Today's reading is the wonderful story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman, of questionable character, at a well. Do make time to reflect on the details of this passage but here is just one bit:
(19) "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. (20) Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." (21) Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. (22) You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. (23) Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. (24) God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth."
John 4:19-24 [NIV]
The first thing to note here is that Father seeks us! God seeks after those who will worship him in spirit and in truth.
God is not limited by time and space. When people are born of the Spirit, they can commune with God anywhere. Spirit is the opposite of what is material and earthly, for example Mount Gerizim. Christ makes worship a matter of the heart.
Truth is what is in harmony with the nature and will of God. It is the opposite of what is false. Here the truth is specifically the worship of God through Jesus Christ.
The issue is not where a person worships, but how and whom!
This is so relevant to members of m2o in Rugby as we had to consider whether to keep the old St. Matthew's church building or whether to create a new home in St. Oswald's church. We have made the difficult decision to stay at St. Oswald's where we continue to worship the one true God in spirit and in truth.
Martin Saxby
Read the Bible in a Year: Proverbs 11:9-18; Judges 1:1-2:5; John 4:1-26
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