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Object Lessons for Adults

Adult Object Lesson: Ascension Sunday

clock
What Do We Do While We Are Waiting?

This week is Ascension Sunday. The time has come for Jesus to end his visit to earth and return to His Father (and ours) in heaven.

Read the lesson from Acts 1:1-11 and focus on verses 4 and 5 and the appearance of the angelic messengers at the end in verses 10 and 11.

While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus is speaking to people who are accustomed to waiting. They’ve been waiting as a people for the promised Messiah for centuries. They are just getting used to the idea that the Messiah is with them. If they think the waiting is over, they have another think coming.

In this narrative, time takes on a new dimension for the disciples.

Things are different now. Jesus gives his final instructions to the disciples. Return to Jerusalem and wait. It won’t be long before they will be baptized anew—this time with the Holy Spirit.

The disciples respond with all the humanity they cannot escape. They want a timetable. Jesus tells them that some things are none of their business. His promise to return softens this rebuke. But he leaves no doubt. God is in charge.

And so the long-confused disciples add a new dimension to their faith. They have a short-term promise and a long-term promise. Both of them are somewhat vague.

We’ll discover the answer to the short-term promise in a couple of weeks — on Pentecost. What a relief this must have been to the disciples waiting in Jerusalem! It was fairly immediate proof that God keeps his promises.

The second promise shapes our relationship with God today.

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

The early apostles believed fervently that they would see this second coming in their lifetimes. Two thousand years later, we still live our faith in waiting.

What do we do while we wait?

Today’s object is an alarm clock. We’re going to use it to help us think about time and what it represents to our faith.

Let’s review the features of an average alarm clock.

First, there is the dial—digital or analog—doesn’t matter. Time stares us in the face even if it’s on a sundial. It reminds us that we have to be somewhere in ten minutes or that we forgot to make that call. It reminds us that in two hours dinner has to be on the table. That dial keeps us locked in the present.

Then there is the “set alarm” feature. Ah! We can plan. We can schedule. We can feel in control!

Then there is the alarm. That audio prod. That spur in our side. The daily “call to action.”

How do we react?

Modern man solved the confusion between our inner desires and the call to action.

The snooze button.

Put life on hold for ten more minutes, one press of a button after another.

God made a promise to us. He will come again. How many times do we have to press the snooze button?

That’s not for us to know. It’s for us to live with and work for!

All we have to do is wait and put that short-term promise — the fire of the Holy Spirit — to work while we wait for that second promise to be fulfilled. You believe, don’t you?

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Object Lesson: The Pomegranate

pomegranate as Christian symbolThe Pomegranate As Christian Symbol

Botticelligranat_bildThis Sunday’s gospel, John 14:15-21, might be a good Sunday to resurrect one of the more obscure symbols of our faith.

John 14 is part of the five-chapter Farewell message of Jesus. Our Lord is desperate in his fervor to lay everything on the table for his disciples—a last attempt to make sure his vagabond followers understand the significance of His mission.

The Crucifixion and Resurrection loom.

The disciples listening to Jesus have yet to experience the Passion. But we are looking backward. We’ve been rereading the Resurrection stories—the women in the garden, Thomas and the disciples, and the travelers on the road to Emmaus.

It’s not such a strange time to revisit the last and longest recorded sermon by the Lord Himself.

The ideas are a little complicated. They bear another look.

The gist of the message is that God did not make us, His children, to live alone and apart from Him and His son. We are all in this together. There’s more to it, more about just how the relationship works. That’s what the passage from Acts points out. (Acts 17:22-31) But central message of the Gospel is pivotal.

On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. —John 14:20

Huh?

Consider the pomegranate.

296272_265877680091951_227409627272090_1137204_793362_nThe pomegranate was/is a favorite fruit of God. It may even have been the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Life. God gave Moses orders to use the pomegranate on the priestly robes to be worn by Aaron.

Pomegranates are in season from March to May in Israel—Eastertime.

As Christianity moved north and west, the imagery was lost. There were no pomegranates growing in our orchards. But they are abundant everywhere now.

Show your congregation some pomegranate imagery. Then hold up a pomegranate.

Slice it open and notice the abundance of seeds.

Jesus is in the Father and we are in Him. The pomegranate is a good reminder. We are not alone. We are in this together.

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Object Lesson: U-turn on the Road to Emmaus

u_turnToday’s object is a U-turn sign.

