Pentecost, commonly called Whitsunday.
The Collect.
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GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout Whitsun Week.
The Light of the Holy Spirit
As we will all admit, there is no 'new' thing with God, but all things have been ordained by an unchanging God from before the foundations of the world. The writing of the Law of God upon the soft tissues of our hearts is that same Law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, yet it is now confirmed and sealed in love rather than the force of unyielding constraint. The English Reformers amended this prayer of Collect slightly by adding "all things, evermore" and "holy." Such amendment made the prayer more forceful and fully comprehensive in truth. Pentecost, or Whitsunday in the English Church, reflected the wheat harvest in Israel, but it represents the harvest of new nations in the Christian Gospel. It also recognizes the giving of the Law at Sinai, and the consummation of the Law in Love at the Coming of the Holy Ghost to us as a constant Friend and Teacher. Being a day set aside especially for baptisms and confirmations, Pentecostbecame known as Whitsunday (White Sunday) in the English Church due to the white apparel worn by Confirmands.
This Prayer comes from the Gregorian Sacramentary and stresses the frailty of the human condition and the power and grace of God to save. The tone and rhetoric of this prayer emphasizes the changelessness of God and His Law, and the unfolding mystery of that purpose of God in caring for His people through the agency of Love and Mercy. It opens a beautiful door to an old Gospel treasure as old as Abraham and before. O GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people. "This time" refers to the coming of the Holy Ghost to be our teacher of all things that Christ has taught us. The Holy Ghost not only teaches 'information,' but knowledge and wisdom which underlies all Scripture. The Holy Ghost ALWAYS points to Christ only.
Please note that it is His 'faithful people' who derive benefit of the teaching of the Holy Ghost. It was so in the Old Testament Wilderness Church of Abraham's and Moses' day, and it is just as true today in even greater measure - the New Testament Church having the benefit of settled history to observe in the coming of Christ. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us (Acts 7:38) The same Finger that wrote upon the sands of Jerusalem before the Woman Taken in Adultery is the same as that which wrote upon Tables of Stone before Moses on Sinai. The first writing was to declare the unbending Law of God - the second was to write Mercy and Grace upon the sands of the forgiven. It is the hearts of the faithful people of God that can receive, understand, and benefit from the teaching of the Holy Ghost. To all others the Word of God appears as 'foolishness.' For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18)
Can any read in a room of total darkness? No, we need light, do we not? Words and meaning cannot be discerned from the page in either physical, or spiritual, darkness. We need LIGHT! From what source does this Light of Understanding come? "... by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit. Until we can learn the meaning and import of the first Passover, how can we ever fully know the meaning of the crucifixion? The Holy Spirit imparts to us the Light to see how Christ has made it possible for the Angel of Death to Passover us in Redemption and Salvation. Christ has become OUR Passover! The Emmanuel of Christ's Presence is made a constant benefit through the ministration of His Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost opens a constant flow of mysteries to our seeking hearts and minds.
Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things. If we are judged with righteous judgment, we shall never merit Heaven for all have sinned and come short of the righteousness of God. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10) And so, we may ask, what is righteous judgment and by whom may such judgment be exercised? All who use the true Word and Law of God in judgment use not their own judgment but that of God. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:24) The modern church forbids us to judge, but Christ never did. In fact, Christ requires us to judge with righteous judgment. When we are stopped by a State Trooper for speeding is it HIS judgment that says we are in violation of the law, or is it the standard of the law that condemns us? It is a righteous decision to label sin as sin according to God's Immutable Laws. Never allow any clergyman to tell you that it is wrong to judge with the righteous Law of God else the Law of God is of none effect.
"..... and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;" The great comfort that we derive in our close love with the Holy Ghost is His witness to us that we are considered righteous in Christ even when we are weak and fail of the standard of righteousness. The warm glow of Love in our hearts will melt every frozen iceberg of hatred and malice, and turn us to act out of love and understanding.
Since it is not possible for sin to enter into the gates of heaven, how is it possible that those of us who have returned to the Father from the filth of the pig sty, in a far country, to enter in at the gates. Are WE righteous? No, not at all, but we have an IMPUTED righteousness which Christ has conferred at the great cost of His stripes and crucifixion FOR us. When the rejoicing father called for the "best robe" to be brought and placed upon his sin-laden son, it was representative of that "Best Robe" (for there is none better) of Christ to be placed over us to cover our sins. We then appear worthy to God and our sins are covered by that precious blood of Christ. ". . . through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. It is the righteousness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that gives us the merits of Heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ is of one mind with the Father and the Holy Ghost. Therefore, the Holy Ghost is able to open our eyes to the riches and mysteries of Christ because He shares in all meaning and purpose with God the Father and God the Son. These Three are One just as we all, in Christ, should be One in our Church with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
Water of Home
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HE woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. 31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. (John 4:31-38)
I have preached so often from this text it may seem redundant to many, but many more, I can assure you, will remember nothing of the previous presentations.
The stronger part of today’s lectionary text is not in complete context, so I have added to the introductory verses for further clarification. The Bread and Water of the Lord is sourced at a far more exalted Fountain than our wells and tables of earth. Even earlier in this passage from John 4, the Lord asked the woman to give Him water. This was not only intended to establish a friendly rapport, but to introduce a mild covenant.
In the custom of the East, to partake of the courtesy of a drink from the enemy, the recipient cannot be treated otherwise than as an honored guest.
