Inside Out

March 27, 2011 3rd Sunday of Lent

Exodus 17: 1-7, Psalm 95, Romans 5: 1-11, John 4: 5-42

The woman at the well; that is the story we have for our gospel lesson today. Her story along with the story we had last week about Nicodemus are unique to the gospel of John. When we put the stories side by side, it is ironic...or maybe John planned it this way...that there are so many contrasts and similarities between them.

Both the stories illustrate how being in the presence of Jesus is where one comes to know the truth; both about their own lives and life in the kingdom of God. In Jesus' presence we are known by God in a most intimate way, and if we accept the truth, a very liberating way.

The contrasts in the story are evident:

· male vs. female

· powerful vs. powerless

· met Jesus in darkness vs. met Jesus in the day light

· one named vs. the un-named

One thing that sticks out to me most is the social, religious and political differences between the woman and Nicodemus. One is an outsider and the other is an insider.

Have you ever thought of yourself as an insider? I certainly have. There have been times in my life when I was a joiner. I've joined lots of organizations; Girl Scouts, UMYF, Toastmasters, UMW, even Weightwatchers. In all of those places I was an insider. I knew where to meet, what we did at meetings, and knew the others in the organization who were also insiders. Being an insider meant...that you didn't have to struggle to be socially accepted...you were an insider by virtue of membership in the group.

That was the case with Nicodemus. But for the woman of Sychar that was not the case at all. She was an outcast for a lot of reasons:

· being a Samaritan (expand)

· being a woman (expand)

· being unmarried (expand)

· her lifestyle (nobody wanted her in the UMW)

When Jesus met this woman, as he did with Nicodemus, he turned her world inside out. It was one of the things Jesus did very well...turning people inside out. Being inside out means being pushed outside of our comfort zones.

Jesus was good at going to places that were uncustomary. His being in Samaria at Jacob's well was not customary. Most Jews wouldn't have been there, would have made their way north via another route if possible.

Jesus' speaking to the woman was also uncustomary. Jewish men, most certainly a rabbi, would not have spoken to her, much less asked her for water, or have been seen with her alone. Such a thing was taboo in Jewish religious circles. Hanging out with a known bad girl sort of tainted your reputation.

But Jesus did not take the ordinary route anywhere. Jesus has always shown us that doing the uncustomary thing when it comes to offering someone the good news is really customary for us. But doing so, living life inside out is often uncomfortable.

My mother was an excellent seamstress. As mom's only little girl in a house full of boys, she doted on making me beautiful clothes. Growing up I had matching play suits, lacy dresses, and when I was older she often made me outfits that were identical to the most popular styles.

As a young adult I wanted to be as good a seamstress as my mom. Course it never happened. Mom was less than supportive. When I made something, had worked hard on it, I would take it to her for approval. Inevitably, she would take my garment and casually flip the garment inside out to look at my seams. "Seams need to be straight," she always said. "You garment should be just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside." Now who wears their clothes inside out? I thought. Nobody. You look silly and besides, clothes that are inside out are uncomfortable.

I am sure that when Jesus began to speak to the woman he met at the well about her life, she must have been quite uncomfortable, like she was being turned inside out. When somebody knows us the way Jesus knew this woman, it is like being exposed. It is like being stripped of the barriers we place around us. What we think we are keeping to ourselves, away from the public eye, is suddenly spoken...out loud.

We all fear being exposed. How many of us have had that dream where suddenly we are walking around naked...and everybody around us is fully clothed? That is how our fear of exposure will manifest itself in our dreams.

In this story about Jesus and the woman at the well however, the woman does not seem upset about Jesus' words. On the contrary, instead of getting mad, she lauds him as a prophet. I would think that the usual reaction to somebody exposing your innermost secrets would be total embarrassment or anger. What is the difference here?

Exactly, the one doing the exposing is Jesus. The woman must have felt that she was in a safe place; a place of mercy; a place where her sins, though judged, would not forever condemn her. Jesus made her sins bearable; so they could be spoken of; so they could be confessed, and so that they could be forgiven.

Over the last few years there has been a push in the UMC for the formation of something called the covenant accountability group, or small group. Pastors have been encouraged to become a member of such a group, or form one.

The idea of a small group is not new. John Wesley belonged to one called the Holy Club during his years at Christ Church, Oxford where he studied for ministry. Wesley went on to found the Methodist movement where he helped to form societies, classes and bands. These organized small groups developed personal accountability and discipleship among its members.

I have often been a member of such an accountability group, which have been called prayer group, covenant group, or accountability group. What happens in such a group is that persons develop relationships that promote an atmosphere like the one Jesus promoted at the well. In a small group setting, where we provide a safe place, where our stuff...fears, sorrows, grief and trouble can be exposed, there can be forgiveness and healing. Forgiveness and healing can happen there, the place of acceptance and grace, because we know that the presence of Jesus is there.

When Jesus spoke the truth to the Samaritan woman, when he offered her living water, when he let her meet the Messiah, her savior, she responded. We don't know her words of response to him that day...because her encounter with Jesus was interrupted by the returning disciples. But we do know what she did.

She left her water jar and returned home...I imagine her running back to town, tears streaming down her face, knowing that her life was now changed forever. She had found the savior, the Messiah, and she was forgiven. No longer was she hiding; no longer trying to hold her brokenness inside; no, now she was free, free to witness to the very people who had shunned her. "Come and see...come and see a man who told me everything I had ever done!"

Do you remember what it feels like to be forgiven? Maybe it's been a while since you had the exhilaration of God lifting your burdens off your shoulders. These days, we really don't like to talk about sin very much. We don't like to talk about what sin does to us; what sin does to our families; how sin ruins our friendships; how sin seems to place a distance between us and God; and how heavy it all is.

We try our best to avoid that kind of talk; to avoid even thinking much about our sins. We are very much like the woman at well. Hiding and keeping our sins secret, holding them inside. Our brokenness is very difficult to face and very difficult to deal with, especially when we are supposed to be good.

But do you remember? All of us who are confessing Christians did at some time in our lives confess our sins to God. We met Jesus, heard him tell us all we'd ever done, and we responded to his offer of forgiveness. We placed our faith in him, and we were freed from the shame and guilt that we carried. Thanks be to God.

Maybe you are carrying something today that you want to get rid of. Maybe today you are meeting Jesus at Jacob's well. Like the Samaritan woman, you are hearing Jesus tell you the truth about your own life; turning you inside out. I don't know, it's not my job to tell people their sins.

But I want you to know one thing today...if you don't hear anything else...hear this: In the presence of Jesus, who is here with us right now, there is mercy, grace, love, healing and forgiveness. If that is what you need, what you want...don't leave this place without it. Amen.