October 25 - Vulnerability in Brave Spaces

Recorded Worship on YouTube

Sermon includes snippets of a video that is on YouTube.

Deborah Laforet John 4:7-30

Vulnerability in Brave Spaces

Last week, we became an Affirming Ministry of the United Church of Canada.  At a vote, with 96% in favour, we agreed that this was important to the identity of our church and the part we play in our community.  We are the second United Church in Halton to become Affirming and the first one in Oakville.  So….now what?  

Well, the first step is to celebrate.  On Sunday, November 22nd, we will celebrate.  It will still be virtually, but we have a team coming up with some very creative ideas to make this more than just a virtual celebration.  Stay tuned.

After that, my friends, we will continue to learn what it means to be an Affirming church.  Will we wave rainbow flags?  Yes.  Will we participate in Pride parades?  Probably.  Will people visit our church that are on various places of the gender identity spectrum.  Possibly and hopefully.  So we will continue learning what it means to be inclusive and affirming of ALL people, of all abilities, of all races, of all ages, dot, dot, dot.  And not only how we are to be inclusive and affirming, but how we advocate for inclusive and affirming policies in our churches, businesses, and government.

Today I’d like to introduce, as of next Sunday, November 1st, our new General Secretary of the United Church of Canada.  His name is Michael Blair and I heard him on a podcast last week called, “Making Hope Visible.”   I invite you to look him up, learn more about him, maybe even listen to this podcast.  In this podcast, Michael just happens to mention the scripture that we just heard.  “One of my favourite stories is Jesus and the woman at the well, right? Jesus allows himself to be vulnerable in that space.  I mean, he comes along, and you know you can read into the text and say Jesus knew kind of what was going on but it’s like, “Can you give me some water to drink?” right, and that becomes a part of the conversation.  So I think for us as United Church folks and followers of Jesus, something we’re called to do is to be vulnerable and vulnerability is not something that comes easily or naturally to us.”  (35 seconds)

Vulnerability.  We heard Junia Joplin talk a bit about being vulnerable and how it’s not an easy place to be.  I have three video clips to show you today, created by the Affirm team of our region.  The video shows a couple trying out three different churches and the welcome they receive at each one.  Ask yourself, as you’re watching, who is being vulnerable?  How do you see that vulnerability not coming naturally or easily?

Show clip (1:10)

Awkward, right?  This is a church that has not engaged in the Affirming conversation at all.  Let’s see another clip showing this couple’s visit at a second church that displays a rainbow sticker on their welcome sign.

Show clip

This church wants to be welcoming but has not had the education and awareness that is encouraged in an Affirming congregation.  Michael Blair speaks about some churches that want to be welcoming without being vulnerable, who find it difficult to understand why, when people who have been hurt, express anger with the church.

“….not all of us are alike and in some ways we all play with that US notion of evangelicalism in our mind.  We’re always good at saying, we’re not like those people but we don’t define who we are and I think it’s an invitation for us when we’re in spaces and we’re willing to be vulnerable is to then to be able to kind of define how we understand what our faith calls us to, right, so that, I’m in this place, I’m a follower of Jesus and I’m listening, I’m caring, I’m open, I’m wanting to learn and wanting to know that I can engage in ways that are transformative for me but also for the people that I’m in relationship with.”  (45 seconds)

Many of us know the story of Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman, but do we ever look at the vulnerability in this story? Most women at that time would gather water in the cool hours of the morning and usually as a group, for safety and for a time of social gathering.  Our story specifically states that this woman is alone and collecting water at noon, so we already know that this woman is vulnerable in some way.  She’s a Samaritan woman, which is a nationality that is despised by the Jewish people and here she encounters someone who is Jewish and male, a powerful position in her world.  But Jesus begins his engagement with her in a vulnerable place.  He’s thirsty and he asks for water.  

He does not berate her for coming at noon, away from the other women, to show his own power as a man.  He does not judge her in order to show his own moral authority.  He does not belittle her and make her feel inadequate for trying to engage in a theological and political conversation with him.  He is listening; he is caring; he is open, which open her up to what Jesus has to offer.

Let’s watch the final clip and see if this couple finally finds, in their third visit, a church that is listening, caring, and open.  

Show Clip

Would Therese and Phyllis feel accepted at St. Paul’s?  Would they feel like they belong?  Would their friend, Pat, feel that way?  Are we, at St. Paul’s, in a space where we are listening, caring, open, wanting to learn, wanting to know that we can engage in ways that are transformative for us and for others?  That 96% vote last Sunday says that we are in that place.  

May the Holy fill our hearts and minds and help us to be more Christ-like in our vulnerability.  May that vulnerability be a strength and a gift as we open ourselves up to growth and opportunity.  May the Spirit use that vulnerability to engage us in ways that are transformation to us and to our community.  May it be so.  Amen.

Deborah Laforet