One nation under whose God?
John 4: 5-26, 39-42 New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE March 8, 2026 Screenshot of a sticker: the word "God" is above the words "One Nation" so that it reads "One Nation (under) God". The word "Whose" is written in red ink above "God". Whenever there is a family reunion, sometimes it’s a good idea to dip into the family tree and remember some family history, and this is one of those times. Not unlike the north and south of this nation, Jews and Samaritans have a common lineage, shared through their ancestor Jacob. So, what led to the family split? Under King Solomon the land of Israel became one of the wealthiest and most powerful kingdoms but it came at such a high cost that land had to be given away and people were sent into forced labor to Tyre in the north. When King Solomon died, the ten northern tribes refused to submit to the new king, Solomon’s son Rehoboam (ray-oh-boh-am) and rebelled against him. From then on t...
