Book of Faith - John 4:1-42 - The Woman at the Well

Book of Faith is back.  We took off for the summer, but we've ready to explore the scriptures again.  We're continuing in the gospel of John.  The passage we read this week is the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.  In this story, Jesus is tearing down so many barriers.  The woman is a Samaritan.  She is a woman.  And she is a woman with a reputation.  Any one of those distinctions should have removed her from the list of proper people for a rabbi to engage in conversation.  However, the distinctions do not stop Jesus.  This is a wonderful witness of the gospel.  The woman, as you can imagine, was more than a little surprise.  As with the story of Nicodemus, Jesus uses language that has much deeper meeting.  When he speaks of living water, the woman assumes he is talking about running water i.e. a spring.  Of course, Jesus has something else in mine.  He is speaking of God quenching a thirst in all of us that no water can touch.  Jesus is the source of that holy water.  

The group enjoyed how Jesus makes the gospel universal.  Jesus speaks of a time when people will no longer worship God in Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim (the Samaritan's holy site), but will be worshiped is spirit and truth.  The group explored the idea of worshiping is spirit and truth.  The conversation suggested that true worship was lived out in everything we do and say.  Every aspect of our lives carries an element of worship. There is no disconnect between what happens on Sunday and what happens on Monday.  The group also believed true worship needed to be authentic.  Authenticity could mean different things to different people.  For one, all the richness of the liturgy rings true to them.  For another, it might be worship in its simplest form.  The beauty is that God meets us again and again in all the varieties of worship we express.

The group also found Jesus' conversation with the disciples interesting.  The question was asked about the meaning of "Four months, and the harvest will come".  The discussion centered on the very human practice of waiting until the last moment.  We will get around to the business of the kingdom when the kingdom (harvest) comes.  Jesus is telling the disciples that there is work to be down now.  There are seeds to be planted. There are seeds that need to be nurtured. In the kingdom of God, those who sow and those who reap will rejoice together.  

For everyone, it was good to be back together.  We encourage anyone who would like to join us at noon on Wednesday at the CEB to come.  We also encourage anyone who would like to join us by following the blog to visit the website.  Make Book of Faith a part of your discipleship journey.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

Germany Day - Day 8

Today is our last full day in Germany.  The trip has been amazing.  The weather forced us to change plans, but we still hit all the high points.  We woke up for the first time to rain, which meant we would not be taking the walking tour of Unter den Linden, one of Berlin's most fashionable boulevards.  However, we did visit the Bundestsag that was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt after the wall came down.  A fantastic dome, designed by Sir Norman Foster, caps the building and is a work of art allowing a breath taking view of Berlin.  From the Bundestsag, we walked to the Brandenburg  Gate, which stood in the "no man's land" between East and West Berlin and became a symbol of a divided Germany.  From there, we entered a memorial, based on a cemetery in Prague, dedicated to all the Jews murdered during World War II.  The memorial was deeply moving.

From the memorial, we went to the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), which was destroyed in World War II, but is now fully restored.  The church is impressive, but I will still take Zion.  After visiting the church, some people went back to the hotel and the rest of us stayed on Museum Island.  Grabbing a great lunch (curry wurst), we explored the Pergamon Museum.  This museum houses the Pergamon Altar.  To say that is impressive is an understatement.  You can't imagine the size.  In addition, we saw the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, a collection of ancient Near Easter artifacts, and a beautiful exhibition of Islamic art.

After this wonderful cultural experience, the sun broke out and we made our way back to the hotel.  We have a little free time before supper.  We will gather for our final supper at one of the local restaurants.  We will be up bright and early tomorrow morning for our flight home.  Don't worry, there will be many more stories to tell and we want to share all of them.. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.  We will be home soon.

Peace, Pastor Summer

Germany - Day 7

This morning, we left Wittenberg.  It was truly a wonderful experience.  However, I did have one more chapter to write.  Since I would be preaching on the bus, I had one last opportunity to walk the streets of Wittenberg as I prepared my sermon.  As you can imagine, I loved the walk.

The trip to Berlin was uneventful.  This was the first day we had a few clouds.  Coming into Berlin, there was a real difference between East and West Berlin.  The wall is down, but the economic differences remain.  While we were in the city, we visited two museums.  The first was at Check Poimt Charlie and told the story of the Russian occupation of East Germany and the building of the Berlin Wall.  The wall went up almost overnight and divided so many families.  The various ways people devised to escape to the west were amazing.  The second museum was the Judisches Museum which told the story of Jews in Germany all the way back to the Babyonian captivity to the present time.  The story was compelling, if sobering.  The story is a diffult one to hear.  The museum does an impressive job and the architecture is very much a part of the telling of the story.  The museum is not your usual museum.  It is laid out like a deconstructed star of David.  The visits to the two museums will stay with us for a long time.

We are now in our final hotel.  The location is ideal.  We will be heading out to dinner in a few minutes.  It's hard to believe that the end is in sight.  The trip has been everything I hoped it would be.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Germany - Day 6

In many ways, this trip has been leading to this day.  The roots of Zion's story really go back to October 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.  Today, we stood looking at that door and feeling the sense of history and God at work.  The moment was humbling and where we began our tour.

