One nation under whose God?
John 4: 5-26, 39-42
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
March 8, 2026
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 there were two kingdoms of God’s people: Judah in the south with Jerusalem as its capital and Israel in the north with the city of Samaria as its capital. Both kingdoms had a history of unsuccessful, corrupt, and disobedient kings, leading them to being no more than tiny little fish in a sea of much larger empires that would gobble them up.
First came the Assyrians who conquered Israel, followed by the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, as well as the Judeans. The Assyrians forced the ten tribes to scatter all through their territory. The Assyrians then settled in Israel and also brought with them their own religion. A scant remnant of Hebrews who were still living in Israel adopted some of their practices but over time Assyrians and Hebrews together worshiped Yahweh. Their temple on Mt. Gerazim was later destroyed by a Judean ruler seeking to expand his territory and to bring everyone under the authority of the temple in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Judah also had its share of conquerors and its temple destroyed, but those in exile were allowed to stay together, practice their faith, and maintain their identity. When these exiles returned, the Samaritans opposed the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Now we can understand why this family feud has continued for so long.
Are you still with me? Tell me if this story sounds familiar. One sibling, now called Samaria, living their allegiance to Yahweh in their own way, whose temple has been destroyed by the other sibling, now called Judea, who call themselves God’s faithful ones.
One more note about the scripture. In the Hebrew scriptures, as a literary device, the Israelite nation is often referred to as an unnamed woman. When Jesus addresses the Samaritan woman “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” the Greek word for “you” is plural. New Testament professor Allen Dwight Callahan, writing from an African American perspective, proposes that the five husbands are translated more accurately as “lords” or “masters”, as in the five regimes that had ruled Samaria and the sixth lord who is not her husband is Rome ruling from Jerusalem through a puppet regime. This story is about the collective rather than an individual.
This story is not so much about Jesus speaking to a foreign woman at a well, but a nation realizing it has come up empty and is thirsty for what is life-giving. A nation divided from its siblings who have oppressed them and in need of liberation. A nation that has been occupied and torn apart now in the thrall of the most powerful regime on earth who worships its emperor. And now the story begins to sound all too familiar to where we are now.
This land that has been called Turtle Island has had more than one master, occupied by Spain, France, Holland, and Britain. America is more than these United States; it is 35 sovereign nations plus several territories in the northern and southern hemispheres. The United States is not solely a Christian nation but one where people of many faiths and no faith have joined together to form a more perfect union, one in which there are no tests of faith, everyone is free to practice their own religion, and the government is safeguarded against religious fanaticism.
That is, until recently. In reaction to the election of the first Muslim mayor of New York City, Republican members of Congress have been inflaming their constituents with fears of Sharia law while supporting legislation that would effectively remove the right to vote from those who have changed their names, mostly women. The self-proclaimed Secretary of War holds worship services in the Pentagon, invoking Christ the Lord as their mascot. And just this past week, across more than 30 installations, military personnel have been informed that the Iran war is part of God’s plan and that the president has been “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth”.
But as my wise friend the Rev. Brooke Scott put it, “Needing a war [or a War Department] to bring Jesus back is wild because he’s already here. You just don’t want to feed him, welcome and affirm him, clothe, heal, or educate him.”
I often wonder if what Jesus was trying to do was not only liberate his people with salvation, also known as wholeness and justice which looks like food, water, clothing, release from prison, and community no matter what. I also wonder if he was trying to liberate his people by bringing them back together. A united people can stand against empire but a divided people can be made to be suspicious, afraid and convinced of anything. A united people can build a just world for all but a divided people will try to keep whatever they have. A united people do not have to resort to violence but a divided people will see no other way.
This past week at the interfaith Iftar dinner hosted by the Islamic Society of Delaware, the Imam, Sheikh Abdel-Hadi Shehata, reminded us that when religion is practiced correctly, it does not divide people—it brings people together.
It really is as simple as this: a united people are guided by love, a divided people are ruled by fear. At the heart of every faith tradition is love in the service of others. Whether people are religious or not, it seems there will always be those who will use power over others rather than share power with others; those who will satisfy their self-interests than seek after the interests of others; those who will avoid death at all costs rather than journey humbly with death through life.
The question is, who will we be? As Christians, there is no squidgy middle when it comes to Jesus and his way of compassion and justice. We’re either feeding the hungry or we’re supporting those who want to take away free school meals. We’re either welcoming the stranger or we’re supporting them being locked away in camps. We’re either doing what we can to protect every child from harm or we’re supporting a pedophile in the highest office in this country. We’re either upholding the right to vote for everyone or we’re supporting second class citizenry. We’re either working toward everyone having what they need or we’re admitting we just don’t want to do it.
One nation. Period. Indivisible. Period. With liberty and justice for ALL. Let’s work on THAT. Amen.
Benediction – enfleshed.com
God meets us in the hard places.
The territories of struggle.
The sites of desperation.
The places of deepest need.
In our fears and our pain,
God comes beside us.
With a commitment to extending this care
to one another and all our neighbors,
so that none may be left alone,
the Spirit sends us with peace.
