Sunday reflection: The woman (and man) at the well

Today's reflection is brought to you by

John 4:  4:5-30, 39-40.

This morning, I had the joy of presenting a little skit from John's Gospel along with Jesse and James. When I asked Jesse if he would play Jesus, he said, "Whoa, tall order!" But he did a great job, and James was an excellent narrator too. What follows below is the reflection I shared with our community of Sanctuary of Peace, our circle of belonging in the heart of the city of Edmonton.

* * * * * * *

There are three things I hope we can learn from this little story that James and Jesse helped me to tell, but before I get to that, a little background on it: 

The way Jesus and the woman are speaking to each other (with no one else present) is breaking a few rules of their societies. Women were expected to travel in groups. And Jews and Samaritans generally avoided each other because of a history of bad blood between their peoples. 

So we might wonder why this woman is coming to the well all alone in the hottest hours of the day. The most likely answer is that she doesn’t go to the well when other married women go in the coolness of the morning because they shame her for being a sinner because she’s had so many husbands.

And that’s the next question: why has she had so many husbands? 

There could be several reasons. Maybe the woman married men who died in accidents -- or of poor health. But more likely, in a time of arranged marriages, if a woman didn’t produce babies or her husband found her lacking in other ways, he could divorce her, or say she was unfaithful and ruin her reputation. Something to think about on this International Woman's Day.

We don’t know much about this woman's circumstances, but clearly something happened that leaves her feeling vulnerable to the judgment of others. 

So she’s very surprised when the man at the well starts talking to her. Jesus could have ignored her, and probably should have according to Jewish law, but he breaks the rules and asks for the woman's help. He’s thirsty. Her response is maybe a little annoyed and sassy: “Do I really have to remind you that you shouldn’t be talking to me?” 

But Jesus keeps the conversation going, and offers something to her. Living water sounds mysterious! And wouldn’t it be wonderful if she didn’t have to walk to the well in the heat anymore! But hey, he doesn’t even have a bucket to get his own water, she reminds him. They seem to be poking just a little bit of fun at each other. 

Until things get serious and Jesus invites her to bring her husband. Yet even though she is likely shamed by her community because of her many marriages, she somehow senses that she can tell Jesus the truth, sort of, so she does, maybe feeling a bit anxious about his response. 

Surprisingly, he tells her all about her life, remarks on her honesty and says no more about all those husbands. He’s just not interested in shaming her further. He simply invites her to a deeper relationship with God. And when she talks about God’s anointed one, the Messiah, Jesus tells her who he is, something he hasn't admitted to very many people thus far. 

Then the disciples show up. Maybe they’re surprised that Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman, but they don’t ask questions. Why not? Maybe they know that Jesus isn’t afraid to go against the norms when it comes to leading others away from shame to healing. They've seen that his ministry is all about that. 

So, the three things we can learn from this story? 

First, Jesus loves everyone no matter what, and treats everyone with kindness and respect. He loved the woman no matter how many husbands she had. He loves you and me no matter what we might be ashamed of, and Creator wants us to be honest about our struggles and joys. God wants to hear about them whenever we pray. 

Secondly, God isn’t interested in shaming people. Maybe we grew up with a punishing god who throws thunderbolts (like I thought would happen if I swore as a little kid), but that god was just a threat to keep us in line. Our True Creator wants our honesty, and to give us good things like the living water that is eternal life. 

And thirdly, when it comes to love, Jesus bends the rules. For you, for me, for everyone because he’s all about spirit and truth and goodness and beauty for our lives. The bible is full of examples of him teaching unexpected things: Love your neighbour. Pray for your enemies. Forgive as many times as it takes. The first will be last (I like that one). The last will be first (even better). And if we’re going to become true children of Creator, we need to bend the rules, too, toward love and acceptance and service of others whether we understand them or not. 

So let’s practice these things. Let’s start our own little conversation with the man at the well. 

 

I invite you to sit as comfortably as you can. If you are able, straighten your back, put your feet solidly on the floor, take in a deep breath and let it out slowly and quietly, emptying your lungs completely. Let's do that again. 

Now, find a quiet place in your mind where Jesus is waiting for you. 