Our guide through the city was Thomas Gaubig, who grew up as a believer in Wittenberg when the town was a part of the GDR.  As a matter of faith, he did not become a communist and paid the price.  His own story added a depth to our tour.  We began at the Castle Chuch and made our way through the city to St. Mary Church, where Luther preached and was married.  Along the way, we stopped at the town square and saw a couple coming out of city hall having been married.  We were told the history of Wittenberg as the center of the Reformation and a fortified city with a surrounding wall.  We heard the miracle of Wittenberg.  When the city was bombed during World War II, all the houses between Luther's and Melanchthon's fell, but those two remained standing.  There were surprises like Dr. Eber, who was a freed slave from Guinea and a doctor at the university about the time we held our first service in the home of Aree Von Guinee, who was also a free slave from Dutch Guinea.  We visited the home of both Luther and Melanchthon and heard their stories.  This is just a taste of what we learned.

After another wonderful lunch under a clear blue sky in the town square, we had time to revisit the Luther House and other stops where we wanted to spend more time.  We all returned to the hotel to get ready for the worship service at the Castle Church.  The church is being renovated, but it was amazing to be in that space where Luther had proclaimed the Gospel so long ago.  I was given the honor of reading the epistle.  I was moved by the experience.  Someday, I would love to preach in that space.

As I write this blog, we are getting ready for dinner.  This day has been special for many reasons.  I have been touched as a Lutheran coming to the place where it all began.  I have been touched as a pastor who has had the joy of preaching the gospel of grace.  And I have been touched as a person of faith by the witness of the reformers in the pastor to the witness of Thomas, our guide, in the present.  I have many memories that I will carry with me as we leave this place.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Germany - Day 5

Today was another travel day as we made our way from Erfurt to Wittenberg.  Before we left, we enjoyed a lovely evening in one of the squares in Erfurt.  As we sat at tables surrounding the square and enjoyed beverages (I enjoyed my Coke), we listened to jazz and were entertained by two fire jugglers.  The evening was warm and wonderful.

On the way to Wittenberg, we visited Weimar, the home of German culture.  The two central figures being Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and Friedrich Shiller.  The two became great friends.  In many ways, Goethe was a Renaissance man, with an interest in poetry, art, philosophy, and science.  Shiller shared similar passions.  He is best know for his play, William Tell.  While in Weimar, we toured the old town, visited Schiller's house, and explored Goethe's Garden House.  We were very taken with the city and enjoyed walking the streets and exploring the parks with the free time we had.  I especially enjoyed the picnic by the river near Goethe's Garden House.  The weather could not have been better.

The trip to Wittenberg was uneventful, though longer than we intended.  Even on the autobahn they have traffic and construction.  We felt like we were back in New Jersey.  John, our guide, took the time to explain the 30 Year War.  This is not an easy task, but John did well.  We only lost a few to sleep on the trip after all the morning walking.

We have now arrived in Wittenberg and are staying at a smaller family hotel.  Dinner will be served in another 15 minutes, but I wanted to post today's blog.  The adventure continues and we are enjoying ever minute of it.

Peace, Pastor Summer

Germany - Day 4

Today, we explored the town of Erfurt, which is an exceptional example of medieval Germany.  Erfurt was spared the intense bombing of many other German cities during World War II and many of the churches and building still survive.  We began in Cathedral Square for a walking tour of the old city.  The narrow cobble stoned streets and shops gave you a real feeling of medieval Europe.  Some of the high points were the Merchant Bridge, which still houses shops, the oldest synagogue in Europe, and the university Martinez Luther attended as a student.  Luther was a true scholar and did well, however, he decided to become a monk rather than become a lawyer as his father wished.  He attributed his change of mind to an experience he had while riding during a thunderstorm.  The storm was so severe that he cried out to St. Anne to save him with the promise that he would become a monk.  He survived the storm and entered the monastery.

After touring the town, we visited both St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Severus Church.  These two massive Gothic churches stand next to each other on Cathedral Square.  St. Severus was established when the convent of canons (women) were asked to leave the cathedral church.  Both churches are impressive.  St. Mary's is where Martin Luther was ordained in 1507.

With the group's energy running down, we broke for lunch.  A number of us enjoyed bratwursts at a local restaurant that served the best bratwursts in the city or so we were told by our guide.  The bratwursts were delicious.  Having refueled, we made our way to the Augustinian Monastery where Martin Luther lived as a monk and served his first Mass.  The life of a monk was demanding.  Rising at 3:00 in the morning, they would worship every three hours until midnight.  The day was filled with work, study, and silence.  It was not a life for the faint of heart.

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the city, taking in the views, and visiting the shops.  There was so much to see and experience.  The weather, once again, was fantastic.  We returned to the hotel tied, but happy.  Tomorrow, we head to Wittenberg.