Sometimes, I want to revisit that old well of my grandmother’s in Dawnville, Georgia, to taste that cool refreshing water. It is not simply the water that I desire, but the simpler and more innocent days that existed in that country then. I am not alone in this sentiment. We see that David experienced the same: 14 And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! 16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD. 17 And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men. (2 Sam 23:14-17)
In our Gospel text today, we find our Lord Jesus Christ resting by such a well of water that is still common in the Middle East. Every adobe village has a well outside the gate where the women gather at sundown to draw water, either by a bucket let down into the well, or else walk down a corridor to an open stream that has been dug out for them. I have witnessed these women many times sauntering around those wells with animated talk (and most likely, gossip).
In the prelude to today’s text, we find that it was no accident that our Lord met this woman of less that stellar repute at Jacob’s Well. In fact, it had been decided in eternity past that He would have this appointment in Samaria: “And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.” John 4:4-5 (KJV) The Lord had a reason for making this more tiresome journey through the rough country of Samaria, and that reason was for this Woman at the Well, and the many villagers who came to believe on Him through her testimony and their own personal witness to His teaching. He searches out diamonds among the rough, unhewn stones of the world. The great Christian professor and author, Dr. James Stalker of Scotland, illustrates fittingly the woman who met our Lord at the Well that day in Imago Christi:
Discovery of the African Diamond Mines
I have heard that one of the diamond fields of South Africa was discovered in this wise. A traveler, one day, entered the valley and drew near to a settler's door, at which a boy was amusing himself by throwing stones. One of these stones fell at the stranger's feet, who picked it up, and was in the act of laughingly returning it, when something flashed from it which stopped his hand and made his heart beat fast. It was a diamond. The child was playing with it as a common stone; the peasant's foot had spurned it; the cart wheel had crushed it, till the man who knew saw it and recognized its value. " The story often comes to my mind when I am thinking of the soul. Was it not the same careless treatment the soul was receiving when Jesus arrived in the world and discovered that soul ... In every child of Adam whom He called He perceived the diamond. The rags of the beggar could not hide it from His eyes nor the black skin of the savage, nor even the crimes of the evil doer.
There are several spiritually significant points to our Lord’s resting by Jacob’s Well outside Sychar. The first is the request the Lord made of the woman: Give me to drink. vs 4:7. The woman was astonished at this request from a stranger of the Jews. Why? It is because the Jews considered the Samaritan’s to be a fallen race of people and unclean. No self-respecting Jew would drink from a dipper from which Samaritans drank. There is something else significant about our Lord’s request for water: He did not need to request such a favor as He could have spoken the water into existence as He had spoken the water in the jars to be changed into wine at Cana of Galilee; but the Lord knows that we learn by all our senses. Experiential learning may often trump that which comes by way of hearing only. He gives us a hand in serving, and He does not judge our persons by race or reputation. His mission is to change souls from lost to found as much as to change water into wine.
There were several astonishing truths that the Lord taught the woman in the brief encounter by the Well.
1. That He was the promised Messiah; I am He who am speaking to thee.
2. That He was Himself God: By revealing to the Samaritan woman the hidden secrets of her conscience, He manifested His omniscience.
3. That He is full of grace and truth: The living water which Jesus gives is His divine doctrine and grace – not the water to be found 80 feet below the ground in that well at Sychar. His doctrine and grace give supernatural and eternal life to the soul, which, without grace, is dead and in a state of mortal sin. The human soul thirsts for truth and happiness, and our Lord satisfies this thirst by His doctrine and grace.
4. That His Love abounds to sinners: In spite of His exhaustive travels, He took time to linger by Jacob’s Well to save the soul of a woman of whom even her own people had little regard.
5. That the coming to terms with the Lord of a single sinner may lead to the salvation of multitudes.
6. That the world will be surprised at our love and concern for fallen man: And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? (John 4:27) She was not, in the mind of the disciples, a woman worthy of the Master’s company. Little did they realize that neither were they, or any others.
The disciples prevailed upon the Lord to eat, but He surprised them yet again: “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” The wisdom of God does not make sense to the world. We seldom can comprehend the beauty that transcends the divine laws and principles of Heaven. Do you remember when you were very young that you became so engrossed in playing games outdoors with your friends that you literally forgot to eat. Mom would come to the door more than once and call you to the supper table – and with each call, her voice grew more emphatic. What was this meat that the Lord had to eat which the disciples knew not of? It was that joy of the Shepherd who searches out His lost sheep (it was His even if lost) and returns rejoicing. That was the bread of the Lord upon which His soul and Spirit thrived!
The poor disciples were bewildered at His saying. Who gave the Lord bread to eat? they wondered. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. My wife often calls me in late afternoon to ask me to come home for dinner; however, I may be in the midst of writing something that I value more than my dinner concerning the truth of some biblical truth. I do not want to lose the joy of the moment until I get all reduced to writing. That does not come close to the bread for which our Lord craved; but it is as close as this mortal can come to understanding it.
We think of harvests to come in each due season. Sure, there must be ground breaking, planting, weeding, watering, etc.; however, every season with God is harvest season. The tassels of the fruit-laden wheat is forever white and bowed down for reaping. The work of the harvester is never done while seed-time and harvest remain. Paul counsels us 1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim 4:1-4)
I am somewhat taken aback by Paul’s counsel above, for it seems that we have already come upon that day when the church itself will no longer abide sound doctrine, that teachers and preachers are sought out who will satisfy the itching ears of many for a ‘different and worldly’ Gospel. Maybe so, but not as long as there remains thousands of faithful to the Lord in the land. We might conduct ourselves as courageously as the naval gunners aboard the Battleship Bismarck whose crew continued firing their naval cannons into the sky as that great vessel began to list and go under the cold waters of the North Atlantic.
In what season of your Christian walk are you, my friend? You will note that, though Christ was resting beside the Well, His heart was active to reach the woman’s heart to reveal His Person; and is every season a time of harvest and refreshing, or perhaps a time of sharing as we rest beside the Wells of Living Water.