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 there were two kingdoms of God’s people: Judah in the south with Jerusalem as its capital and Israel in the north with the city of Samaria as its capital. Both kingdoms had a history of unsuccessful, corrupt, and disobedient kings, leading them to being no more than tiny little fish in a sea of much larger empires that would gobble them up.
 |
| Map of Israel (northern kingdom) and Judah (southern kingdom) in the days of the kings. Tyre is to the north of Israel on the Mediterranean coast. |
First came the Assyrians who conquered Israel, followed by the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, as well as the Judeans. The Assyrians forced the ten tribes to scatter all through their territory. The Assyrians then settled in Israel and also brought with them their own religion. A scant remnant of Hebrews who were still living in Israel adopted some of their practices but over time Assyrians and Hebrews together worshiped Yahweh. Their temple on Mt. Gerazim was later destroyed by a Judean ruler seeking to expand his territory and to bring everyone under the authority of the temple in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Judah also had its share of conquerors and its temple destroyed, but those in exile were allowed to stay together, practice their faith, and maintain their identity. When these exiles returned, the Samaritans opposed the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Now we can understand why this family feud has continued for so long.
Are you still with me? Tell me if this story sounds familiar. One sibling, now called Samaria, living their allegiance to Yahweh in their own way, whose temple has been destroyed by the other sibling, now called Judea, who call themselves God’s faithful ones.
 |
| Map of Samaria (north) and Judaea (south): Israel in the time of Jesus. Galilee is north of Samaria. Jews traveling south could avoid Samaria by going through the Decapolis and Peraea to the east of Samaria. In this story from John, Jesus chose to take the direct route. |
One more note about the scripture. In the Hebrew scriptures, as a literary device, the Israelite nation is often referred to as an unnamed woman. When Jesus addresses the Samaritan woman “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” the Greek word for “you” is plural. New Testament professor Allen Dwight Callahan, writing from an African American perspective, proposes that the five husbands are translated more accurately as “lords” or “masters”, as in the five regimes that had ruled Samaria and the sixth lord who is not her husband is Rome ruling from Jerusalem through a puppet regime. This story is about the collective rather than an individual.
This story is not so much about Jesus speaking to a foreign woman at a well, but a nation realizing it has come up empty and is thirsty for what is life-giving. A nation divided from its siblings who have oppressed them and in need of liberation. A nation that has been occupied and torn apart now in the thrall of the most powerful regime on earth who worships its emperor. And now the story begins to sound all too familiar to where we are now.
This land that has been called Turtle Island has had more than one master, occupied by Spain, France, Holland, and Britain. America is more than these United States; it is 35 sovereign nations plus several territories in the northern and southern hemispheres. The United States is not solely a Christian nation but one where people of many faiths and no faith have joined together to form a more perfect union, one in which there are no tests of faith, everyone is free to practice their own religion, and the government is safeguarded against religious fanaticism.
That is, until recently. In reaction to the election of the first Muslim mayor of New York City, Republican members of Congress have been inflaming their constituents with fears of Sharia law while supporting legislation that would effectively remove the right to vote from those who have changed their names, mostly women. The self-proclaimed Secretary of War holds worship services in the Pentagon, invoking Christ the Lord as their mascot. And just this past week, across more than 30 installations, military personnel have been informed that the Iran war is part of God’s plan and that the president has been “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth”.
But as my wise friend the Rev. Brooke Scott put it, “Needing a war [or a War Department] to bring Jesus back is wild because he’s already here. You just don’t want to feed him, welcome and affirm him, clothe, heal, or educate him.”
I often wonder if what Jesus was trying to do was not only liberate his people with salvation, also known as wholeness and justice which looks like food, water, clothing, release from prison, and community no matter what. I also wonder if he was trying to liberate his people by bringing them back together. A united people can stand against empire but a divided people can be made to be suspicious, afraid and convinced of anything. A united people can build a just world for all but a divided people will try to keep whatever they have. A united people do not have to resort to violence but a divided people will see no other way.
This past week at the interfaith Iftar dinner hosted by the Islamic Society of Delaware, the Imam, Sheikh Abdel-Hadi Shehata, reminded us that when religion is practiced correctly, it does not divide people—it brings people together.
It really is as simple as this: a united people are guided by love, a divided people are ruled by fear. At the heart of every faith tradition is love in the service of others. Whether people are religious or not, it seems there will always be those who will use power over others rather than share power with others; those who will satisfy their self-interests than seek after the interests of others; those who will avoid death at all costs rather than journey humbly with death through life.
The question is, who will we be? As Christians, there is no squidgy middle when it comes to Jesus and his way of compassion and justice. We’re either feeding the hungry or we’re supporting those who want to take away free school meals. We’re either welcoming the stranger or we’re supporting them being locked away in camps. We’re either doing what we can to protect every child from harm or we’re supporting a pedophile in the highest office in this country. We’re either upholding the right to vote for everyone or we’re supporting second class citizenry. We’re either working toward everyone having what they need or we’re admitting we just don’t want to do it.
One nation. Period. Indivisible. Period. With liberty and justice for ALL. Let’s work on THAT. Amen.
Benediction – enfleshed.com
God meets us in the hard places.
The territories of struggle.
The sites of desperation.
The places of deepest need.
In our fears and our pain,
God comes beside us.
With a commitment to extending this care
to one another and all our neighbors,
so that none may be left alone,
the Spirit sends us with peace.
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