Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Encounter at the Well" (March 22, 1987)

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	(organ music)	0:00
-	Good morning and welcome to this service of worship	1:20
	on the third Sunday of Lent.	1:22
	In accordance with tradition begun here a few years ago	1:26
	our service features this morning the historic Great Litany,	1:30
	an appropriate offering for the season of Lent,	1:37
	and we thank David Arcus, who serves as our cantor	1:41
	this morning for the Great Litany.	1:44
	This afternoon at 1:30 the annual CROP Walk for World Hunger	1:47
	leaves from the steps of Duke Chapel	1:52
	and at 5:00 pm there is a concert on	1:55
	the Benjamin N. Duke Memorial Organ	2:00
	at 5:00 pm by Ms. Sandra Sunderland open to the public.	2:02
	On a university campus there are many images	2:09
	of success and achievement.	2:12
	There are many images of the good life	2:16
	for our students to emulate.	2:19
	A few years ago a number of students and faculty	2:22
	came together and sought to recognize	2:25
	a different image of success,	2:29
	namely success not based upon personal achievement	2:33
	but success based upon personal, direct involvement	2:38
	in service to others and they created	2:45
	the Duke University Humanitarian Service Award,	2:47
	which is presented annually through	2:53
	the efforts of Duke Campus Ministry.	2:55
	It is our pleasure this Sunday to present	2:59
	the 1987 Duke Humanitarian Service Award	3:03
	and here is a Duke undergraduate, Kimberly Coglan,	3:07
	who has served on the Selection Committee	3:11
	to introduce this year's recipient.	3:14
-	This year's recipient of	3:20
	the Duke Humanitarian Service Award	3:22
	embodies what the award is meant for.	3:25
	This year's recipient has shown sustained service to others	3:28
	in both her personal and her professional lives.	3:32
	In a professional life is Director of Pupil Personnel,	3:37
	for the Durham City schools	3:41
	she counsels both students and parents.	3:43
	In her personal life she set up	3:47
	a variety of things to help others.	3:49
	She's established a tutoring program on Saturday mornings,	3:51
	she works with the Child Advocacy Board in Durham,	3:56
	she's been very involved with the United Way	3:59
	as the city's representative,	4:01
	she helped establish and serves on the board	4:04
	of the Weaver Street Community Center.	4:06
	She does a variety of other things	4:08
	that take a lot of her time and effort	4:12
	and she continually serves others	4:14
	whether it's answering phone calls at 2:00 am	4:17
	from concerned parents,	4:19
	or tutoring students on a Saturday morning.	4:21
	It is my personal pleasure to award	4:24
	the 1987 Duke University Humanitarian Service Award	4:26
	to Martha Johnson.	4:31
-	[Rev. Dr. William] Why don't you come on up	4:42
	so everyone can see you.	4:43
	Congratulations.	4:46
Martha	Thank you very much.	4:47
Kimberly	Congratulations.	4:49
Martha	Thank you.	4:52
-	Our congratulations to Mrs. Johnson.	4:53
	(applauding)	4:56
David	Oh God the Father, creator of Heaven and earth.	5:26
All	Have mercy on us.	5:31
David	Oh God the son, redeemer of the world.	5:34
Congregation	Have mercy on us.	5:39
David	Oh God the Holy Ghost, sanctifier of the faithful.	5:42
Congregation	Have mercy on us.	5:48
David	Oh holy blessed and glorious trinity, one God.	5:51
Congregation	Have mercy on us.	5:57
David	Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses	6:01
	nor the offenses of our fore bearers,	6:05
	neither reward us according to our sins.	6:08
	Spare us good Lord, spare thy people	6:12
	whom thou hast redeemed with Thy most precious blood	6:16
	and by thy mercy preserve us forever.	6:20
Congregation	Spare us, good Lord	6:25
David	From all evil and wickedness, from sin,	6:28
	from the crafts and the assaults of the Devil,	6:32
	and from everlasting damnation.	6:35
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	6:40
David	From all blindness of heart, from pride,	6:43
	vainglory, and hypocrisy, from envy, hatred and malice,	6:47
	and from all want of charity.	6:53
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	6:57
David	From all inordinate and sinful affections,	7:00
	and from all the deceits of the world,	7:03
	the flesh, and the Devil.	7:06
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	7:10
David	From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism,	7:13
	from hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word	7:17
	and commandment.	7:22