You can make your own or find one online to print.

Today’s gospel is a familiar story.

It describes the chaos of the first Easter morning. The news is just starting to circulate about the appearance of the risen Lord.

Many weren’t sure they wanted to take the word of  the women who claimed to see the Lord. But their story was backed up by the disciples. Still, it was pretty incredible and who knew what the news meant.

These disciples, Cleopas and his unnamed friend, decide it is a good idea to leave town.

A stranger joins them and spends the two-hour walk explaining the recent happenings in light of scripture. It must have been a pleasant and intriguing conversation because the two disciples invite the stranger to spend the night.

Dinner is served. The conversation continues. And then the stranger breaks bread.

The veil is lifted. The disciples recognize Jesus.

Jesus vanishes.

That’s where the story often stops in our minds. But reread the last verses with your congregation.

Cleopas and friend pretty much leave the dishes on the table and retrace their two-hour journey. They suddenly want to be back with the others. Suddenly, even the setting of the sun on a dark country road couldn’t stop them.

They join the remaining eleven disciples and share their story.

They make a U-turn.

What confused them hours ago now energizes them. What had them on the run now has them wanting to be in the thick of things—no longer looking out for themselves, no longer doubting their colleagues.

This is a common thread of the post-Resurrection appearance stories.

Thomas did his U-turn in last week’s gospel story.

What do we need in our lives to turn us on our heels and head back to the Lord? How do we put our doubt and fear for our own safety aside and get to work?

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Object Lessons from Art—The Road to Emmaus

velazquez-maidJesus Takes to the Road—Again!

We are in Lectionary Year A. We are reading mostly from the gospels of Matthew and John. This week’s gospel lesson is from Luke. The reason: the account of this early appearance of the Risen Lord is an important part of the Resurrection narrative, but it is found only in Luke.

This appearance predates last week’s gospel—the appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciple, Thomas.

The travelers on the road to Emmaus have just left Jerusalem. (They were getting out of Dodge.)

It is still the third day. The news of Jesus’ Resurrection is fresh, and remember—Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead only days before. It is all a puzzle—a frightening puzzle.

The sun has yet to set on this first Easter. Cleopas and friend head in the opposite direction from the action.

You can run but you can’t hide.

Normally this hike might take two or three hours but they are probably high-tailing it.

They are troubled and discussing what had happened.

They had probably been in Jerusalem for the Passover. They may have been part of the Palm Sunday crowd. They may have witnessed some or even all of the trial, torture and crucifixion of Jesus. Perhaps they had cried for Barabbas.

The news of Jesus Resurrection comes to them as they are crushed with sorrow and perhaps guilt. If Jesus was alive, what would He think of the crowd of people who allowed Him to suffer?

They had hoped that this Jesus was the Messiah. Now they weren’t so sure. These disciples may have been doubting their own judgment or hiding their own culpability.

The news was confusing—disheartening.

Enter a stranger. Why not invite him to join them? Safety in numbers.

Imagine how the conversation might have gone. They probably spent some time scoping out the stranger. What did he know? How could he not know?

It is clear from the scripture that Jesus takes control of the conversation early on. They walk. Jesus explains.

In the end, they are trusting enough that they invite the stranger to spend the night—or did they want to keep an eye on Him?

The revelation comes with the breaking of bread—the sign—even today—of God’s presence among us.

The account of the Jesus’ appearance on the road to Emmaus, His revelation over dinner, and His sudden disappearance before the dishes were washed and put away is a favorite topic for artists. It became particularly popular in the mid 16th and 17th centuries when artists began to focus on domestic scenes, especially kitchen scenes and still life art in general.

An amazing part of this story is the long-standing assumption that both travelers were men. Luke leaves out this detail. One is named Cleopas. We know nothing about Traveler Number 2. And yet virtually all depictions show two men encountering Christ along the road.

Some modern scholars make the argument that the fact that one traveler is named and the other is not is evidence that the second traveler may very well have been female.

Is it so hard to imagine that these pilgrims visiting Jerusalem for the holidays might be husband and wife? That the invitation to enter their home was issued by the woman who would be setting the dinner table and preparing the food?

For 2000 years, we accept the prejudices of artists and we see two men traveling and sitting at the table with the stranger.