He asks how you are doing. What will you tell him? What does he say? Let your conversation with him flow. 

You can tell Jesus anything and everything. Be honest with him. See his smile, and the kindness and love in his eyes. 

When Jesus praises you for your honesty, how does that make you feel? 

Give your worries over to Jesus. Imagine him holding them gently in his hands. 

Give him your joys too.

Is there a person or a group of people in your life that is hard to love right now? Ask Jesus to help you to forgive and accept them, to bend your own rules toward love. 

Before you return to this space, thank Jesus for listening. Does he give you a hug? A fist bump? 

Let’s pray together: 

Thank you, Creator, 

for sending Jesus to teach us 

that you are all-loving and all-forgiving. 

and that your deepest desire is to free us from shame 

and satisfy our thirst for your goodness  

in all the corners of our lives. 

Help us not to judge others, 

but to treat them with respect and compassion 

that helps them to see your presence in us. 

+Amen

The song below, one I haven't heard in many years, came into my head as I was moodling just now, and I had to go looking for it. Anushka Edgard's version is simple and lovely. Though I don't know where Anushka comes from, I think she's quite young, and she certainly has a pretty voice. Enjoy.

Sharing our Sanctuary of Peace newsletter

Pastor Quinn offering necessities at
Tuesday Table Time. We are so
grateful for the donations we share --
and "little hottie" toe warmers!!

There's been a lot going on for Inner City Pastoral Ministry. In January, I took some time to work on a self-evaluation of my first year as pastoral associate, and was pretty amazed at the list of things that happened in that year. There's been lot of change for our community, which is soon to be known as Sanctuary of Peace -- once we get the name change finalized with banks, CRA and province. We're jumping through those hoops, slowly but surely.

In the meantime, we've put out a newsletter for our friends and supporters, and you can find it by clicking here if you're interested. I especially appreciate the first page, Pastor Quinn's reflection on the ecumenical aspect of what we do. I was delighted to nominate him for the ecumenism award pictured, and even happier to see him receive it. His impromptu speech when he received it, some of which comes through in his article, impressed everyone present to hear it.

Being part of the Sanctuary of Peace ministry team has been a huge blessing to me. The fourteen or so people with whom I work, and the many interfaith and interdenominational volunteers we see every week, not to mention our wonderful community members, fill me with great hope and joy. 

If you need a little dose of that and want to join me downtown on a Sunday, send me a message. I'm happy to bring a friend or two along.

Why do we need Safe Consumption Sites?

"Get rid of the safe consumption sites and just put those druggies in rehab." 

This sentiment can be found across Canada, mainly among people looking for easy answers and who have little understanding of addiction. It's been on my mind a lot lately, ever since the January 22nd memorial service held for 223 community members who died in the heart of Edmonton between March and December of 2025. 

223 vulnerable people. 

I took my guitar and sang a song for those 223 people, and by the time I sang the last note, my whole body was shaking from the sorrow and injustice of so many needless deaths.

223 sisters and brothers who died of causes related to homelessness in a wealthy province.

People who struggled just to live with trauma in a society that would rather pretend homelessness doesn't exist. People without homes, found dead on a park bench, in a stairwell, in a public washroom, on a sidewalk.

Many (but not all) of them killed by addiction to drugs laced with fentanyl or other poisons.

A better sentiment - a two meter sign like this
hung in our worship space for a time

I'm not a first responder, but whenever I go down to Sanctuary of Peace these days, I wear my naloxone/narcan kit belted to my waist because I just never know when it will be needed. 

Some of our community members use marijuana, thinking it's the most harmless substance they can have to feel happy or peaceful in spite of their homelessness, trauma, and other struggles. Unfortunately, if they buy it on the street, they don't know what else might be mixed into their dope.

Safe consumption sites, if we had more of them, would reduce the death toll that is on the rise among drug users in general. For one thing, using drugs in a SCS means that people are being monitored so that if they need medical help for a drug poisoning, they get it immediately. For another, such places are often the first opportunity for people to get help. They mean a person has second, third, fourth... well, as many chances as needed to break substance addiction. It's rarely one-and-done. It takes time.

