Fittingly, as we are celebrating the anniversary of this particular congregation we are now in the readings of the early earliest Christians the earliest followers of Jesus as they began to form communities and hash out their differences and what they would look like and all of those things in the book of Acts. We’ve been in this book a couple weeks now It’s kind of like the journal of the earliest apostles. Starting next week, we’re going to start to read some of Paul’s mail in his various writings to the various communities that he’s founded, and we’ll be in Philippians next week. But today, we encounter Paul once again in Acts is in another location in Greece:

Acts 17: 16-34

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons and also in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Also some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, “What does this pretentious babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities.” (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) So they took him and brought him to the Areopagus and asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new. 

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all peoples to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps fumble about for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, 

     ‘For we, too, are his offspring.’ 

“Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 

When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed, but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” At that point Paul left them. But some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. 

For the Word of God in scripture,
For the Word of God among us,
For the Word of God within us,
Thanks be to God.

***

Well, last week Paul was in Philippi with his buddy Silas, and they were getting into trouble. This week Paul is on his own in Athens and seemingly in a much better mood. As Bobby Williamson puts it, though he’s upset by their use of idols, this distress doesn’t lead our notoriously hot-headed Paul to smash any idols or overturn any tables. He goes instead into conversation with a wide range of people. He is curious about their culture and their religious practices. He seeks to find common ground but isn’t afraid to point out when there are real differences. Honestly, this is like a master class in interfaith dialogue, up until the point at the end where Paul blows it by telling them that God is growing impatient with their ignorance and will soon judge them lacking if they don’t convert.

But honestly, we could argue that the Athenians impacted Paul as much as he impacted them. And that’s a good mark of a healthy and productive interfaith dialogue. But it’s clear from Paul’s later writings that he has incorporated some Greek philosophical concepts into his theology, so much so that I think to say that had Paul not stopped by Athens, Christian theology might be very, very different.

Now, really, we can say that about just about anything. There’s this Doctor Who episode called Turn Left. In the episode explores the different paths a person’s life would take if they turned left instead of right at an intersection. And not only their life, but the lives of those around them, as well as following generations.

Really, when we think about it, our whole existence hangs on threads of chance. Countless things had to fall into place just for us to be here. It’s just one different choice, a left turn instead of a right, perhaps, and poof. But we are here, thanks be to God. And Paul did go to Athens and changed them, even as he himself was changed.

And I think that’s a really important lesson for us.

You see, faith is not static. It grows, it evolves, it changes. It can take in new information, and you blend the old with the new, and it becomes something else altogether. In his book, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg writes, “The way of Jesus is not a set of beliefs. That people ever thought it was is strange when we think about it, as if one entered new life by believing certain things to be true, or as if the only people who can be saved are those who know the word Jesus. Thinking that way virtually amounts to salvation by syllables. Rather, the way of Jesus is the way of death and resurrection, the path of transition and transformation from an old way of being to a new way of being.”

So really, if we think about it, all we can have is a living, evolving, growing, changing faith. It should be of absolutely no surprise to us that what we were taught in Sunday school as children does not sustain us later in life. We would never be surprised in any other area, would we? But it’s the foundation from which we can grow. It’s the foundation from which our faith evolves. And the same can be said of communities of faith as well.

Today, we celebrate our 125th anniversary as Roland Park Presbyterian Church. And I want to just read you a bit from our website of how our story began.

On May 8, 1900, 11 men and 10 women met in the home of John T. Hill to discuss the idea of forming a Presbyterian church in the then-new Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore. A committee of five was formed to look into this matter, and seven weeks later, on Thursday, June business and social meeting of local Presbyterians was held in the Women’s Club Room on the second floor of the Roland Park Shopping Center, which is still across the street.

The committee reported that arrangements could be made for the use of the Women’s Club Room for the morning and evening services at the cost of $3 per Sunday, including the use of the piano, organ, and lights. It was felt that a minister could be secured for an annual salary of $1000.