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	7:24
David	From lightning and tempest,	7:28
	from earthquake, fire, and flood,	7:30
	from plague, pestilence, and famine.	7:33
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	7:38
David	From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion,	7:41
	from violence, battle, and murder,	7:45
	and from dying suddenly and unprepared.	7:49
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	7:54
David	By the mystery of Thy holy incarnation,	7:57
	by Thy holy nativity and submission to the law,	8:01
	by Thy baptism, fasting, and temptation.	8:05
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	8:10
David	By thine agony and bloody sweat,	8:14
	by Thy cross and passion, by Thy precious death and burial,	8:17
	by Thy glorious resurrection and ascension,	8:22
	and by the coming of the Holy Ghost.	8:26
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	8:30
David	In all time of our tribulation,	8:34
	in all time of our prosperity,	8:37
	in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment.	8:40
Congregation	Good Lord, deliver us.	8:45
David	We sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God	8:49
	and that it may please Thee to rule	8:53
	and govern Thy holy Church Universal in the right way.	8:56
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	9:02
David	That it may please Thee to illumine all bishops,	9:07
	priests, and deacons, with true knowledge	9:10
	and understanding of Thy Word	9:14
	and that both by their preaching and living,	9:16
	they may set it forth, and show it accordingly.	9:20
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	9:25
David	That it may please Thee	9:29
	to bless and keep all Thy people.	9:31
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	9:35
David	That it may please Thee	9:40
	to send forth laborers into Thy harvest,	9:41
	and to draw all people into Thy kingdom.	9:45
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	9:50
David	That it may please Thee to give to all people	9:54
	increase of grace to hear and receive Thy Word,	9:58
	and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.	10:02
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	10:07
David	That it may please Thee to bring	10:11
	into the way of truth all such as have erred,	10:13
	and are deceived.	10:17
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	10:20
David	That it may please Thee to give us	10:24
	a heart to love and fear Thee,	10:26
	and diligently to live after thy commandments.	10:29
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	10:35
David	That it may please Thee so	10:39
	to rule the hearts of Thy servants,	10:41
	the President of the United States,	10:44
	and all others in authority, that they may do justice,	10:47
	and love mercy, and walk in the ways of truth.	10:51
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	10:56
David	That it may please Thee to make wars	11:01
	to cease in all the world,	11:03
	to give to all nations unity, peace, and concord,	11:06
	and to bestow freedom upon all peoples.	11:10
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	11:15
David	That it may please Thee to show Thy pity	11:19
	upon all prisoners and captives, the homeless and hungry,	11:22
	and all who are desolate and oppressed.	11:28
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	11:32
David	That it may please Thee to give and preserve	11:36
	to our use the bountiful fruits of the earth,	11:40
	so that in due time all may enjoy them.	11:43
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	11:48
David	That it may please Thee to inspire us	11:53
	in our several callings	11:56
	to do the work which Thou givest us to do	11:58
	with singleness of heart as Thy servants,	12:01
	and for the common good.	12:04
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	12:08
David	That it may please Thee to preserve all	12:12
	who are in danger by reason of their labor or their travel.	12:15
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	12:21
David	That it may please Thee to preserve	12:26
	and provide for all women in childbirth,	12:29
	young children and orphans, widowed,	12:33
	and all whose homes are broken or torn by strife.	12:36
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	12:42
David	That it may please Thee to visit the lonely,	12:46
	to strengthen all who suffer in mind, body, and spirit,	12:50
	and to comfort with Thy presence	12:55
	those who are failing and infirmed.	12:57
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	13:01
