I'm My Own Grandpaw

Judges 4:1-19
Acts 6:15-7:16
John 4:27-42
Years ago Dwight Latham and Moe Jaffe composed a song entitled “I’m My Own Grandpaw.” In it the singer recounts how, by birth and by marriage, the relationships in his life have become so complex that he is now his own grandfather.

Oh, many, many years ago
When I was twenty-three
I was married to a widow
Who was pretty as can be
This widow had a grown-up daughter
Who had hair of red
My father fell in love with her
And soon the two were wed

This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life
For my daughter was my mother
'Cause she was my father's wife
To complicate the matter
Though it really brought me joy
I soon became the father
Of a bouncing baby boy

This little baby then became
A brother-in-law to Dad
And so became my uncle
Though it made me very sad
For if he was my uncle
Then that also made him brother
Of the widow's grown-up daughter
Who of course is my step-mother

The song goes on from there, but you get the drift. Our readings for today are not intended to be humorous, but frankly they get close. The Judges account displays a complexity of human relationships. Samson wishes to marry a Philistine woman (against his parents’ advice). But during the wedding feast she betrays him to her kinfolk. This leads Samson to an act of violence and ends the marriage. In the Acts passage Stephen recounts for the council the history of the Jewish people from Abraham to the time of bondage in Egypt. This, of course, is a tale full of twists and turns, of betrayal and reconciliation, of…well, the complexities of human relationships strung out over generations. The gospel reading from John concludes the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Here, too, there are riddles to be solved, questions to be answered, and social customs to be navigated. Ultimately Jesus is able to bridge the gap between him and the Samaritans by sharing his message with them.

It is common for people in our own day to despair in the breakdown of human society. Divorce, childbirth outside of marriage, economic hardships, the decline of religious affiliations: all of these and many other factors seem to cascade against the family and any sense of a well-ordered community. No wonder we have so many problems in our world. But if nothing else, our three readings should demonstrate that there has never been a time—even within the community of faith—when relationships or community and family life have ever been “easy.” Human connectedness is always complex. But throughout our readings God remains an active participant with God’s people as well. Things can never get too complex for God’s care and concern. And that is really good news because life doesn’t show any sign of becoming less complex any time soon.

Prayer: Lord, things are often a mess in our lives. We find ourselves being pushed and pulled in so many directions and dealing with so many distractions. As Jesus did in Samaria, build a bridge for us today above and beyond the complexities, that we may focus on you and thus be led to live in peace with one another. Amen.