The best time to encourage someone to get rid of any addiction is when they are hitting bottom, when they recognize that they can't stand it anymore and that it might kill them if they don't kick it. SCSs are places where health and community workers can offer people with addictions the opportunity to turn their life around. 

Through the use of methadone, suboxone, and other drugs that substitute for addictive substances and that can be reduced gradually, users can get a taste of life without addiction and seriously consider getting into rehab and supportive programs that help them stay sober. SCS counsellors can also connect people to other helpful resources to improve their life situations.

Unfortunately, it seems the average Joe/Jane doesn't know this, and there are many who think that shoving people into mandatory detox programs is the best plan, but nothing could be further from the truth. A person needs to be ready, to actually want to change their life, or their chances of rehabilitation are pretty much nil. 

Too many people pushed into detox before they are ready -- sometimes by well-meaning friends and family -- fall back into their old ways, and often end up dead of drug poisoning because they return to their addiction mistakenly thinking they need the same dosage they were on before rehab.

Better to keep people with addictions alive and safe until they are able to freely choose the road to wellness and get the wrap-around supports they need. Better to have Safe Consumption Sites.

I don't know how many of the 223 people we honoured on January 22nd were victims of addictions. Our government has stopped keeping stats, I suspect because they don't want the public to know the truth of this crisis, and they like the idea of forcing people into detox.

So I wear my naloxone kit, as do many others in the heart of Edmonton, and continue to speak out about the need for Safe Consumption Sites, housing, and other forms of care for the vulnerable among us. And maybe I'll write yet another letter...

Thanks for reading.

Sunday Reflection: You are the salt and you are the light

Today's reflection is brought to you by

Matthew 5: 13-19.

Here's the reflection I gave at our Sanctuary of Peace morning prayer service today.

* * * * * * * 

I love salt. On Friday, I baked honey whole wheat bread and almost forgot to add the salt. Fortunately, I tasted the dough and was able to fix my mistake or it would have tasted very bland. When we talk about someone as “the salt of the earth” we are saying that they are straightforward, honest, the kind of people who add zest to life. We’re paying them a compliment. 

I also love light, especially in these dark winter mornings when I get up and light a candle to pray. Light is one of Creator’s best inventions, pretty much the first thing that happens in the Bible. God says, “Let there be light!” and it happens. When we say, someone “lights up a room when they walk in,” it’s another compliment. 

But it’s not always easy to be the salt of the earth or the light of the world, is it? In our human condition, we all have days when it’s easier to snarl than smile, or to be like this:  

Suffering is part of our human existence, and when we suffer, life becomes flat and tasteless. Sometimes it’s hard work just to keep going. I’ve been there, I know. I’m guessing we all know what it’s like to want to crawl into a dark hole and stay there. That’s why I need this pep talk from Jesus every time I hear it. 

You are the salt of the earth, he says. Who me? 

You are the light of the world, he says. Not me! Not when I'm feeling like this. 

But he insists on it. And honestly, I don’t want my life to be like salt that is trampled underfoot. I don’t really want to live in a dark hole, either. If I tell myself that, I’m lying. I mean, it’s okay to sit in darkness for a while, because healing can happen when I take a break. But what I eventually need is somebody to care enough to help me out of my dark hole. 

Jesus is doing that by his encouragement here, though sometimes I also have to talk to the God-with-skin-on people that I’ve spoken about here before, so they can help me. Do you have someone like that in your life? I hope so.

Did you hear what Jesus says about the torch? He says “No one hides a torch under a basket but puts it high on a pole so all in the house can see by its light." He says, “Let your light shine so that others may see the good you do and give glory to Creator.” Jesus is reminding us that there are others around us, too, and that our light touches others when we let it shine. And those others might need our light, even when it seems dim, when we know we're not at our best. 

Following that thought, I’d like to share with you an experience that I had when I was in the darkness. I can’t exactly replicate it here, but I can invite you to use your imagination. 

Sit as tall and as comfortably as you can, feet on the floor if that works for you, and take a deep breath in, letting it out slowly and quietly. It will work best if you close your eyes, but if you’re not comfortable with that, just relax your body, and listen to my words. Let your breathing be gentle and natural.

