Worship In Spirit And In Truth

On Sept. 21, 1956 Navy test pilot Tom Attridge was flying Grumman’s new F-11F-1 Tiger. He fired a burst from his 20mm cannon while diving and accelerating and ran into his own shells. He had to crash land, because he had shot his own fighter down. When that happened I had completed my vicarage-internship and returned to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis for my final year. I was looking forward to beginning work in the pastoral ministry and getting married to my wife. My life was full of activity and moving fast. 

Sometimes life can be going too fast, so fast that we have no time for Bible reading, meditation and prayer. When that happens we are in grave danger of shooting ourselves down. We no longer hear the warnings from our God in His Word. We are in danger of crashing. 

The Gospel lesson for the second Sunday in Lent is from John 4, the story of Jesus meeting the woman at a well in Samaria. In that conversation Jesus touched upon the critical issue of worship. True worship, he points out, must happen in spirit and in truth. Those are the only worshipers the Father seeks. 

Samaria was the place name of a mountain, a city and a region. The word means "mountain of watching." Forty-two miles north of Jerusalem a hill protrudes from a broad valley that cuts across the central highlands of Israel. The city of Samaria in O.T. times had been the capital, residence and burial place of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. Following that kingdom's fall to Assyria in 721 B.C. exiles from many nations settled in Samaria. At the time of Jesus' earthly ministry people from many places still lived there. There had been much intermarriage between former Jews and the Gentiles that moved into the Samaritan area. This led to the widespread worship of strange gods. As you can imagine, there was much unresolved tension between the Samaritans and the orthodox Jews of Judea. 

Instead of going around, as was customary for Jews of his day, the Lord led his disciples straight through Samaria. The story picks up around noon as Jesus and his disciples paused at a well for a rest. While the disciples went on into town to buy some lunch, Jesus engaged a woman who had come to the well in a conversation. He immediately made it clear that he knew who she was, that she had failed in five marriages, been frequently abused and was even then living with a man to whom she was not married. In other words, her life was a mess and she undoubtedly carried shame, failure and guilt in her heart. The fact that she came out to draw water at noon further indicated that she was trying to avoid the other women of the village who would come in the morning. 

I've known many who avoid gathering with others in public, especially in public worship. They don't want to face the truth about themselves and about God. Some, like the Samaritan woman feel they've made a mess of their lives and will never measure up to the standards God has set. I've often heard them say that the church is all a bunch of hypocrites. Church people talk about religion and pretend to pray, but lead lives as flawed and sinful as everyone else. I've heard others say that the whole religion thing bores them. Their boredom is really a cry for people who will reach out to accept and care about them as they are. Of course, it is true that there are 'religious' people who worship with their mouths, but not in their hearts. They boast of being orthodox and pure and look down with loathing upon the Samaritans of our day. 

What kind of person was this man who asked the Samaritan woman for a drink? She knew he was a Jew by his dress and his accent. Since the Jews normally avoided the Samaritans she was surprised that he even talked with her. This led into a conversation about the living water that Jesus said he could give her. She thought he was talking about some kind of artesian well. That, in turn, is what led Jesus to confront her about her failed marriages and the abuse, shame and guilt she carried in her heart. 

The amazing thing is that Jesus did not shun her, even though he knew all about her. He continued to reach out to her. Shook up by such loving attention, the woman tried to change the direction of the conversation. He must be a Rabbi so maybe they might get into a conversation about the usual conflicts between Samaritans and Jews and avoid dealing with those most uncomfortable personal issues. So she asked his opinion about the correct place to worship. 

Samaritans identified Mt. Gerizim as the place God had chosen rather than the Judean King David's Jerusalem. They called Gerizim the "navel of the earth," because in their tradition Adam had sacrificed there. Further, they limited the Bible to the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, and taught that 6,000 years after creation, a Restorer or Messiah would arise to live on earth for 110 years. At the end of that period would come Judgment Day when the righteous were to be resurrected and the wicked roasted in eternal hell fire. 

Her attempts at redirection didn't work. Jesus turned the conversation back upon her, emphasizing that God looks not at where people worship. What He really seeks are those who worship Him in spirit and in truth, honestly and without lies and pretense. And since she asked about the Messiah he said right out that he was the Messiah, the Restorer. This changed everything for her. The Messiah had come, had known her and still accepted her. Without pausing further, she raced back into town to spread the good news. 

Here's the good news for us all. Regardless of our failures and sins the Messiah has indeed come and come for us personally. When you realize that Jesus is the One promised and that in him there is true mercy and forgiveness, fresh water does flow back into your life. That water is God's Spirit, His power and mercy flowing into all the dark corners to bring forgiveness and renewal. 

There are many places for worship. There are many styles of worship that reflect the many cultures and languages of people around the globe. But true worship is ever inward, spiritual. True worshipers hear Jesus speak to their hearts his blessed words of forgiveness and they respond with joy and thanks. Above everything, remember Jesus' words: "God is spirit and his worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth."