Dear Caldwell,
I had the pleasure and blessing this morning of offering the devotion at Trinity Episcopal School, and I talked with them about bubbles, just as we talked about in worship last Sunday. As I looked out at the kids, from kindergarten to eigth grade, I realized how early we show our deeply tribal instincts, even at our most innocent ages. I have freinds from kindergarten that are still very important to me. But, at the same time, I’ve realized that yes, even in kindergarten, we form our bubbles, those cacoons of comfort padded with similar friends and opinions just like our own that keep us from seeing the world in new ways, including God.
That was the story of John we considered last Sunday – the story of the Pharisee Nicodemus, who had the courage to act on his curiosity about Jesus and his message about our chance to be born from above through the Holy Spirit, to start life anew, whatever part of our lives we want to begin again. We stay with John this Sunday and revisit another memorable story and memorable character, the woman at the well. She came to the well for a drink to quench her physical thirst, but in Jesus she found she was thirsty for much more than water. Jesus looked into her soul and saw – and satisfied – her spiritual thirst. As with Nicodemus, she was born again in Christ.
So, come Sunday and share in the retelling and re-thinking of this powerful story from the Fourth Gospel, with all of its signs and symbols for what God was up to in Christ. Come and take another step with your Caldwell family as we “walk the passion together.”
In Christ,
John