Imagine you are sitting on a cushion on the floor in a very dark room where you can’t see anything… But you’re not afraid… the room is warm and comfortable, and you know that you're safe… 

In the darkness, you sense that there are others around you, but when you stretch out your arms, all you find is empty space... 

Suddenly, somewhere ahead, you hear a match strike and a small light blazes, then dims. It’s hard to see, but it is there… 

Focus your attention on the dim light… After a moment, you realize that it is slowly increasing just a little… 

Soon you can see the silhouettes of three people at the front of the room who each have a lit candle in front of them… and the dark shapes of others sitting on the floor around you… 

The three candle bearers remain still, but three others stand and begin moving among the group, passing something out… and soon you have an unlit candle in your hands… 

Everyone returns to their places… and after a moment of absolute stillness, the three with lit candles reach out to light someone else’s unlit candle… 

Light is passed from one to the next, and soon comes to you from a friend you recognize… 

They smile at you as you light your candle… and you smile as you pass your light to someone else… 

A gentle, clear voice says, “Rise to your feet... You are the light of the world… Lift your light high and look around you…” 

Everyone in the room raises their candles over their heads, and the room glows even more brightly…

You realize you are surrounded by your favourite people, and they’re all smiling… 

The voice says… "No one lights a candle to hide it but raises it up so that all can find their way. Let your light shine so that all can see the good you do, and give praise to God…" 

You stand in the glow of the room, surrounded by smiling faces, wondering if heaven might be like this… 

Take a moment to tell God how you are feeling… 

I invite you to gently open your eyes and return to this space, and to pray with me with some of the words from Psalm 112 as we heard it earlier: 

Help us to know you, 
O God of Wisdom. 
Help us to be salt and light in our world. 
In Your love is the power to calm the storms of our struggle and suffering.
Help us to remember that your love is in us too, for others. 
O, that we might learn to bless others selflessly, 
to be a silent blessing for all by letting our light shine for them!
Help us to know You, 
O God of Wisdom. 

+Amen

A small life lesson

Never trust a thrift store jigsaw puzzle.

2026 Word of the Year

Last year's Word of the Year, teamwork, turned out to be an excellent choice, as I experienced many opportunities to "high five" people in my life for so many things we accomplished together. Had I moodled pictures of all those moments, there would have been twice as many Simple Moodlings in 2025, and images of working with many different people, doing everything from making music, to moving a ministry, to planting/harvesting a garden, to bagging 200 lunches when no one else would... and lots more teamwork moments!

The first occurrence of this year's Word of the Year was on January 5th during my online morning meditation group. Our leader, William, posted a few paragraphs from author Richard Wagamese's book, What Comes From Spirit, and the final line hit me immediately:

I remain in slack jawed wonder at the richness in my life.

I repeated those words to the online community when the virtual floor was opened for sharing, saying how much I agreed with that sentiment. But it wasn't until my spiritual director, Ruth, (who also attends the online group) asked me about whether I had chosen my word of the year yet (she knows about my Words of the Year) that I realized WONDER is definitely the word for 2026.

Wonder at our beautiful skyline
made me take this picture 
during a dog walk!

Wonder has been following me around for weeks. I felt a sense of wonder (the noun) throughout Advent and the Christmas season at so many things: frost on a window pane, the softness of our puppy's fur, the beauty of fresh snowfall, the way my and other people's minds work, how friendships grow or wane, the thought of tulip bulbs under all that snow preparing to bloom in May, the miracle of love, the financial generosity of Sanctuary of Peace friends, and how people came together (Synagogue, Lutheran Church and chain restaurant) to make our Christmas celebration something special!

And I wonder (the verb): How our societies worldwide have become so divided, and how we can bring unity back. How we've forgotten that everything is connected, and how we can remember that what hurts or heals you also impacts me. How we rely on all of earth's ecosystems to work together and how we can work together to protect them. How truth can return to guide our world in all things, even when it might be easier to accept lies...