David	That it may please Thee to support,	13:05
	help, and comfort all who are in danger,	13:08
	necessity, and tribulation.	13:12
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	13:15
David	That it may please Thee	13:20
	to have mercy upon all people.	13:21
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	13:25
-	That it may please Thee to give us true repentance,	13:29
	to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances,	13:33
	and to endue us with the grace of Thy Holy Spirit	13:39
	to amend our lives according to Thy holy Word.	13:43
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	13:48
-	That it may please Thee to forgive our enemies,	13:52
	persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts.	13:55
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	14:02
-	That it may please Thee to strengthen such as do stand,	14:05
	to comfort and help the weak-hearted,	14:10
	to raise up those who fall,	14:13
	and finally to beat down Satan under our feet.	14:15
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	14:21
David	That it may please Thee to grant	14:25
	to all the faithful departed eternal life and peace.	14:27
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	14:31
David	That it may please Thee to grant that,	14:36
	in the fellowship of all the saints,	14:39
	we may attain to Thy heavenly kingdom.	14:42
Congregation	We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.	14:46
David	Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.	14:50
Congregation	Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.	14:55
David	O Lamb of God,	15:00
	that takest away the sins of the world.	15:01
Congregation	Have mercy upon us.	15:04
David	O Lamb of God,	15:08
	that takest away the sins of the world.	15:09
Congregation	Have mercy upon us.	15:13
David	O Lamb of God,	15:16
	that takest away the sins of the world.	15:17
Congregation	Grant us Thy peace.	15:21
David	O Christ, hear us.	15:24
Congregation	O Christ, hear us.	15:27
David	Lord, have mercy upon us.	15:30
Congregation	Christ, have mercy upon us.	15:33
David	Lord, have mercy upon us.	15:36
All	Our Father, who art in heaven,	15:40
	hallowed be Thy name,	15:44
	Thy kingdom come,	15:46
	Thy will be done,	15:48
	on earth as it is in Heaven.	15:50
	Give us this day our daily bread	15:54
	and forgive us our trespasses,	15:57
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	16:00
	And lead us not into temptation,	16:04
	but deliver us from evil.	16:07
	For Thine is the kingdom, and the power,	16:10
	and the glory forever.	16:13
	Amen.	16:16
-	O Lord, let Thy mercy be showed upon us.	16:18
Congregation	As we do put our trust in Thee.	16:23
-	Let us pray.	16:27
	Almighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions	16:29
	of those who ask in thy Son's Name,	16:33
	we beseech Thee mercifully to incline Thine ear to us	16:36
	who have now made our prayers and supplications unto thee,	16:40
	and grant that those things which we have asked faithfully	16:45
	according to Thy will may be obtained effectually,	16:49
	and to the relief of our necessity,	16:54
	and to the setting forth of Thy glory	16:57
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	17:00
All	Amen.	17:04
-	The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,	17:06
	and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost,	17:09
	be with us all evermore.	17:14
All	Amen.	17:17
-	Almighty and everlasting God	17:21
	who hatest nothing Thou hast made	17:23
	and thus forgive the sins of those who are penitent.	17:25
	Create and make in us new in contrite hearts	17:29
	that we truly lamenting our sins	17:32
	and acknowledging our wickedness may obtain of Thee,	17:34
	the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness	17:38
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	17:43
	Amen.	17:46
	Be seated.	17:47
-	Let us pray.	17:57
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God	17:59
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	18:03
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed	18:06
	we might hear with joy what You say to us this day.	18:09
-	The first lesson is taken from the book of Exodus.	18:15
	But the people thirsted there for water	18:19
	and the the people murmured against Moses	18:22
	and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt	18:24
	to kill us, and our children, and our cattle with thirst?"	18:28
	So Moses cried to the Lord,	18:33
	"What shall I do with these people?	18:36
	They're almost ready to stone me."	18:39
