"We Worship Thee"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The woman said to [Jesus], 'Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.'” The Samaritan woman at the well was astute enough to realize that Jesus was a prophet. What this meant to her is another story, but she could not but confess that the man talking to her was the messenger of the Lord sent to her. Being that Jesus had already spoken to her of her thirst and the gift of living waters, it was no surprise that she took Him to be a prophet. But her question is meant to uncover more than a mere prophet.

Something about her acknowledgment of Jesus is a little off, at least to certain ears. We cannot know her true intent, but it almost seems as though she is out to test Jesus with a “tough question”. It is like when you meet someone, and he finds out you are a Christian, so he asks you the most ridiculous, most potentially offensive question he can come up with. “Why do you hate gay people?” or “Why do you believe in a Bible so full of contradictions?” This woman's question is akin to asking, “Why should I go to your church every week?”

“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Where should we worship? Does it matter where where you worship? Well, yes and no.

On one hand, no – it does not matter where you worship the Lord. The Lord God is the King of the universe, after all. There is nowhere in all of creation where you could go that He is not there. And where His Word is proclaimed and His Gifts given, there He is, doing such things.

Do you need to worship at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome? No. Do you need to worship at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Elma? No. Do you need to worship facing the Temple in Jerusalem? No. Do you need to worship on the mountaintop? No.

You need to worship where the Lord has promised that you may find Him in all His grace and favor. That is, you need to worship where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached in its truth and purity and where the Holy Sacraments are administered freely and rightly according to our Lord's command and promise.

You are not free to worship in the woods off by yourself. You are not free to worship in the company of unbelievers. You are not free to worship where the Gospel is not given. You are not free to worship wherever you feel like it. For, while it does not matter where you worship in terms of which building in which town is the right location, it does matter where you worship in terms of where you may find God, and what you find when you find Him.

You may find God in the beauties and glories of His creation. After all, David tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. The mountains and the hills, the trees and forests, the streams and rivers all proclaim the wondrous nature and works of our God. However, that knowledge of God is limited. For contemplating a beautiful sunset may teach you about the God who loved His creation such that He stretched out His finger and painted such a sight. However, it will not teach you about the God who has threatened wrath and destruction upon the children of men for your sins. And that sunset certainly will not teach you about the God who so loved you that He sent His only-begotten Son into the flesh to bear that wrath and destruction for you.

“Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.'” You will worship neither in the house of the Jews, nor on the mountain of the Samaritans.

“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The Samaritans worshiped the God of Israel, but as though He were a shadow, unknowable without the knowledge of the Jews. The Jews worshiped the Lord whom they knew, for salvation is from the Jews. But they worshiped as though God were there to serve them, to preserve them simply because they were of the house and line of Abraham.

However, the hour is coming when the true worshipers will worship in Spirit and Truth. The true worshipers will be those who have the Spirit and Truth whom they worship. And the true worshipers are you. You have the Spirit, who delivers to you the Truth. The Truth is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. The Truth is He who displays the glory of the Father high and lifted up upon a cross for all the world to see. The Truth is Christ the Lord, who comes to be crucified, to die, and to be buried, and the third day to rise again.

You will worship in the Truth because you live in the Truth. You live in the Truth because you have been baptized into Him. You have been baptized into the likeness of His death and resurrection, that you might now live a life to and through and in Him.

You will worship in the Spirit because the Spirit calls you to worship. He calls you to life out of death. He calls you to faith out of unbelief. He calls you to worship out of your slumber. He calls you to the marvelous light of God out of the darkness of sin and death. You will worship in Spirit and in Truth because the Spirit of God which hovered over the waters of the deep now hovers over you and proclaims to you the Truth of Him who gave His life that you might live. You will worship in Spirit and Truth because the Spirit keeps you in the Truth.

“The woman said to him, 'I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.' Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am he.'” Jesus is the Coming One. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. Jesus is coming, and He will tell us all things. And He is here, speaking to you, declaring to you all things whatsoever you need for the salvation of your soul and body. He is speaking to you by His Spirit, whom He has sent to be your advocate, your counselor, your comforter.

God is Spirit, but He has seen fit, in His great mercy, to reveal Himself to you in the flesh. He sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ into the womb of Mary to receive flesh and blood by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Jesus is the icon of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all creation, the creator of all things in heaven and on earth. “In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20)

Worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth. Worship the Lord who is Spirit and Truth. Worship the Lord who gives His Spirit that you might live in the Truth. Worship the Lord who proclaims the Truth, that your sins are forgiven, now and forevermore.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.