And I see so many wonderfull (adjective --misspelling intentional) things going on around me: Small churches bringing bag lunches and winterwear to homeless people in need. Neighbours pushing neighbours' stuck cars out of snow ruts (due to more snow falling in a week than our city usually plows in three winter months). My little cousin's hockey team advancing toward the u18 Girls' International semi-final (tomorrow) -- Go Haley, and Team Canada! The ever-increasing  daylight as we move further into this new year... and I could go on...

Do you have your own Word of the Year? For me, slack jawed wonder abounds. Perhaps this year I'll remember to post pictures more often. May wonder follow you around in 2026!

Prayer and Tai chi combined... my New Year's Resolution

New Year's Day slipped by almost two weeks ago without any sort of acknowledgement here on Simple Moodlings. I've missed at least the last three New Year's days that way, as my moodling habits have decreased quite a bit since 2019. I'll blame covid for that, ha! It changed so many things in our lives, didn't it? I know I've become less of a social butterfly and more a homebody, and really, that's okay. We all do what works best for us, and if we're lucky enough to have extra energy, for others in our circle of care, in our community.

Anyway, I usually pick a Word of the Year and skip the New Year's Resolutions, but this year, I'm doing both. I'll let you know my Word of the Year soon, I promise, but today I'm sharing my New Year's Resolution, part of which I did all through Advent, and the other part of which my achy body told me to start on January 1st.

I've been doing a fair bit of spiritual exercise with an online morning meditation group, and my quiet mornings with them and a candle in the winter darkness also inspired me to return to Pray As You Go, an online podcast created by the Jesuits in the UK, most episodes usually around a dozen minutes long. Their Advent reflections were the perfect thing for me in December

I first learned the Taoist form of Tai chi back in 2008, and have been doing it on and off ever since, enough that the 108 moves are part of my body's muscle memory. Which means that I can almost do it on autopilot. But last year, my first as pastoral associate for Sanctuary of Peace and having Remi-pup join our family, I kind of forgot about any kind of exercise other than walking and gardening. Tai chi happened only sporadically.

So after a very cold Christmas season with less exercise than usual, I realized that it might be a good plan to combine my daily Pray As You Go session with some Tai chi. Some years ago there was some sort of kerfuffel about "Christian Yoga" in fundamentalist church groups who felt that any kind of Eastern influence creeping into personal spiritual practice was a problem. But for me, the combination of gentle movement and gentle spiritual/Ignatian meditation are a perfect way to keep both body and soul in shape. They almost match in terms of how many minutes they take, and if I get mixed up in my movements, oh well, I can always back up and try again. 

So far this year, I've managed to do "my combo" every day except Sundays, when I have to be downtown early for Sanctuary of Peace service, and it's been a good thing for combatting the stiffness and achiness that seems to be my morning companion most days lately. 

Do you have a combined physical/spiritual practice in your life? How do you keep body and soul moving together in these deep winter days? I hope that you are well, and finding your own best practices to keep up your spirits in these early days of 2026. I'd love to hear about them if you're inclined to leave a comment or send an email to simplemoodler @gmail.com.

Monday Music Appreciation #68: Breathe In by Peter Mayer

There are always lots of songs floating through my head, and this one made an appearance again this morning. I've loved the music of Peter Mayer since my friend Charleen sent me Holy Now, which I suspect I've shared on Simple Moodlings at least a half dozen times. 

This one, Breathe In, is a perfect morning stretch/meditation. See if you don't agree.

Email subscribers who don't see the video can click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ0horvBHWc 

Enjoy!

Sunday Reflection: You are God's Beloved

 Today's reflection is brought to you by

Matthew 3:13-17 and Psalm 29.

Happy New Year, friends! It's been a busy end to the old year and start to the new, and my moodlings have been mostly in my head of late, but a few will escape the old noggin in the next few days with any luck. 

I thought I'd start 2026 with my first reflection of the year offered to the Sanctuary of Peace community this morning. It's a timeless message, one that we need to hear over and over as children of God.

