Coming back from sabbatical, Pastor Peter offers some reflections on our church and how we are to follow Jesus in our time by looking at Jesus' incredible interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. What Are We About? Well, Jesus is about seeking after the outcast and the sinner and the stranger, so we are to be about delighting in diversity and seeking the stranger. Jesus, somewhat oddly enough, in a conversation with this woman about worship, declares "we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews." He grounds his compassionate engagement with this woman in the long salvation-history of God with his people and their practices. So, SCC is about being historically rooted and embedded in time and place. Finally, this woman makes a massive shift in her understanding of Jesus. As Ephraim the Syrian wrote in the early 3rd century, "First she caught sight of a thirsty man, then a Jew, then a Rabbi, afterwards a prophet, last of all the Messiah." How was this shift possible? Because she was with Jesus. The conversation about water was a conversation about Jesus, her concept of men was shifted because of the presence of Jesus, the conversation around worship found its end in Jesus. So, SCC is about being with Jesus and allowing his person and work to transform us.

Developing a praying way of life is at the core of the life of a Follower of Jesus. The apostle Paul urged Timothy as he led the early church in Ephesus to first of all, pray all kinds of prayers for all kinds of people. This included even kings and those people in high positions. This was to be done so that the people of God, the everyday people, may lead peaceful, quiet, and godly lives. This is important because God purposed these prayers to be part of His plan to save all kinds of people through faith in the one and only mediator between God and mankind, the man, Jesus The Christ.

Psalm 46 is a call to be still and know God amidst the turmoil around us; mountains quake, seas roar, and nations rage. We are not good at being still, even in the quiet moments. Our tech-inundated world means unceasing noise. And so many of us are burdened by personal conflicts, internal turmoil, tensions, and anxieties within. Yet, it is in stillness that we ‘know’ God, which is the foundation of trust. We see the God who is with us in the storms, the God who often stills the storms, and who will one day bring stillness to all the world. The call for us, this side of the cross, is to be still and realize the love of Christ.