Perhaps that is why the portrayal of this scene by Diego Velázquez is so intriguing. We see the scene from the kitchen. The three travelers are talking at the dinner table in the background—but wait—only two of them are visible. A woman of color is preparing the food. Just look at her face to read her story. Is she the second traveler? Is she a servant? Velazquez intended that we see her as a maid, but that can’t stop us from imagining!

What is she is thinking?

Perhaps she returns to the table. And then the stranger disappears.

What would you do? What do Cleopas and his significant other do?

They head back to Jerusalem. Suddenly, they want to be where the action is!

Adult Object Lesson: John 20:19-31

sticky points

Today’s object is something sticky. A jar of glue or honey would work. It might have a prominent label.

Ask members of your congregation what they think you are holding. Go around, offer people a touch of what is sticky and gooey.

Ask them what they need in order to believe that what they are seeing is the real thing. Odds are that no one will want to touch the gooey stuff. But just in case—have some wipes ready. You never know what another person’s sticky point in believing might be!

Today’s Gospel lesson is the story that branded Thomas as “the Doubter” — the disciple who not only had to see Christ to believe in the Resurrection but boasted that he also had to touch his wounds. He had to know that it was really Jesus and not some impostor. The wounds were proof.

Retell the story. Hit the high points.

The disciples were now in the habit of meeting behind locked doors. Their lives were at stake.

Jesus appears. No knock on the door. No secret password for entry. He simply appears.

It is surely one of his first appearances. He will make others, but the two gatherings discussed in today’s Gospel are still “news.”

Thomas wasn’t there for the first gathering, but he heard about it—it was the hottest gossip in town.

Think about gossip for a minute. Some people who hear juicy gossip merge it with their own story, leading the next hearers to believe that the news is firsthand.

Thomas didn’t do this. Thomas wanted proof.

He lays it on the line. To be so memorable it must have been with some degree of machismo.

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

The next time the disciples are together—with Thomas among them—and Jesus appears, all eyes turn to Thomas.

Jesus is there to bring peace and fuel the disciples with the Spirit.

But he is God and all-knowing. He knows the gossip, too. He turns to Thomas and offers his wounds to him.

Here is the interesting thing that almost all artists get wrong. The story of Thomas is depicted inaccurately so often that we tend to overlook an important part of this story. 

763px-Hendrick_ter_Brugghen_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas_-_WGA22166Artist after artist shows Thomas poking a finger or two into Jesus’ still open wounds. It’s almost as if we can’t believe this story if we don’t see Thomas following through on his pledge. (Here is one work by Hendrick ter Brugghen).

But reread the story from the gospel. Thomas doesn’t poke his fingers into Jesus’ wounds. Thomas immediately confesses his creed, “My Lord and my God.” Thomas never follows through on his boastful pledge. Seeing was believing.

If your congregation uses projection, use 2×2’s weekly slide presentation to be published by Thursday as evidence.

You might close by giving poor Thomas his due. Sure, Thomas doubted, but from his doubt grew an incredible faith. Thomas is credited with carrying the message of Christ to India and establishing the first Christian church there. Some Indian families today proudly trace their Christian heritage to his ministry. (And with this you can tie in two verses from today’s psalm — Psalm 16: 5-6. 

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.

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Adult Object Lesson: Palm Sunday

bicycle manJesus Enters Jerusalem Riding A Colt

Matthew 11:1-11

Your object today is a model car or vehicle. Your choice should complement the slant of your message.

Today is Palm Sunday. There will be much talk about Jesus finally getting his due. He will be treated like royalty as he approaches Jerusalem.

Some spectators will sacrifice their garments to mark Jesus way.

Others will cut palm branches and use them to line the official route.

Word that Jesus is coming will precede his arrival. People will have eyes on the horizon. Some will climb towers or trees to get a better view.

Crowds will gather near the gate.

And then someone with a sharp eye and a good position will call out.

“Here he comes.”

The crowd is expecting the miracle worker who just raised Lazarus from death. Few will know him by sight. Most will be looking for some sign to set him apart.

Remember, Jesus looked like everyone else. When He is with the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, it will take the betrayer’s kiss to identify him.

Really, he’s not unlike most rulers. If they didn’t wear crowns or robes, we wouldn’t know them from the peasantry. That’s what crowns and sceptres and all the accoutrements of royalty and power are for! Jesus didn’t need them.