And a building could be obtained at a discount from the Roland Park Company. Plans were presented for a stone structure that could be built for $10,000. The committee continued to work through the summer. On October 4th, arrangements were concluded with the Reverend John Walkup Douglas, who began his ministry at Roland Park on the first Sunday of November. Meanwhile, the Sunday school began on October 21st with John T. Hill as its first superintendent. The Sabbath school, as it was first termed, was held before church with separate classes for boys and girls.

The cornerstone of the church was laid on July 10th. Seventeen months later, on December 6, 1902, dedication services were held. The original sanctuary of the church was done in an auditorium style with a sloping floor and no center aisle. There was a central pulpit, behind which was the choir and an organ console. Throughout these early years, the First Presbyterian Church downtown, which has now become First and Franklin Presbyterian Church, maintained a strong interest in encouraging the new Roland Park church, including an annual contribution.

Pretty cool, huh?

But again, just one different decision and we might not be here, or we might be in a different location. And the same could be said for all of the 125 intervening years. We have been sustained by the decisions and support and prayers and acts of service and faithfulness of so many.

One that stands out to me is Joe Day. Joe was a member of our church when I arrived here. He was an older gentleman. He had sung in the choir for many, many years. But by the time I got to know him, he’d retired from the choir.

What I remember about Joe was his kindness to me. Just about every Sunday he was here, as he was leaving, he would greet me after church and he would say something like, “You sure are a young man, but you’re our pastor.”

This was an affirmation and I took it as such. Joe was one of those memorable, memorable individuals, and when he passed, we grieved our loss.

About six months later, we received a letter. It was from Joe’s attorney, informing us that we were one of two benefactors in his will, the other being his sister. Joe left the church a very generous bequest.

When I informed the session of this, I will never forget the looks on everyone’s face. Because you see, Joe was not a wealthy man. He didn’t have a lot of family. He drove a modest car, lived in a modest apartment, and died in a modest nursing home. He gave no indication that he had the sort of means to leave a gift to the church.

But to Joe, we were his family. And people were touched. And beyond that, they were moved and inspired. And I tell you this because, in my estimation, that was the moment that we started to understand who we are as a small congregation and that we could do great things even though we have limited resources.

His gift, among others, was an impetus for forming our master plan, which eventually led to one renovation, and then to another, which we just completed. It’s not technically done yet, but almost. And so from one point of view, in a very real sense, all that we’ve done since, we can trace to Joe’s gift, given to his church family who loved him and whom he loved.

Now, of course, we could tell this story dozens of times over about others in our congregation, past and present. That’s one of the beauties of a small congregation. Those contributions, whether financial or of self, are so impactful. And we know there have been other gifts since, maybe larger in size. But you see, Joe didn’t have a lot of people to remember him, except for us.

So I thought it was appropriate to remember him this day and say, thank you, Joe. Your memory is a blessing, as is the memory of so many other names who may be running through our minds right now.

You see, we are blessed beyond measure to inherit this place, this mission from those who have gone before us. And we have our opportunity to make our contribution before we pass it on to the next generation.

And so continues the story of transformation, death, resurrection, the old and new coming together to create something that’s never been before.

So friends, as we come to this table today, I invite you to bring someone with you. If you’ve been a member of this congregation for a time, I invite you to bring a dearly departed one like Joe with you. And if you haven’t been here that long, I invite you to bring someone from your own life whose memory is a blessing. And I invite us all to think about all the people in 125 years who have gathered around this table before us, as well as those who will gather around it after us.

Just one different choice, one different turn, and we might not be here, but by the grace of God we are. As Frederick Buechner reminds us, “The grace of God means something like, here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It is for you that I created the universe. I love you.”

Friends, isn’t that good news?

Happy 125th, Roland Park Presbyterian Church. Let us come to the table of grace once again. Amen.

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Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” (although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized), he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 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.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!”

The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him…

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

For the Word of God in scripture,
For the Word of God among us,
For the Word of God within us,
Thanks be to God.

***

How have you been passing the time this week? I mean beside shoveling and rearranging your schedule.

Interestingly, the quote from last Sunday bulletin—the one we missed— was from the Rev. Rebecca Mallozzi was suggestive of a couple ways to cope with being snowed in. She writes, “I hope you lean into that curiosity and wonder, in the same way you might lean into a good story or a warm quilt, trusting that our Creating God is still working in ways we have yet to see.”

