Pastor Ash Dotson
Hello from Oasis United Methodist Church at Robson Ranch. We invite you to join us in the Laredo Room at 9:30 a.m. Sundays.
In John 4:39–42, we read about a transformative encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well:
“Many Samaritans in that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s word … So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked him to stay with them … Many more believed because of his word, and they said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this one is truly the savior of the world.’”
It’s remarkable how a brief, Spirit-led encounter can open hearts and change lives. The Samaritan woman simply shared her experience, and a whole community was drawn to deeper faith.
I was reminded of a tweet by theologian Diana Butler Bass: “What if Christianity had focused its attention on Maundy Thursday’s table instead of Good Friday’s cross?” In other words, what if the center of our faith was the table—God’s place of gathering, inclusion, and love—rather than the violence of the empire? The cross was Rome’s disruption; the table is God’s intention.
Sometimes I wonder how many Spirit-arranged encounters we miss because our ego-driven false selves get in the way. We’ve been conditioned by the empire, our culture and systems, to fear those who are different from us. But what if the Spirit is always orchestrating sacred meetings, moments of synchronicity meant to expand our hearts?
Think of the Trinity not just as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, but as Lover, Beloved, and the Love between them. The Spirit is that unifying presence—what holds all things together.
Interestingly, science has a parallel idea: dark matter. Though invisible, dark matter is thought to make up 85% of the universe’s mass, shaping the orbits of planets and galaxies. Scientists can’t see it, but they know it’s there because of its effects.
Similarly, the Spirit works in unseen but deeply felt ways. Psychologist Carl Jung spoke of the collective unconscious, a shared well of wisdom and connection beneath our conscious awareness. While Jung didn’t equate it with the Holy Spirit, I and many others do. Through it, we are nudged, guided, brought together. It’s more than coincidence, it’s divine synchronicity.
In John 4, when the Samaritans invite Jesus to “stay” with them, the Greek word used is μένω (menó), meaning not staying in the physical sense, but entering into a relationship. The same intimate connection Jesus offered his disciples is extended to these outsiders and to us.
To join in that divine flow, we must let go of ego-based fears and rise into our true, connected selves. Jesus came to show us how to live in the Divine, to become one with the Spirit that holds all things together.
So I leave you with this question: What ego-based belief can you let go of today, so that love might flow more freely through you?