	And the Lord said to Moses,	18:42
	"Pass on before the people taking with you	18:45
	some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand	18:48
	the rod with which you struck the Nile and go.	18:52
	Behold, I will stand with you there on the rock at Horeb	18:56
	and you shall strike the rock,	19:01
	and water shall come out of it,	19:03
	so that the people may drink."	19:04
	And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.	19:07
	And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah,	19:11
	because of the fault finding of the children of Israel,	19:15
	and because they put the Lord the the proof by saying,	19:19
	"Is the Lord among us or not?"	19:22
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	19:25
	The second lesson is taken from Paul's Letter to the Romans.	19:30
	Therefore since we are justified by faith	19:35
	we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.	19:39
	Through him we have obtained access	19:43
	to this grace in which we stand	19:46
	and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.	19:49
	More than that we rejoice in our sufferings	19:54
	knowing that suffering produces endurance,	19:58
	and endurance produces character,	20:01
	and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us	20:04
	because God's love has been poured into our hearts	20:09
	through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.	20:13
	While we were still weak, at the right time	20:17
	Christ died for the ungodly.	20:20
	Why, one will hardly die for a righteous person	20:23
	though perhaps for good people one will even dare to die.	20:27
	But God shows love for us in that	20:32
	while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us.	20:34
	Since therefore we are now justified by his blood	20:39
	much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.	20:44
	For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God	20:49
	by the death of His son, much more now	20:53
	that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life.	20:56
	Not only so, but we also rejoice in God	21:01
	through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom	21:05
	we have no received our reconciliation.	21:08
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	21:11
	(organ music)	21:21
	(soloist singing)	21:24
	(chorus singing)	22:28
	(chorus singing continues)	25:27
-	A reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint John.	26:44
	So Jesus came to a city Samaria called Sychar	26:50
	near the field that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph.	26:54
	Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus,	26:58
	wearied as he was with his journey,	27:02
	sat down beside the well.	27:04
	It was about the sixth hour.	27:07
	There came a woman of Samaria to draw water.	27:10
	Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink,"	27:13
	for his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.	27:17
	The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you,	27:22
	a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?"	27:25
	For Jews having no dealings with Samaritans.	27:30
	Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God	27:34
	and who it is that is saying to you, give me a drink,	27:38
	you would've asked of Him	27:42
	and he would have given you living water."	27:44
	The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with	27:48
	and the well is deep.	27:51
	Where do you get that living water?	27:53
	Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob	27:56
	who gave us the well and drank from it himself,	27:58
	and his children, and his cattle?"	28:01
	Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water	28:05
	will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water	28:08
	that I shall give him, will never thirst.	28:12
	The water that I shall give the one who thirst	28:15
	becomes for that person a spring of water	28:18
	welling up to eternal life."	28:21
	The woman said to Jesus, "Sir, give me this water,	28:24
	that I may not thirst nor come here to draw."	28:29
	Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come here."	28:33
	The woman answered him, "I have no husband."	28:38
	Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying,	28:41
	"I have no husband," for you have had five husbands	28:43
	and he whom you now have is not your husband.	28:48
	This you said truly."	28:51
	The woman said to him,	28:53
	"Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet."	28:54
	Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain	28:58
