Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks.
Welcoming you to day 13 of our Advent 2026 series,
In the Wilderness,
Still Held,
As we walk through Easter,
In the Gospel of John.
I invite you to take a slow breath and let your body settle.
To be held in this moment and to cast our minds back to yesterday when we were at the well,
Where we still are today.
At this moment though,
The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman shifts.
Up until this point,
They've spoken about thirst,
About living water.
And then Jesus gently says,
Go call your husband and come back.
Something changes here.
He's naming her story.
He's touching the place that is most likely to be guarded in her life.
And yet,
Don't hear an edge in Jesus' voice.
This isn't about interrogating.
There's no tone here.
He names her truth without shaming.
Just pause with that for a moment.
So many of us carry the fear that if God truly saw us fully,
Clearly,
Without distortion,
That that would result in distance of some kind.
We imagine that divine knowing leads to withdrawal,
Disappointment,
A quiet rejection.
But as you immerse yourself in this scene,
Allow it to dismantle that fear.
Right here,
Right now,
Jesus reveals that he knows her life.
Not just the events,
But the complexity of it.
The relational fractures,
The hidden history.
And notice what happens.
He doesn't leave.
There's no diminishing of this woman.
He continues the conversation.
And more than that,
She becomes a theologian in this exchange.
She begins to ask about worship,
About mountains,
About the true place of encounter with God.
The one whose story might have disqualified her in the eyes of others becomes a serious conversation partner about the nature of God.
Think about that for a minute.
How many times have you said,
Who am I to discuss these things?
Truth doesn't end the relationship here.
It actually deepens it.
God's knowing of you fully is never weaponized.
Just sit with that for a moment.
God's knowing of you is never weaponized.
Many of us have experienced knowing that was weaponized.
Moments where someone used our vulnerability against us.
Times when being seen led to exposure.
Exposure without tenderness.
And so it's not surprising that we go through a lot of our lives guarding ourselves.
So gently now consider,
What parts of your story do you keep guarded?
Is it a failure?
A relationship?
A regret?
Some ongoing struggle?
Are there times when you've mistaken being known for being judged?
In the wilderness,
And John's gospel carries wilderness undertones here,
Nothing is hidden.
The sun's high,
There's no walls,
And yet nothing is rejected.
The wilderness never flinches at what it reveals,
But it simply holds what is.
And this is the atmosphere of Jesus' encounter with this woman.
He stands there with her and simply holds what is.
He doesn't reduce her to her history,
But he meets her in that history.
And then he speaks of worship.
Not tied to this mountain or that one,
But in spirit and in truth.
Hear that?
Spirit and truth.
Performance?
No.
Reputation?
No.
Managed spirituality?
No.
But truth.
This is courage that's forming here.
The courage to be known in our fullness,
In our truth.
And still God receiving our worship in all that,
Despite all that.
This is the courage to be known.
It's not about oversharing or forcing vulnerability,
But allowing God to see what God already sees,
But without pulling back.
Maybe right now you can imagine placing one guarded part of your story in God's presence.
Not to get it fixed or not to get it justified,
But just to let it be seen.
Notice what rises in you.
Is it tension?
Relief?
Maybe fear?
Be gentle with yourself here,
But ask yourself this question.
What if God meets you precisely where you are most revealed?
What if the place you thought would create distance is the very place where intimacy deepens?
The Samaritan woman isn't dismissed.
She's entrusted with revelation.
Jesus says to her,
I am he.
She's dignified.
Her capacity for understanding is honored.
Being known doesn't shrink her,
But it strengthens her.
And I encourage you today,
Let yourself receive that.
God's not in the surveillance business.
He's in the communion business.
God's not about evaluation and ticking checkboxes.
God is about presence.
There's no analysis here.
Only a meeting.
So take a slow,
Deep breath.
And if there's any part of you that still hesitates,
That's okay.
Courage grows gradually.
You don't have to unveil everything at once.
Just a little more honesty.
Just a little less hiding.
Just enough to discover that you will still be met.
That you are still met.
I invite you to rest in that just for a few quiet moments.
And so as we close,
Hear this gently.
Nothing in your story surprises God.
Nothing in your story disqualifies you from encounter.
You are known and you are still met.
Stay with that truth today.
Safe,
Strong,
And dignified.
And may grace,
Peace,
And love go with you in your journey.
And remain with you today and every day.
Amen.
Until tomorrow.
Bye for now.