So everyone looks to the horizon to see the powerful man who can cure the blind and bring the dead to life. If no one else has crowned him, they just might. And that’s what the crowd watching from the terraces of the government buildings are worried about.

There is a crowd with Jesus. Which one is the miracle worker?

It must be that man in the center who is riding a colt. Not a majestic steed. Not an armor-clad team towing a chariot. There are no body guards, no legions cutting a way for him through the crowd. Just Jesus on a colt—the only record we have of Jesus using anything but shoe leather express!

This Messiah, this anointed one, this Savior is coming to the city in humility.

Now turn to your object—the toy car or vehicle.

Ask your congregation to change the setting of today’s lesson to modern times. Have them describe what the scene might include today.

They might describe a scene like the Oscars, with red carpet, velvet ropes and security holding back the crowd. They might include the paparazzi, elbowing for the best angles. They might include reporters sticking microphones in Jesus face asking about Lazarus. They might describe the media vans parked near the city gate. They might have security shouting at the crowd on bullhorns. The truly imaginative might have a few helicopters hovering overhead.

Then ask them what kind of vehicle might a modern Jesus use to mark his arrival.

Let yout congregation decide. It might be any kind of vehicle—from a Rolls Royce to a limo to a smart car or beetle—or maybe even a bicycle or skateboard! Ask them what message their choice conveys.

If they think they are being asked to overthink this, point out that God had thought this through long ago.

Palm Sunday didn’t just happen. It was planned. Jesus choices were foreshadowed in the Old Testament. It was just as scripted as the Oscars, but scripted in humility.

Then ask them what the people might have thought when they saw Jesus riding a borrowed colt.

They might not have realized at the time that they had already seen the trailer (but Jesus did?)

Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” So as king, Jesus requisitioned the donkey and its mother to carry him into the city.

Gentle and humble. Nothing to suggest power and might.

A true lesson in leadership!

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2x2virtualchurch adds a slideshow and object lesson to our library each week. There are nearly 100 in our collection. If you like our easy, interactive approach to teaching adult learners, please consider subscribing.

You will receive a weekly slideshow (which you can use on your church website or during worship), an object lesson and many other church planning ideas—all geared for small church use.

Slides are in editable form.  Individual slides can be posted on websites or converted to jpgs for use in a bulletin or newsletter. (Please include appropriate credits.)

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Adult Object Lesson: The Raising of Lazarus

The Breath of New Life

John 11:1-45  •  Ezekiel 37:1-14  •  Psalm 130  •  Romans 8:6-11

This week’s lessons revolve around the breathing of new life and spirit into the what, in our eyes, is  beyond salvaging.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel stands in a valley filled with bones. Old, dry bones. God breathes life into this army of bones.

He gives a final speech.

I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.

Lazarus

Jesus calls Lazarus—stinking dead Lazarus—out of his tomb.

He then steps back. He turns to the crowd who are probably stunned by the miracle. He pulls them into the miracle. Get involved. “It’s your turn. Unbind him!”

Today’s Object

Today’s object is a trash can with some selected trash in it—trash that might benefit from new life.

Pose some questions to your adult learners.

Why, we have to wonder, are these selected references to dying and resurrection passed on to God’s people generation after generation—death after death? What do these miracles mean to us today?

Ask your adult learners: What did Lazarus do with his new lease on life? How did he approach his eventual death? Did he live every day as if it were the last day of his life? Did he relax with the preview of what death was like? What was discussed at the dinner table in the days after the amazement and joy began to dim —and the story of Christ’s crucifixion became the next hot topic.

Allow your congregation to offer their ideas.

Then turn to your trash can with some discarded items. Ask how they might have new life.

Items might be:

  • clothing that might be handed down or sewn into a quilt or made into rags.
  • an appliance that might be stripped for parts or hardware.
  • junk mail that can be recycled into blank sheets of paper for someone to write or draw on
  • jars that might be used to store hardware or made into a candle or flower vase
  • newspaper that might be made into a toy sailboat or hat

Here’s an example from my experience this week:

user1277090_pic81970_1321998261I watched as a junk recycler worked to remove an old grand piano from a house I was selling. I had offered it for free, but no one wanted it. It was heavy and large—too much trouble. The workers took a sledge hammer to it and carried it out. But then there was this possibility, if I only had the skills and energy—that breath of new life!

Lesson: one way of breathing new life into a congregation is to strengthen members’ skills and energy!