	and you say that in Jerusalem is the place	29:00
	where people ought to worship."	29:03
	Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me,	29:05
	the hour is coming when neither on this mountain	29:08
	nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.	29:12
	You worship what you do not know.	29:15
	We worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.	29:18
	But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers	29:23
	will worship the Father in spirit and truth,	29:27
	for such the Father seeks to worship Him.	29:30
	God is spirit and those who worship Him	29:33
	must worship in spirit and truth."	29:37
	The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming,	29:40
	the one who is called Christ,	29:44
	who having come will show us all things."	29:46
	Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."	29:51
	This is the word of the Lord.	29:57
	As a little girl growing up	30:04
	on a farm in rural North Carolina	30:06
	I remember the respect with which our family	30:07
	treated the well which was behind our house.	30:11
	The adults in the community seemed interested	30:15
	in talking about whether the local wells	30:17
	would hold out until the next rain,	30:19
	especially in the heat of the summer.	30:22
	Whereas the children and I were more interested	30:24
	in stories we had read about people falling into wells,	30:27
	or of their even getting trapped in them	30:31
	on some inauspicious occasion.	30:33
	We, of course, were secretly hoping such misfortune	30:36
	might befall someone in our backyard, devils that we were.	30:38
	I remember the time my father first picked me up	30:43
	so that I could timidly peer into	30:46
	the cool, damp, seemingly bottomless pit in the ground.	30:47
	Ever since then I've been fascinated	30:53
	by the alluring mystique of a well.	30:56
	Our well was the sole source of water supply for our family	31:00
	as it had been for generations,	31:03
	and so we were utterly dependent upon	31:05
	its ever flowing stream of water.	31:08
	Like all the rest of the world water	31:10
	was essential to us for life.	31:12
	Not only for our consumption and that of our livestock,	31:15
	but for our cleanliness as well.	31:18
	Its presence was never to be taken for granted.	31:21
	In these days of discussions about contaminated water tables	31:25
	and impending water shortages,	31:28
	I feel I have an even greater appreciation	31:31
	of the absolute necessity of good, clean water.	31:33
	And so a good well is deserving of our respect.	31:37
	It is deep, it is dangerous,	31:41
	it harbors a life giving substance.	31:44
	At just such a significant junction as Jacob's well,	31:48
	Jesus chooses to take a break	31:53
	after a weary day of travel in today's lesson.	31:55
	The disciples had gone into town to purchase food	31:58
	leaving Jesus alone for a time,	32:02
	when along comes a Samaritan woman to draw water,	32:04
	a part of her everyday routine no doubt.	32:08
	"Give me a drink," he says to her.	32:11
	As a frequent visitor to the well,	32:15
	certainly she had encountered all types there before.	32:17
	Hucksters, gossips, beggars, everyday people.	32:20
	But a Jew asking a Samaritan woman for a drink?	32:24
	What about the custom that a man was never to speak	32:30
	to a woman in public, even his own wife?	32:32
	Not to mention his suggestion that he	32:36
	should actually drink from her bucket.	32:38
	A clear violation of the Cultic code of purity	32:40
	forbidding a Jew to eat or drink	32:44
	from the vessel of non Jew.	32:46
	Surprised, puzzled, perhaps even a little annoyed	32:49
	she confronts Jesus.	32:54
	"How is it that you, a Jew,	32:55
	ask a drink of me, a Samaritan woman?"	32:57
	She was not accustomed to such interaction,	33:01
	her culture did not afford her the privilege.	33:03
	Even as the woman questioned him,	33:07
	Jesus was willing to take her seriously	33:09
	and so he turns the discussion about a drink of water around	33:12
	into a theological exposition.	33:16
	"If you knew the gift of God and who it is	33:19
	that is saying to you, give me a drink,	33:21
	you would've asked him and he	33:23
	would've given you living water," Jesus explains.	33:25
	This theological reference almost passes the woman by,	33:30
	so accustomed was she to thinking	33:34
	and being concerned about material concerns.	33:36
	And though she challenged him as to	33:40
	how he would obtain water,	33:42
	"The water that I shall give the one who thirst	33:45
	will become in him a spring of water	33:47