Germany - Day 3

Today, we left Heidelberg.  The weather was as beautiful as the day we arrived.  We will miss this fascinating city.  Our destination was Erfurt, which is located in former East Germany.  Along the way, we stopped at Eisenach, which is the location of the Lutherhaus, where Martin Lutheran lived as a boy.  At the time, he was a singer in a youth choir that would go door to door singing for money.  Eisenach is also the home of Bach.  In the city, you can still feel the impact of the Cold War.  Though Germany is united, there is still a disparity in wealth between the east and the west that is evident.  We enjoyed our stay and had a quick lunch.  We introduced the local restaurants the American habit of paying for the bill before the meal is over.  No feathers were ruffled and we were back on schedule.

From Eisenbach, we made our way to the Wartburg Castle, which is very impressive sitting on top of a hill.  The castle is a true treasure for Germany.  Of course, Martin Luther spent time in the castle hiding after the Diet of Worms.  It was during this time that he translated the Bible into German.  Amazingly, he translated the whole New Testament in 10 weeks.  The translation is significant in the fact that it made the Bible accessible to all people, but it also standardized the German language.  The castle goes back to the 1200's.   The sense of history was almost palpable.

On a lighter note, I got lost with another member from the congregation on the way back from the Wartburg Castle.  We decided to climb down rather than take the shuttle bus.  It sounded good on paper.  However, we should have turned left rather right when we hit the road.  Our excuse was that we were following the crowd.  However, we have no one to blame but ourselves.  Fortunately, we were rescued by our tour bus.  The group will not let us forget.  There's nothing like the shepherd getting lost.

We are now safely in our hotel in Erfurt.  I'm so glad they have free wifi.  The sun is setting in the west and the fields are bathed in gold.  This is truly the heart of Germany with rolling hills, farm lands, and small town.  Tomorrow, we will explore Erfurt and I will continue the story.  The trip has already been amazing and we still have so much to do and see.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Germany - Day 2

Our adventure in Germany continues. Last night, we had a lovely meal at the restaurant.  They have a room just for our group, which is very nice.  After dinner, we sat outside in a wonderful outdoor cafe under a star filled night.  No one stayed up late.  This morning, we may our way to the Heidelberg Castle, which sits on the hillside overlooking the city.  The castle was destroyed by the French, but what remains is amazing.  The group was struck by the large wine barrels.  Some were the size of a small house.  The views from the gardens were spectacular.

From the castle, we went to the Church of the Holy Spirit in the town square.  You enter the church and you immediately have a sense of the vertical.  Your eyes are lifted to the heavens.  One amazing fact is that the church was divided down the middle for many years with the reformists on one side and the Catholics on the other.  Lunch followed our visit and many of us dined in one of the many cares along the river.  Of course, the food was delicious.

After lunch, we visited the Jesuit church that was built as a part of the Counter Reformation.  This church presented the best in religious art and sculpture as a counterpoint to the plainness of the Reformed churches.  The church was success in this goal.

The group then divided.  My small group went to the University of Heidelberg museum.  This museum told the history of the university which goes back to 1386.  The school has an amazing history.  It plays a central role in developing the Heidelberg Catechism, which is the central document of the Reformed Church.  In many ways, it is like the Augsburg Confession for us as Lutherans. After the University of Heidelberg, I went to a special display at one of the other museums telling the story of the Heidelberg Catechism.  I was very taken with the political storm surrounding this statement of faith.  The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the streets and stores of the city.  Dinner will once again be at the hotel.

Tomorrow we will leave Heidelberg with many great stories and memories.  As an added feature, we are beginning each day with a word from Martin Luther.  He wrote a daily devotion and we are using his reflections to center us for the day.  Contiue to keep us in your prayed and we will do the same for you.  If I can find a wifi connection, I will report tomorrow.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Germany - Day 1

If you believe it, I'm sitting in a Starbucks in Heidelberg, Germany.  They had free wifi.  And so the blogging of our adventure in Germany begins.  The flight was a little under 7 hours.  It's amazing that you can go sleep in New Jersey and wake up in Germany.  Although, I didn't get much sleep.  I was too excited.  Our first stop was Worms where the Diet of Worms was held challenging Luther and his faith.  Emperor Charles V presided.  The cathedral was amazing going all the way back the the 1100's.  There are elements that span the centuries.  I loved the set of drums sitting I. One of the chapels.

From Worms, we traveled to Heidelberg, where we are spending the next two night. Old Heidelberg is beautiful.  The city sits next to the Neckar River belows the ruins of the Heidelberg Castle.  The streets narrow and cobbled stoned.  You can feel the history.  We went to a local restaurant just off the town square.  The food was delicious and very German.  We had sausages, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and, for some, beer.  In the afternoon, a group of us went on the Philosopher's Walk, which was a trail that went up the mountain on the other side of the river and gave a beautiful view of the city and the castle.  It is said that the philosophers from the University of Heidelberg use to walk that trail with their students.  I can see why.  Tomorrow, having fully recovered from the flight, we will have a fuller day of sightseeing.  I'm looking forward to the next adventure.

Peace,
Pastor Summer