The Church today is often tempted to think of their small communities as “trash”—dead as far as any useful mission is concerned. Dry as the bones in Ezekiel’s valley.

Do we wade through the bones? Do we call upon the Lord to breathe new life into them?

It all depends on what you believe.

Our God sides with life.

What might your congregation do with a breath of new life?

———————

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2x2virtualchurch adds a slideshow and object lesson to our library each week. There are nearly 100 in our collection. If you like our easy, interactive approach to teaching adult learners, please consider subscribing.

You will receive a weekly slideshow (which you can use on your church website or during worship), an object lesson and many other church planning ideas—all geared for small church use.

Slides are in editable form.  Individual slides can be posted on websites or converted to jpgs for use in a bulletin or newsletter. (Please include appropriate credits.)

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Adult Object Lesson: Jesus Cures the Blind Man

boxillusionSeeing Is Believing

1 Samuel 16:1-13
John 9: 1-41

Jesus Heals the Blind Man

We mortals rely on sight as empirical proof for everything. Seeing is believing. 

Today’s scriptures revolve around sight, its general importance, and its link to understanding.

First we read the story of Samuel and David. A reluctant Samuel sets out to find Saul’s successor. Things aren’t going so well with Saul. God chose him to lead but he fell in love with power. A course correction is needed.

Samuel travels to Bethlehem to review the sons of Jesse. A parade of fine, strong, handsome young men are brought before Samuel. God tells Samuel to reject all. Finally, David, still a boy, the runt of the litter by virtue of his age and birth order, is called in from the lowly task of shepherding (Here’s where today’s psalm ties in—Psalm 23). Jesse and his sons cannot believe their eyes. Samuel chooses the kid brother.

The disciples and a crowd of people in today’s gospel experience something equally incredible.

Read this story with your congregation slowly. Allow them to visualize the scene. Act it out if possible. You might assign a reader or readers to read just the questions as they occur in the story. This will call attention to the questions in the text—and there are many.

Choose an optical illusion for your talk today. There are a number of great ones on the web.

We’ll use the one above.

You see black lines and an orange dot.

Your mind will read the black lines as a box. Your mind is not likely to think about it being a box with poor perspective. Our eyes can be forgiving when we want them to be!

Your mind will also see an orange dot.

That’s enough for most people.

Start asking questions.

  • Is the dot outside the box on the right front panel? Is the dot inside the box on the back panel? Take a poll!
  • Is the dot suspended, bouncing from side to side, trying to escape the box?  Is the dot butting up against the outside of the box, trying to get in?

That’s the dilemma facing all the players in today’s gospel story. All those present who can see, see a pathetic blind man (trying to get out his box). They start asking questions. Whose fault is it that this blind man cannot see?

That question become less important when Jesus removes the impediment. But more questions follow.

First it was, “Who caused the blindness?” Now, the question is, “Who cured him?” Sometimes you can’t please anybody!

The people are trying to understand. They want to be in the know (on the inside of the box).

They were stuck. The evidence before their eyes was unbelievable to them. It didn’t fit into their view of what their “box” should look like. Solution: Get rid of the dot. Get rid of the problem. What’s wrong with just having a box? That they could understand.

And so the blind man who has just seen his first glimpse of the world — must hide.

With this analogy in mind, analyze the various questions in this Bible passage.

In the end, pay attention to the questions Jesus asks.

The decisive question comes near the end: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

Well, do you?

———————————————————————————————

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2x2virtualchurch adds a slideshow and object lesson to our library each week. There are nearly 100 in our collection. If you like our easy, interactive approach to teaching adult learners, please consider subscribing.

You will receive a weekly slideshow (which you can use on your church website or during worship), an object lesson and many other church planning ideas—all geared for small church use.

Slides are in editable form.  Individual slides can be posted on websites or converted to jpgs for use in a bulletin or newsletter. (Please include appropriate credits.)