	welling up to eternal life."	33:50
	Her response, though probably without much understanding,	33:53
	is a positive one.	33:56
	"Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst	33:58
	nor come here to draw."	34:01
	And so go many of our own theological discussions.	34:04
	God speaks to us about one thing,	34:07
	and we speak to God about something else.	34:09
	Misunderstanding God's word, hoping for an easy solution,	34:12
	curious, but almost afraid to find out	34:17
	the true meaning of God's will for our lives.	34:20
	We seek in our faltering ways to know God.	34:23
	Such request are not uncommon in my experience,	34:26
	nor perhaps are they in yours.	34:30
	"Yes, Pastor, we desperately want to have our child baptized	34:32
	but we don't feel quite ready	34:37
	to become members of a local church."	34:39
	"Yes, Pastor, we'd like to have a Christian wedding	34:42
	but we've never really thought about	34:45
	our religious convictions or why	34:47
	we want to be married in a church."	34:49
	"Yes, Pastor, I want to feel closer to God	34:52
	but I've never studied scripture or prayed very much	34:55
	and I just don't seem to have time at place like Duke."	34:57
	And haven't most all of us waffled our way through Lent	35:02
	at least one time or another	35:07
	striving to cultivate deeper religious disciplines	35:09
	yet torn between sincerely motivations	35:12
	and the habitual search for the easy way out.	35:15
	Conflicted in our interest, hesitant in our commitment,	35:19
	unsure of our intentions we wait for God.	35:23
	Jesus responds to the Samaritan woman in a straightforward	35:29
	and rather surprising manner.	35:32
	"Go call your husband and come here."	35:34
	Obviously a test of her readiness	35:37
	to receive this living water.	35:39
	Her reply is honest and direct, "I have no husband."	35:41
	And so a moment of tension,	35:46
	as tension often accompanies a moment of truth,	35:48
	surrounds what could have been the end of a good story.	35:52
	You see, Jesus already knew her marital status.	35:55
	Will he chastise her?	35:59
	Preach to her on the evils of cohabitation?	36:01
	Will he tell her to beg forgiveness for her sins?	36:04
	No, rather by simply acknowledging her truthfulness	36:08
	he reveals his intimate knowledge of her,	36:12
	which in and of itself is enough.	36:14
	"You've have had five husbands	36:17
	and he whom you have now is not your husband.	36:19
	This you said truly."	36:21
	Flushed with embarrassment she turns, in my imagination,	36:24
	to stare into the deep well.	36:28
	"Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet," she mutters.	36:31
	In a moment of keen perception she beings to grasp	36:36
	the true identity of Jesus,	36:40
	realizing that he has somehow known her all along.	36:42
	Who is this stranger that knows her better	36:47
	than she knows herself?	36:49
	Who is this kind man that acknowledges her shortcomings	36:52
	and still does not reject her?	36:55
	Who is this Jewish prophet that offers her,	36:58
	a Samaritan woman, a drink of living water?	37:01
	It's very difficult to imagine the drama	37:05
	of this encounter at the well	37:08
	not only because of the things that were said,	37:09
	but even more so for the things that were experienced.	37:12
	As a woman and as a Samaritan she had	37:16
	two strikes against her in the eyes of the law,	37:18
	not even a second, but a third class citizen.	37:21
	She was invisible in her culture	37:24
	as are so many in our own, and by that	37:27
	I mean anyone who is treated in condescending manner	37:30
	not because of who he or she is,	37:33
	but because of his or her station in life.	37:36
	And therefore the opportunity to claim a true identity	37:39
	is virtually denied them.	37:42
	I think of my friend, Clinton, in this context.	37:44
	Clinton and I first met through the bars	37:49
	of the Hillsborough Oregon county jail about 10 years ago.	37:51
	He was being charged with first degree burglary	37:54
	and it wasn't his first time.	37:58
	In fact at the ripe age of 28,	38:00
	Clinton had such an extensive criminal record	38:03
	that the judge was threatening this time	38:05
	to send him down for good.	38:07
	Clinton had spent much of his life in jail,	38:10
	mostly because of burglaries he continually committed	38:13
	to support his debilitating drug habit.	38:16
	Back in the familiar surroundings of the Hillsborough jail,	38:19
	Clinton greeted the public defender,	38:22
	for whom I was working at the time, and me.	38:24