* * * * * * *

Today's gospel is a story I can really relate to. We see John the Baptist, the prophet who prepared people to meet Jesus by baptizing them and inviting them to repent and change their hearts, the guy who said he was unfit to untie Jesus’s sandals. And John tells Jesus exactly what he thinks. Basically, “You’re God, and I’m supposed to baptize you? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” 

John does what I often do. That is, he second-guesses God’s plan even when Jesus, who is God, tells him what’s up. And I admit that when hard or unexpected things happen in my life, I second-guess Creator a lot, too. There have been many moments when I’ve turned to God and said, “Are you sure about this? Because I’m not sure I like your plan, and I think my idea might be better.” 

For example: when I was in High School, I came down with a weird flu bug that wouldn’t leave. Eventually, I saw my doctor and he told me that my pancreas had stopped working, that I had insulin-dependent diabetes, and that I would be injecting insulin for the rest of my life unless a cure comes. No big deal, right? Wrong.

My initial reaction was disbelief. And then I said to Creator, “Why me? What on earth are you thinking? I’m seventeen and suddenly have a chronic disease? Now it’s needles every day, check my blood sugars all the time, stop drinking Coca Cola, my favourite, and be careful about exercise?” 

My second-guessing went on for about eight years in that I was always trying to cut a different deal with Creator (“Please God, make someone invent a cure!”) or I had long periods where I tried to pretend that I didn’t have diabetes and ended up eating stuff that was bad for me, gaining 30 pounds, and feeling really rotten. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, all that stuff. 

But eventually I came to accept diabetes as part of God’s plan for me. I got used to living and eating differently. I had to be extra careful about my health when I was pregnant, sometimes taking eight shots a day, and I needed good diabetic control to raise my kids. No low blood sugars allowed when you're driving babies around!

Years later, I can see that my diabetes is actually a gift to me -- and my family. I had to cook healthy meals, and my kids are mostly healthy eaters because of it. I learned to balance diet, exercise, and rest in a good way. And I know I could have ended up with bigger health issues than diabetes. Creator’s plan for me hasn’t been so bad after all. 

Creator’s plan for all of us is good, though it might not seem like it sometimes because we can’t see God’s Big Picture. Maybe some troublesome thing that happens today will change our lives for the better somewhere down the road. 

Did you notice the words of Psalm 29? To recap: Creator will bless all people with peace. She is power and love. His compassion breaks oppression and injustice. They want us to dance in freedom and exuberance like the young bulls of Mount Hebron, kicking up our heels. God wants to strike love into our hearts and strip away our untrue selves so we can live in in truth and peace! 

And how do we know these things? In today’s reading, Jesus experiences Creator’s love firsthand for all of us. As Jesus comes up out of the water, he hears God say words that God says to each one of us: “This is my child, my beloved one. I am delighted with you.” 

Creator is delighted with all their children, all of us in this space, all of us in this world. God made each one of us to reflect their face to everyone else. Even when our lives are complicated and messy, when there’s bad news, when we can’t understand why or how people can be so cruel to each other, why wars are raging, where justice is hiding, God is always in us, and delighting in us, and hoping that we notice their delight and start living like we feel that we are beloved. 

So let’s rest in our beloved-ness for a few moments right now. 

Take in a deep breath, and let it out slowly and silently… 

Sit straight but relaxed if you can, and just follow your breathing for a moment… 

Think about your heart beating gently in your chest, the heart fashioned by Creator that keeps you alive… 

Think about your hands and how they serve you… 

Think about your feet and how they carry you… 

Your body is a gift from Creator, and you are wonderfully made… 

Imagine Creator speaking these words to you: 

You are my child, my beloved one. I am delighted by you… 

I hold you in the palm of my hand. You are my child… 

I am always with you. You are my beloved one… 

I will strengthen you and help you. I am delighted by you… 

You are my child, my beloved one. I am delighted by you… 

What do you want to say to God in silent response? … Take as much time as you need...

I invite you to bring your awareness back to this room and to open your eyes. 

We give you thanks, 

Creator, 

for making each of us your child. 

Thank you for calling us your beloved. 

Thank you for the way you delight in us. 

Remind us, 

when life is difficult or when we forget, 

that you are there for us, 

that you are our strength and our help. 

Teach us to be open to your love, 

and to love as you do. 

Help us to live always knowing that we are your special children, 

to receive your love and delight, 

and to share it with those around us. 

+Amen.