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Paying Attention to the Journey

pakistan4Children’s Art Offers Object Lesson

The Road to the Cross Can Be Beautiful

Yesterday we posted children’s art sent to us by leaders of New Life Fellowship in Pakistan. The work was part of a contest. We published just four of the many photos sent. Each of the images is an image of a church building — remarkable in that most Pakistani Christians do not meet in any church building but gather in homes and on rooftops. A few months ago, some who worship together in a sanctuary were bombed by terrorists as they left worship for fellowship time.
I took a second look at the posted art and I noticed that each image of a church building had two things in common. Prominent crosses and roads leading to the door. The roads seemed to be a very important part of each image as they are treated with artistic care. The roads are bright, sparkling, rainbow-colored.
A reminder. Church life is a journey. The road leads to the cross. The journey along that road is very important. It can be difficult. It can be beautiful.
Thank you, Pakistani children, for an important object lesson.
(TIP 1: You can use project these photos and show them to your congregation or repost them on your church website.)
(TIP 2: Sponsor your own art contest to see how your members view their Christian journey.)

Adult Object Lesson: The Woman at the Well

popular baby names

A Nameless Apostle Tells the Good News 

John 4:5-42

There is a continuity to the book of John. The story moves from one personal encounter with Jesus to the next.

Start today’s story by reminding your learners of last week’s gospel. Jesus met (at night) with a well-known community and temple leader, Nicodemus.

Today’s lesson has a road-weary Jesus stopping to rest at a landmark well—the well built by Jacob and given to Joseph. The disciples have left Jesus alone as they go into town to find food.

Along comes a woman.

Keep in mind that in Jesus’ day social lines were strictly drawn. Men did not enter into conversations with random women. Jews did not engage Samaritans in idle chatter. The righteous would not seek out those who break the social codes. They certainly wouldn’t drink from the same cup—or well, for that matter.

But today, Jesus, the son of the Israelite’s Jehovah, meets a Samaritan woman of low social rank. It is not in the middle of the night. It is high noon.

The Samaritans were cousins of the Jews, descendants of Joseph. This Samaritan had every right to be dipping into this well! Their differences date to the Babylonian exile.

Jesus will strike up a conversation. There is no one else present—at least when they first meet. No one to interfere and point out the social rules.

Theirs will be a different kind of conversation than that of Jesus and Nicodemus, but one thing is the same. Jesus is again addressing Baptism and Living Water.

Remind your learners that the learned Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was teaching. Compare Nicodemus’ response to the exchange with the Samaritan woman. Point out that Jesus does not talk down to the Samaritan woman. In fact, he is more critical when he speaks to Nicodemus!

Point out that the gospel writer, John, remembers Nicodemus by name. The Samaritan woman, who engages Jesus in an equally deep theological discussion, has no name.

Isn’t it odd that today the rite of Baptism is colloquially called “christening”—the giving of a name? And there’s that word “Christ.” starting the word. In today’s gospel, there is much talk about living water but no names.

Jesus knew all about this woman. He surely knew her name. Why did John not record this information?

Her name will be today’s “object.” If you need a physical object mock up a license plate like the one in today’s featured photo.

Start the conversation by pointing out the meaning of the name “Nicodemus.”

Greek origins mean “victory of the people.” In Israel it might also mean “innocent of blood.” The second meaning points to the role Nicodemus will play later in the gospel story as defender of Jesus and as the person who provided spices and ointments for Jesus’ burial.

Knowing Nicodemus by name helps us to concentrate on all the good things that were part of his life.

And then we get to the Samaritan woman filling her water jug from the well that reminds its users of Jacob, the great forefather of the Israelites.

The Samaritan woman knew her place. She has no illusions. She does not try to impress the stranger. She is a Samaritan who has lived a life that violated the social standards of both cultures. She makes no apology. She is who she is. And we, centuries later know her by her faults. Perhaps John omits her name to protect her from criticism!

Take the time to tell her story, especially what happens when she returns to the village.

Ask your congregation to suggest names for her. Ask them to put as much thought into their choice as they would the name of their own child. Have them explain their choices.

You’ll want to have a lively discussion.

Prime the pump with stories of your own name or of naming your own child. Explain the various considerations (heritage, culture, popularity, meaning, hopes for the future).

Be ready to point out the meanings of some famous biblical names. Adam—man. Mary—wished-for child, rebellion, bitter. Jesus/Joshua—God saves. Peter—rock.

As you get a lively discussion going, be ready to point to the scriptural references that will support the various choices. The Samaritan woman is, in her own way, very influential. She manages to witness to her community with significant effect and grace — despite all that society holds against her. (Hey, Grace—that’s a possible name).

Write the choices on a chart. At the end of the discussion, have your congregation vote.

Remember the name your congregation chooses. It could come in handy!

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photo credit: Bill on Capitol Hill via photopin cc