	My job was to interview Clinton	38:27
	as his alternatives case worker in order to propose	38:29
	some kind of alternative to incarceration	38:32
	at the time of his sentencing.	38:35
	He intended to plead guilty.	38:37
	I'll never forget my first impressions of this man,	38:39
	his long, flowing, wavy, red hair	38:43
	was the wildest I'd ever seen and so was he.	38:47
	I started asking a series of	38:51
	the usual questions about his background.	38:52
	When I asked about family, "Oh sure," he answered,	38:55
	"I have a two year old son.	38:59
	The last time I saw him I taught him to roll a joint."	39:01
	Unable to believe my ears I stared at him through the bars	39:05
	before exclaiming, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"	39:09
	I'm not too sure just what Clinton	39:14
	may have thought at the time, he didn't seem too impressed.	39:15
	The next week though, he told me he'd been thinking	39:19
	about my reactions and that he hadn't minded it really.	39:22
	It made him feel like a person somehow.	39:27
	Rather than always being treated like a number,	39:30
	which was literally the name	39:32
	he was given in jail and in prison,	39:34
	he had been confronted, at least for a moment,	39:36
	as a human being with responsibilities and commitments,	39:39
	who's presence in the world was valuable.	39:43
	Over the course of the next two years,	39:47
	Clinton did a great thing for himself.	39:48
	He saw the way clear to graduate from a very demanding	39:51
	residential drug treatment program	39:55
	and to return to his wife and his son clean and sober.	39:57
	He explained it by saying that the more	40:01
	he was treated like someone who mattered,	40:04
	the more he could believe that he did.	40:07
	Quite a statement for a man who had spent most of his life	40:10
	on the road to self-destruction.	40:13
	What's more he then had something to give back to the world	40:16
	rather than constantly taking from it	40:19
	and it meant the world to Clinton that he could do this.	40:22
	In a similar way the woman at the well	40:26
	glimpsed something of her own significance	40:29
	in her encounter with Jesus, not because of her actions,	40:31
	but because of God's gracious acceptance of her.	40:35
	Paul Tillich used a phrase,	40:40
	"The courage to accept acceptance"	40:42
	in his definition of faith.	40:45
	By that he meant acceptance by God,	40:47
	for God is the only source of unconditional acceptance.	40:50
	What amazing amounts of energy we often invest	40:55
	trying to disguise our less than secure self-image,	40:58
	our less than perfect performance,	41:01
	our less than generous attitude toward others	41:04
	in a search for acceptance.	41:07
	And often with good reason.	41:10
	We know we live in a fragile world	41:11
	where the idea of commitment seems to be in constant crisis.	41:14
	We fear rejection or desertion,	41:18
	even within our most important relationships.	41:20
	The pressure to excel, especially in a community	41:24
	such as our own, is great.	41:26
	Yet the love and acceptance of God is never debatable.	41:29
	We cannot fail to measure up to God's love,	41:33
	for that love is immeasurable.	41:37
	God's love for us existed even before the world began.	41:39
	That I am who I am is due to God.	41:44
	Therefore any true self-esteem should never be based	41:48
	on what we have, or what we have done,	41:51
	or are capable of doing.	41:53
	Rather, the very real dignity of my being myself	41:55
	is a dignity which has been received	42:00
	as a gift from God who will never desert us.	42:03
	The Samaritan woman recovers from the shock	42:08
	of Jesus' amazing knowledge and acceptance of her	42:11
	and now asks him a question about God,	42:14
	a sign of her dawning consciousness.	42:17
	"Where are we to worship," she asked,	42:20
	acknowledging the differences between	42:23
	the Jews and the Samaritans in such matters.	42:25
	Jesus reassures her that true worship	42:28
	is not related to any particular sanctuary,	42:30
	but rather depends on the worshipers themselves.	42:34
	The authenticity of their worship depends upon	42:37
	their relationship to God, not on their liturgies.	42:40
	Only those who acknowledge themselves as children of God	42:45
	can worship in spirit and in truth.	42:49
	Only those who recognize their utter dependency	42:52
	upon the one who made us.	42:55
	The story concludes as the disciples return	42:59
	and they marveled that Jesus was talking with a woman,	43:03
	but none of them said, "Why are you talking with her?"	43:07
