Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �1 13

GOSPEL : John 4:1-42

The gospel is announced. The holy gospel according to St. John, the fourth chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.

1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, "Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John" 2 —although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— 3 he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4 But he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, "I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." 27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30 They left the city and were on their way to him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, "Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �2 13

you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." 39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

The gospel concludes: The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

It’s not her fault. This unnamed woman at the well is not a biblical recreation of Elizabeth Taylor or Zsa Zsa Gabor. She was quite likely trapped in the custom of levirate marriage (like Tamar in Genesis 38), and quite possible that the last male in the family line had refused to marry her. It’s not her fault. She is the victim, either by death or divorce by husbands 1-5. This man she is living with; there’s a good chance it is her dead husband’s brother.

The most likely reason why she’s had so many husbands? She was barren. She could easily be divorced by her husbands for not bearing them any children.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �3 13

She was at the well alone, without children, away from other people, at noon in the heat of the day, likely trying to avoid contact with anyone because of the shame of barrenness or maybe she’s avoiding contact with another potential husband. After all, the well was like the bar or eHarmony or tinder: it’s where you might just meet your match. It’s not her fault.

Jesus finds her. Jesus needs water. She needs living water. She is lacking. She needs something. Maybe she feels trapped by forced marriages failed, Maybe she feels worthless as an outcast Maybe she feels shame being barren. Maybe she just needs a real friend.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �4 13

One note about Jacob’s well: It is possible that the well was dry. The woman coming to this well just might have been symbolic of her need for spiritual water.

Whether there for thirst of body or thirst of soul, whatever it is that she needed, Jesus found her. And unlike husbands 1-5 Jesus will never leave her, Jesus will not divorce her.

This unnamed woman leaves the well believing she is of worth, believing - or at least wondering if - the Messiah has come. She now has new life in Jesus Christ, She is forgiven her burden is lifted and she is invited into something new. This is powerful.

Have you ever heard of the TV show Seinfeld?

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �5 13

Seinfeld the TV show hit the scene in 1989

and, yada, yada, yada, 9 seasons later This show about nothing had become arguably the greatest TV sitcom ever. If you know Seinfeld, then you know Cosmo Kramer, the iconic hipster-doofus next-door neighbour. He was a popular mainstay character. Everyone loved Kramer.

You better believe it, buddy!

That is until 2006.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �6 13

Michael Richards, The comedian who played Cosmo Kramer, was performing stand up comedy at the Laugh Factory, when he reacted to a group of late-coming hecklers with hurtful, racist words. It was a terrible mistake.

No soup for you, Kramer.

Michael Richards retired from comedy, and the event broke him. He tried to apologize publicly on various occasions, some successful and others not.

I’d like to show you a clip from Jerry Seinfeld’s web show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” This is from 2012:

You can access the video here: https://youtu.be/0W208ENlm9c

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �7 13

“It still kicks me around…” “It’s up to you.” Jerry says, “It’s up to you to say, ‘I’ve been carrying this bag long enough. I’m gonna put it down.’”

“Yeah. Yeah.” says Michael Richards. But you can tell it’s a no. 7 years later, he just can’t put that bag of burden down. You can hear the regret. You can hear the desire to get back into comedy but he wont allow himself to. He just can’t forgive himself. It is his fault!

Publicly, Michael Richards is always going to be the hipster doofus, Cosmo Kramer, guilty of a racist outburst. Some have forgiven him. Some have not.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �8 13

After a couple brief stints in TV comedy, Michael Richards has essentially fallen off the map. I don’t know what he is doing with his life now. Maybe that’s a good thing that his is a private and not public life.

But watching that scene from Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, His brokenness makes me sad because I see that same brokenness in many of us.

He carries the burden of a terrible mistake on his back, and it weighs him down like Frank Costanza’s Festivus feats of strength.

Stick a fork in me, Jerry. I’m done.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �9 13

The woman of Samaria was not done. Jesus offered her a way forward. She did not need to be defined by her shame, nor her barrenness, nor being a Samaritan with a Jew. She came to the well for a drink of water. After meeting Jesus she left her water jar behind. The whole reason she came to the well was to fill her jar with water, and she just left it, there, with Jesus.

This is not like going to the grocery story for eggs and coming home with potato chips.

This is not saying “These pretzels are making me thirsty” and having a drink.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �10 13

Jesus changed her life, to the point that her past, her shame didn’t really matter any more. She left her water jar behind with her burdens in it, and she will never be thirsty again.

So leave your water jar behind. Leave your burden with Jesus. Don’t let that terrible decision or that thing you said or that thing you did weigh you down. Don’t be defined by that awful thing that happened to you don’t be burdened by that person you wont forgive or the person who wont forgive you. Don’t let your place of subordination or your guilt or your shame stop you from being who you are meant to be: God’s beloved.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �11 13

Wether it’s not your fault or it is your fault Leave your water jar behind, and drink from Jesus, the fountain of living water gushing up to eternal life.

This living water is not some kind of new-age serenity now trick, Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Jesus offers more than some serenity now. Jesus offer you new and abundant life that lasts. Jesus forgives you, and perhaps the hardest part, Jesus forgives those who hurt you. Jesus is your faithful friend that is always by your side, carrying your burden.

A couple of faithful tangents:

Don’t create women at the well. Don’t shame people because of what’s outside of their control. Don’t cast people out because your culture says they’re the enemy.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �12 13

Put that burden down: you don’t need to further perpetuate unhealthy cultural and religious and economic norms. We live in a time of political polarization; a time in which veiled sexual assault and harassment is being unveiled with the #MeToo movement, a time of concern about political correctness or as I like to call it general human decency. We have drawn lines around issues of religion, science, environment, social issues, violence. Christians are called to be a people of justice and forgiveness. Christians are called to shed truth on the things we do that hurt each other and more importantly, Christians are then called to extend grace, to offer forgiveness, to live into God’s new way forward.

The woman at the well had terrible things happen to her. At the well, it was time for forgiveness and God’s new way forward. Michael Richards did a terrible thing, he said one of those things that you just don’t say. Now it is time for forgiveness and God’s new way forward. Whatever your burden is, whatever the hurt is that happened to you, whatever it is that you caused: Own it. make time for justice, make time to make it right, but most importantly make time for forgiveness and God’s new way forward.

Sermon February 4 2018 The Gospel According to Seinfeld Rev. Aaron N. SchnellSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of �13 13

Lastly, Michael Richards had Jerry; a good friend who stood by his side throughout. Good friends can come and go. Good friends can’t save you. Jesus will never leave you. Salvation happens for you in relationship with Jesus. Salvation is now. Healing is now, forgiveness is now. So come to the well. Drink. Leave your water jar behind with your burdens in it Experience Jesus’ living water. Taste and see that the Lord is good! Thanks be to God. Amen.