Where’s Your Samaria?
John 4:4 – he had to go through Samaria.
No he didn’t.
According to Nicodemus Jesus already attained the status of rabbi. Going to Samaria was bad for his image. The regular path would have taken him through the Jordan valley and not the barren area of Samaria. It would have been an easier journey. Jesus didn’t have to go to Samaria, he had to go to Samaria.
As part of the vision of Drive, we have stepped out and decided that we are going to Samaria. If we are going to be faithful in following the footsteps of Jesus, we must go to Samaria.
Our Samaria is in Haiti, where the Haitian Children’s Home is providing a safe environment for the orphaned and abandoned in Jacmel. These kids are experiencing the love of Christ in a family environment and getting a chance. One life group is going to this Samaria this spring and our high school students are going later this summer. They had to go.
Our Samaria is in Kenya. The once stable nation in East Africa has experienced much in the past few months due to corruption and pride. There is a ray of hope in a small village north of Nairobi where 80 orphans and going to school and eating regularly and learning that they matter to God. We are currently assembling a team who has to go in the fall of 2008.
Sometimes our Samaria is a little closer to home. This summer some of our students has to go to Washington DC to serve with the Center for Student Missions serving the estimated 20,000 to 40,000 homeless people.
Our Samaria is at the Durham Rescue Mission where life groups are serving on a regular basis and new rooms are being opened for homeless mothers and their children. It’s a place where life change is happening over simple conversations - because someone had to go.
The thing is that Jesus just didn’t pray for the Samaritan. And he didn’t send a short term mission team to meet the woman at the well. He had to go to Samaria.
We all have a Samaria – we just have to determine if we have to go.
When was the last time you were in your Samaria? What is your Samaria? Is it a co-worker, a neighbor, your spouse, the barista at Starbucks?
Jesus had to go to Samaria. So do we.
Filed under: church, thoughts | 1 Comment
Rick. You rock. Thanks for challenging people to leave the comfort of home and go to Samaria, whether it is starbucks, Cary, Raleigh, Durham, Kenya, Haiti, DC…etc.