	So she left the water jar by the well,	43:11
	and went away into the city,	43:13
	and told the people all that she had seen.	43:15
	"Can this be the Christ," she queried.	43:19
	And she was never the same again.	43:23
	The power of the one who knows us better	43:28
	than we know ourselves is eternally transforming.	43:30
	As he died on the cross but rose again on the third day	43:35
	Christ offers to us a drink of living water	43:39
	which shall become a spring welling up into eternal life.	43:41
	It comes to us as gradually as trickling stream,	43:46
	or as powerfully as a rushing geyser	43:50
	in places as near as our own backyard.	43:53
	It is deep, it is cleansing, it is mysterious,	43:56
	it is never ending, and it is life to our very souls.	44:01
	Come and gaze into the depths	44:07
	of Christ's own living water and be at rest.	44:09
	God awaits you there to love and accept you as you are,	44:13
	and you shall be healed.	44:18
	Thanks be to God.	44:22
	(organ music)	44:36
	(chorus singing)	45:27
-	[Rev. Dr. William] The Lord be with you.	48:09
Congregation	And also with you.	48:10
-	Let us pray.	48:12
	Be seated.	48:13
	Gracious God who walks with us during these 40 days of Lent	48:23
	that we might forsake ourself, vain, and false ways	48:30
	and turn in humility to Your way.	48:33
	We come before you in prayer.	48:37
	Your way is one of humble service to those who suffer	48:42
	therefore we pray for those who suffer,	48:49
	the sick,	48:53
	the homeless,	48:55
	the hungry,	48:58
	the doubting,	49:00
	the oppressed,	49:04
	the bereaved,	49:07
	and any who suffer affliction this day	49:10
	knowing that you suffered,	49:15
	that you hurt and know what it is like	49:18
	to be forsaken, alone, and in pain.	49:20
	Receive our prayers,	49:28
	our groans, our doubts, and our cares, oh God	49:31
	even as Thy son Jesus received the woman at the well.	49:38
	Take us into Thy heart.	49:42
	Hear our prayer for others,	49:49
	a prayer which we make in the name of Jesus	49:53
	who for our sake became one of us	49:57
	and stood beside us in all the cares	50:01
	and trials of this life.	50:03
	Amen.	50:07
	As a forgiven and reconciled people reminded of the service	50:11
	which God has rendered to us on the cross	50:17
	let us render our service for God's work	50:20
	through our gifts of our money and ourselves.	50:25
	(organ music)	50:35
	(chorus singing)	52:50
	(organ music)	53:53
	(chorus singing)	54:05
	(organ music)	55:21
	(chorus singing)	55:50
	(organ music)	58:30
	(chorus and congregation singing)	58:49
	Let us pray.	59:34
	Gracious God we thank you for all the gifts of this life,	59:36
	for this time of worship, and praise, and self reflection,	59:40
	and most of all for Your Word,	59:44
	which we carry as a sign of Your presence	59:48
	through the coming week.	59:51
	Amen.	59:53
	(organ music)	59:56
	(chorus and congregation singing)	1:00:20
	(organ music)	1:03:04
	Now may the grace of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,	1:03:37
	the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:03:40
	be with you now and always.	1:03:43
	(chorus singing)	1:03:46
	(organ music)	1:04:45

Item Info

Title:

Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Encounter at the Well" (March 22, 1987)

Description:

Sermon start time: 30:04. Sermon end time: 44:22.
God accepts all of us, no matter what discrimination is placed upon us by the human race. As such, we should love ourselves knowing that we are loved by God. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The very real dignity of my being myself is a dignity which has been received—as a gift from God, who will never desert us.”

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4bn9xj3x

Date:

March 22, 1987

Speaker:

Ferree-Clark, Nancy

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Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0026
ref8309_r9k
uachapelsermaud
duke:321733
dcrmv001026
ark:/87924/r4bn9xj3x
04dbd8d7-dd65-4b6f-857a-859418de6db3

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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Language:

English

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United States
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Durham (N.C.)

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Encounter at the Well" (March 22, 1987)

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1. Nancy A. Ferree-Clark - "Encounter at the Well" (March 22, 1987)

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