Amy and I have been enjoying watching the squirrels digging in the snow in our backyard. You see, we have a giant oak tree that sheds more acorns than we can deal with. We try to collect them in the fall, but inevitably there are piles left around the yard. The squirrels are grateful for this supply of nutrition and even under nearly a foot of snow, they can detect their presence, dig them up and have themselves a mid-winter feast. You see, there are signs everywhere of the benevolent work beneath the surface, just waiting for us to dig it up!

Last week we were supposed to read John 3, the story of Jesus encounter with Nicodemus under the cover of night. The overall picture is of a religious leader who is curious about Jesus, but is afraid of what others might think. He is trying to get Jesus’ message, but can’t quite grasp it. Today’s reading is in many ways the mirror image of last week’s…

Allison deForest writes, “In a blaze of light, Jesus encounters a woman of Samaria at a well. This story is presented in deliberate contrast to the earlier story of Nicodemus. The leader of the Pharisees comes in darkness, and by the end of his story in John 3, his belief is still suspect. Though he seems the most likely person to understand and receive Jesus, he leaves confused and uncommitted. On the other hand, Jesus encounters the woman at noon, the brightest part of the day, and though she is one of the people least likely to comprehend him, she receives what he offers with joy and becomes one of the first of his apostles by bearing witness to her whole community.”

The day before the storm I attended a BUILD gathering with RPPC Elder Barbara Jarvis. BUILD stands for Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development. If you are not familiar, BUILD is an organization that uses community organizing to unite around issues that impact the community, and use our collective influence and power to put pressure on elected officials to address the issues that matter most to the people. From their website: BUILD is a broad-based, non-partisan, interfaith, multiracial community power organization rooted in Baltimore’s neighborhoods and congregations. For more than 45 years, BUILD has worked to improve housing, increase job opportunities, and rebuild schools and neighborhoods, among other issues.

To set the stage my colleague from Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church downtown, Andrew Connors gave a passionate plea to overcome dominant power with relational power. Essentially, dominant power is about “power over,” while relational power is “power with.” Dominant power is a top-down, often coercive, and visible form of control used to impose will and gain compliance. In contrast, relational power is a subtle, horizontal, and network-based influence, rooted in trust and mutual benefit. Dominance forces compliance, whereas relational power fosters cooperation and persuasion.

It is interesting to use this lens of dominant versus relational power to help us uncover what be going on in John chapters 3 & 4. Jesus interactions with both Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman are clear examples of relational power. Jesus meets them where they are, seeks to understand them, and offers to be in relationship with them. When Nicodemus has trouble shedding the familiar trappings of dominant power has trouble understanding Jesus’ meaning.

At this point the Gospel of John offers one of the clearest statements that the God of the Universe is not interested in dominant power when it declares: God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.

The Samaritan Woman has an easier time understanding Jesus’ message of relational power, because like all those who are closer to the bottom of the ladder of society, she lives with an acute awareness of her dependence on others.

Friends, this is how our world is saved. Not through dominant power, but relational power. Dr. King reminded us, “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”

In the end, Nicodemus returns home and tells no one about his interaction with Jesus. The Samaritan woman, on the other hand, returns home and tells everyone. “He told me everything I have ever done, she tells them.” And based on her testimony, the invite Jesus to stay with them for two days. Even in that short time, their relational power grows. They say to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Next Sunday is the day that companies will spend billions of dollars on advertisements to convince you that you are not enough, that you are incomplete, without their product. The Reverend Joanna Adams writes, “There are so many voices that would tell us who we are and what makes our lives valuable—that we are what we have, we are the car we drive, we are how we look—but all of that is a lie. We are first and last the beloved of God. We are the reason Christ came into the world and gave his life. Our lives will be pepper and salt, honey and vinegar, but more than anything, they are grace, divine grace. Grace beneath us. Grace above us. Grace everywhere.”

Jesus meets the Samaritan Woman at the well in the middle of the day and says, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

What’s in your well?

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