saying, "Look at that!  Jesus is speaking to that woman from Samaria!  What's up with that?"  And then two other disciples are whispering to each other.  Also, the woman looks to be walking away from Jesus and the well.  The Bible tells us that she left Jesus to run and tell others about her encounter with him--that she had met the Messiah--and that in her excitement, she left her water jug behind.  Who could blame her?

AMEN.

Flat Jesus

Props

One Flat Jesus printable for each child, copied on card stock, if possible.   Simply Google "Flat Jesus Printable," and several choices will come up.
Copy of the book, Flat Stanley (optional)

Story

Have you ever read the book, Flat Stanley?  It was written in 1964 by Jeff Brown.  Even though that was a long time ago, Flat Stanley is still a very popular book.

The story goes like this:  One night, while Stanley Lambchop is sleeping, a giant bulletin board falls off the wall above his bed and lands right on him.  He is unharmed, except that he is flat--like a pancake.  After the shock wears off, Stanley realized that being flat allows him to do many things he could not do before--like slip under doorways and fly high in the sky like a kite.  One time, his parents slid him into an envelope and mailed him to his friend in California for a little vacation.

In 1995, a school teacher named Dale Hubert started the Flat Stanley Project.  He made copies of Flat Stanley for his students.  He invited the kids to color in their Flat Stanleys, cut them out and send them on adventures.  The students wrote stories about their Flat Stanleys, and then mailed them with their stories to people they knew, asking that person to write a story about Stanley's adventure, to take a picture of Flat Stanley wherever he was, and return the photo and story to the original sender.

The first year, students in 13 classrooms across Ontario, Canada, participated in the Flat Stanley Project.  In 2006, 6,000 classrooms in 47 countries took part, and by 2011, students in an average of 88 countries participated annually in the Flat Stanley Project.  Maybe you have sent or received a Flat Stanley!

Flat Stanley has gone on amazing adventures, and has met some pretty impressive people.  He appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he's been to the Oscar Award Ceremony, had his picture taken with 3 U.S. presidents, traveled on the Space Shuttle Discovery, ridden with Nascar drivers Joe Nemencheck and Richard Petty, been photographed with world champion boxer Muhammed Ali, and NFL quarterback Peyton Manning--the list goes on and on.

I have brought with me today (mailed/emailed you) an outlined drawing of Jesus.  We could call him Flat Jesus.  I invite you to color him any way you'd like, and to cut him out.  You may carry him with you as you go about your day, as a reminder that Jesus is always with us wherever we go.  You may take pictures of you and you Flat Jesus in various places as you go about your day and send them to me to put on our church Facebook page.  You may want to mail Flat Jesus to a friend or family member with a letter telling why Jesus is important to you.  The important thing is to know that Jesus loves you and is always with you.

AMEN.

Bernie's Mittens

 JOY

Jenn Ellis is a 2^nd grade teacher in Essex Junction, Vermont.  She is also a huge fan of Vermont senator, Bernie Sanders.  Teaching, Bernie Sanders, and there’s one other passion in Ellis’ life.  Can you guess what it is?  She makes mittens.

When Bernie Sanders lost the bid to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, Jenn Ellis was crushed.  She wanted to do something to let him know she was thinking about him, so she sent him a pair of cozy, brown and white mittens she had made.  Miss Jenn told a reporter for the Washington Post, “I totally remember the night I did it. I was thinking to myself, ‘Is this crazy? I don’t even know this guy.’ But I wanted to make them for him, so I did.”

Well, Bernie loves those mittens.  He has worn them ever since, including at the inauguration of President Biden, where he was surrounded by people in fancy, expensive clothes—designer dresses and suits costing thousands of dollars—while he sat in his folding chair in his khaki parka and a pair of fuzzy, handmade mittens.

Since then, Bernie’s mittens have become famous.  They have been shown and talked about more than any other piece of clothing worn on the Capital balcony that day, even more than Lady Gaga’s splashy red dress.  People have cut out the picture of Bernie and his mittens, and photoshopped him into all sorts of funny places—among cows in a grassy field, into famous paintings, sitting next to Spiderman and on the lanai with The Golden Girls. 

It seems that mitten madness is just beginning. Jenn Ellis has now partnered with Vermont Teddy Bear to sell "Bernie mittens,” and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to benefit Make-A-Wish Vermont.  In the two weeks since they became a meme, Ellis' mittens have already raised funds for local organizations.  A pair of mittens she gave Outright Vermont, sold for $20,000 at a charity auction.  Sanders’ team has been selling sweatshirts with his iconic inauguration day look, mittens front and center, and have raised almost $2 million for Meals on Wheels Vermont.  Ellis says excitement over her mittens have reminded her why she created them in the first place.  “When you give of yourself -- if you give of your kindness or your time -- that comes back to you as joy," she said.

Let’s all get out there, share our gifts and not only spread, but also reap some joy.

AMEN.

Light in the Darkness

 Children's Sermon for December 20, 2020
Prop Suggestion: A Picture of the Planetary Conjunction, available online or in newspapers

Tomorrow is December 21:

• Winter solstice
• Shortest day of the year
• Longest night--most darkness of the year

This year, the darkness of that long night is going to be interrupted by an amazing sight in the sky--the great conjunction of planets Jupiter and Saturn.  Here is an artist's drawing of what will happen tomorrow night.  National Geographic hyped the event by posting on its website:

Stargazers are in for a rare treat in the days just ahead of Christmas, as two of teh solar system's brightest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, engage in a celestial dance that will bring them within planetary kissing distance in the evening sky.

