Sermon (05 SOP, Samaritan Woman) This morning we hear the story of a man, a woman, and a well. But this is not the first time in Scripture that such a story is told. In Genesis, the very first book of the bible, the patriarch Abraham desires to find a wife for his son Isaac, and so Abraham sends a servant back to his homeland to find a wife. The servant travels and he approaches a well, and he says “I will ask a woman to draw water for me to drink, and if she says I will do so … both for you also for your camels, then I will know that she is the wife chosen for Isaac.” And Scripture reports that indeed a young woman comes and does exactly that. It is Rebecca, and Rebecca becomes Isaac’s wife. A man, a woman, and a well. Isaac and Rebecca have two sons, Jacob and Esau. And soon it is time for Jacob to marry. And so Isaac tells his son to go back to his grandfather’s homeland and find a wife. Jacob travels to the land of Abraham and he meets Rachel. Rachel has come to water her flock of sheep, but the mouth of the well is covered with a large stone. And Scripture says that “when Jacob saw Rachel … Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock … and then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud.” It takes time, but eventually Jacob and Rachel become husband and wife. A second man, a second woman, and a second well. To the stories of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, we can add the story Moses in the Book of Exodus. As a man Moses lives in the wilderness and works as a shepherd. One day, Moses is near a well in a foreign land and a young woman approaches with her flock. Her name is Zipporah. And the other shepherds are resentful. They push Zipporah back, cutting off her access to the well. Moses sees all this and he rebukes the other shepherds. He steps in and helps Zipporah water her flock. Jethro, who is the father of Zipporah, hears of this, invites Moses to stay in his house, and soon after Moses and Zipporah become husband and wife. A third man, a third woman, and a third well. Three superstars of the Old Testament -- Isaac, Jacob and Moses -- and three stories about meeting around a well. Three stories about how a husband finds a wife. But there is a fourth man, and a fourth woman, and a fourth well. Jesus this morning, in a foreign land, is thirsty. He goes to the most famous well in Samaria -- Jacob’s well no less. There he approaches a woman, and asks her for a drink. And the well here in St John’s Gospel is a signal. It screams for us to pay attention and to remember the stories of the Old Testament. Isaac finds Rebecca at a well. Jacob finds Rachel at a well. Moses finds Zipporah at a well. And in the same way, Jesus stands at the well in Samaria today, not as prophet and not as teacher. He stands at the well as Bridegroom. Jesus, Scripture is hollering, is looking for a wife. Not a literal wife. This is not a love story between a Jewish man and a Samaritan woman. The Samaritan woman is an image of the bride of Christ. This is a love story between Christ and Church. Today, this fifth Sunday of Pascha, Scripture opens up for us something about the Resurrection that is beautiful and moving. Jesus Christ, the eternal word and will of God, does not swoop down from heaven to fix a few problems and then return to where he comes from. … He comes to find a wife. That is to say, in love, Jesus Christ comes as bridegroom to all who receive him in faith. To all who trust in his promises. Though his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ gives himself to us, and he invites into a united life of love and support and common sacrifice, just like the life shared by husband and wife. And if this idea sounds crazy to you and to me, well the first thing we need to do is to read the OT more often. In the bible, when you speak to a woman at a well, you better have a ring in your pocket, so to speak. But second, think about the woman to whom Jesus is speaking. First, it is scandalous that Jesus speaks to a woman in private at all. And she’s not just a woman, she’s a Samaritan. To the Jews of the time, Samaritans are the worst! T hey are deviants and blasphemers. Worse than a gentile because at one time the Samaritans were part of the house of Israel, and they turned their backs on the true worship of God. And she’s not just a Samaritan woman, she is an unrighteous Samaritan woman! Married five times and now living in the household of a man who is not her husband. Today’s Jesus comes as bridegroom not to someone who is a righteous Jew, he comes to a foreigner who is considered demonic, and lost, and beyond rehabilitation. He comes to someone who marries herself to anyone who promises to be a savior. He comes to someone who has been let down, kicked out, cast off, and thrown away by those whom she thought would provide care and comfort and meaning. The Samaritan woman is the image of broken humanity. She is an image of each and every one of us. Pascha unfolds for us this morning in such a beautiful way. Today we see that the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ … is a love story. This is a story of how Jesus comes to you and to me and to each human being in this world, and he pledges himself in love to unite himself to us so completely and thoroughly that the best description we have of what Christ offers is the relationship shared by husband and wife. *** Brothers and sisters, on the Cross, in love, Christ joins Himself to the Church. On the Cross, the Bridegroom receives his Bride. Christ doesn’t establish the Church. He marries His Church. *** And it is given to each of us, each day, to work on our marriage. Do we communicate well with Christ? Do we spend time each day in prayer? Do we try and work our way towards the commandment to pray without ceasing? To have God constantly in our mind and on our lips? To long for his presence. If we only spoke to our spouses a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes in the evening, would that be ok? No, it wouldn’t be. Communicate with Christ. Do we listen to Christ? Do we set aside time each day to read the words of Holy Scripture, words written to us in love? Words through which the resurrected Christ speaks directly to us? Do we long to hear his voice? Do we give him the quiet time and place to share a part of his life with us? Or do we do most of the talking in the relationship? Each day, listen for the voice of Christ. If Christ comes to us as Bridegroom, then every Pascha is like a wedding anniversary. And as Orthodox we call each Sunday a little Pascha. Every Sunday is a little anniversary through which we honor and celebrate our union with God. It’s a wedding banquet, yes, and also an anniversary dinner. And if it’s a dinner, be on time. If a couple has reservations for dinner at 7:00pm on their anniversary, and the husband picks his wife up at 9 … that’s not ok. You and I have reservations here each Sunday, don’t be late. Don’t be late. When we come to church, it is time for us enjoy the fullness of the Bridegroom’s banquet. Our full participation is required. The choir is here to lead us in song. Join your voices to theirs. Sing lord have mercy. Sing To thee O Lord. Sing Holy God, sing the creed, and sing the our father. And most of all, always sing and say ‘Amen’. The prayers offered by a priest at the liturgy are incomplete until the faithful say ‘Amen’. The Heavenly Banquet table is now spread out before us. Be in, be all in. You wouldn’t go to a five star restaurant and ask only for a glass of ice water. When you come to church, don’t just sit there and say “no thank you” … enter the banquet here on Sunday, and by goodness order everything on the menu. Sing, pray, rejoice, help the young mothers, welcome strangers, ring the bells, hold the cloths, and prepare yourself to approach the chalice. Feast sumptuously at the Lord’s table. Enjoy his company, and remember that he is picking up the check. And like all marriages, in the marriage forged between us and God through the resurrection, we should be open to the creation of new life. We should ask for the blessing of birth, for the blessing of a growing family. After she encounters Christ at the well, the Samaritan woman goes and tells all who will listen that she has found the Messiah. And a great a number of the Samaritans receive Jesus as the Christ, as the Savior of the whole world.