Good day dear friends. Greetings from Corpus Christi, early in the morning, it is indeed sparkling and not pouring like yesterday.
Here is our text for today from John 4: 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)
Yesterday morning my blood pressure went up. In our meeting as the conference board of ordained ministry, a special case came up about a person on probation. He had moved midyear because of his "success." This particular person is a Mexican American. He has had for many years a very successful radio program in Spanish about the gospel. It has helped him in the areas where he's served. Last year he was appointed to a small church in the San Antonio district and he moved his radio show to a SA radio station. He announced on the air that he was to be the pastor of this small church in this small town, and pretty soon the church was filling up with people that liked his program. The leadership of the church was furious about the fact that now, instead of being the same (you can read whatever you want in this) church they had been for years, it was filling up with people different from them. Yes, definitely a racial situation. The leadership complained and cussed at the charge conference to the district superintendent (also a Mexican American) and one "leader" even cussed the DS about his motives to turn the entire district into "a Mexican church."
It is today, June 2, 2005, year of our Lord. It is the 21st century. And questions like the one the Samaritan woman asked Jesus are still being asked in places where one would least expect, like the church. You have to know that Jesus was a "pronounced" Jew. There were racial lineages of Jews in the Samaritans, but no love lost between the two. This woman recognized Jesus for being a Jew and I'm guessing it was his appearance for "Kiss Me I'm Jewish" buttons did not yet exist. That encounter with a racially different person led to this woman's village coming to know the love of God. What sort of encounters are happening in our churches? Are there still traces of racism in us? Do we judge someone by appearance and not give them a chance to be our brother or sister simply because they're darker or different in appearance from us?
While in Galveston this past week my cell phone rang and the caller ID showed it was Kim Burke. I answered and she apologized for bothering me but she had to share that her son Jordan, 5, had been in the bathroom for a while and when she checked on him, found that he had found a suntan coloring lotion she sometimes uses, and Jordan had it all over his face, arms, tummy. "Jordan," she asked, "What are you doing?" He replied, "I'm wanna look like Pastor Eddie!"
Jordan can tell he and I are different on the outside but on the inside this little guy that I'm going to miss so much has connected with what we both share in common. Our differences have not stopped us from loving each other.
PRAYER: Come Holy Spirit and set on fire our hearts with love for everyone. I pray that even those who refuse to look at those different from us would receive a blessing that would change their thinking about racial differences. Bring love and mercy to our shared ministry. Let us truly be the people of God. Let the encounters in Your church bring salvation from attitudes and hatreds that 'kill, steal, and destroy.' We pray in the name of He who loves all, Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