When that happens, we may see what looks like the star pictured on Christmas cards, guiding the wise men to the Baby Jesus.  Jesus came to bring the light and love of God to a dark and hurting world.  Tomorrow night's great planetary conjunction can help remind us of that gift.

Just looks southwest as soon as the sky gets dark, and give thanks to God for all of God's amazing gifts.

Let us pray.

For all of your gifts, dear Lord, we give you thanks.

For light in the darkness,

And for your love.

Amen.

All Saints Day 2020

All Saints Day Youth Moment 2020

November 1 is All Saints Day, which is today! Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, in 1579, to parents of mixed race. Raised primarily by his mother, a freed slave, Martin experienced the effects of racism and poverty early in his life. He became the apprentice of a barber, learning not only how to cut hair, but to perform basic medical treatments. Feeling called to give his life to God in service of the lowly, Martin entered the Dominicans, who accepted him as a lay helper and later as a brother. He spent his days caring for the those who were sick and poor, as well as performing menial tasks within the monastery. His nights were spent in prayer, penance, and adoration. Martin treated everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of their race or social status. He was instrumental in founding an orphanage to care for Lima’s many street children.

Saint Martin experienced the exclusion, derision, and discrimination of racism. Instead of growing bitter, he used his experience to reach out and comfort others. Martin’s unwavering love of God and devotion to Jesus sustained him in his charitable works which often went unacknowledged. (Loyola Press website)

Many years later—1962, in fact—Pope John XXIII canonized Martin as a Catholic saint—the saint of social justice and race relations because he cared for all God’s people, regardless of race or social standing.

In the Bible, the Apostle Paul called all Christian believers saints. Not just people whose faith and good works brought special recognition, but also people like you and me. All of us who believe in God and love Jesus and want to serve Him are saints. I am thankful, too, for people like Martin de Porres, whose example can teach all of us how to be better disciples, for example by treating all people with kindness and respect no matter what they look like, where they are from or what they have or don’t have.

Dear God, we thank you for our brothers and sisters in Christ who teach us by example what it means to be a faithful disciple. We thank you for those who went before us, like Martin de Porres, and for their stories which help us learn how to follow Jesus, and for those we meet every day who are kind and generous and loving. Help us, too, Lord, to show your love in all we do, in everything we say, and to all we meet. AMEN.

Dealing Faithfully with COVID-19

This sermon was originally delivered earlier in the pandemic, when communities were still shut down and quarantine was in full effect.  It could be updated to reflect the current situation, still using the stuffed animals to reinforce the safety measures we are all asked to follow to keep our neighbors and ourselves as safe as possible.  God bless you and keep you well during this difficult time.

Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy

Three Questions
Matthew 22:36-40

Once there was a certain king who believed that if he knew the answers to three particular questions, he would live a fulfilling and happy life.  The questions were:

1.   When is the right time to begin?

2.   Who are the right people to listen to, and to avoid?

3.   What is the most important thing to do?

The most learned advisors gave unsatisfactory answers, so the king visited a wise hermit who lived in the woods and asked him the three questions.  The hermit didn’t answer right away.  He was struggling with a spade to dig a garden plot.  So, the king took the shovel and started digging.  When he was finished digging two beds, he asked his three questions again.

Still, the hermit didn’t answer as a bearded man ran into the clearing and fell at the king’s feet.  The man was suffering from a serious stomach wound.  The king cleaned and bandaged the man’s wound several times through the night.  He only fell asleep after the injured man stopped bleeding and revived enough to take a drink of water.

The next morning, the king awoke disoriented and wondering who the strange man staring at him from the bed was.

“Forgive me,” said the man, much to the king’s surprise.

“I do not know you, and have no reason to forgive you,” said the king.

“Ah, but I know you,” said the bearded man.  “I am your enemy.  On my way to killing you, I came upon your bodyguard who recognized and wounded me.  I escaped from them, but would have died had you not dressed my wound.  I wished to kill you, and you saved my life.”

The two men reconciled their differences, and the king went outside.  He found the hermit planting seeds in the freshly turned garden.  Again, the king asked his three questions.  The hermit said, “But your questions have already been answered!”

“What do you mean?” asked the king.

"Do you not see," replied the hermit. "If you had not pitied my weakness yesterday, and had not dug those beds for me, but had gone your way, that man would have attacked you, and you would have repented of not having stayed with me. So the most important time was when you were digging the beds; and I was the most important person; and to do me good was your most important business. Afterwards when that man ran to us, the most important time was when you were attending to him, for if you had not bound up his wounds he would have died without having made peace with you. So he was the most important person, and what you did for him was your most important business. Remember then: there is only one time that is important-- Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power. The most necessary person is the person you are with, and the most important thing you can do is to do good for the one you are with, because for that purpose alone were human beings sent into this life!"

There is a statement of faith called “The Shorter Catechism.”  This document lists 107 questions and answers which outline what we, as Christians, believe.  The first question is:

What is the chief end of man?  In other words, why are we here?  Why were we, as Tolstoy puts it, “sent into this life?”

The answer given in The Short Catechism is:

The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Doing good things for the one you are with makes God happy and glorifies God.  I think doing good things for others makes us pretty happy, too, don’t you?

Won't you pray with me?

Good and Gracious God, We give you thanks for each person here, and for those of our church family who could not be with us today.  We ask that you help us all to do good things for the people in our lives, in our communities and in our world each and every day.  Amen.