Sun. May 26, 2013 (Jenna Veenbaas)

The worship service at the Church Retreat at Camp Luther was enlivened by the reappearance of Jenna Veenbaas acting out the story of the woman caught in adultery from John 8:1-11. The worship service contrasted this story with the apocryphal story from Daniel 13 about the woman of Judah, Susanna who was falsely accused of adultery and condemned to death. The timely inspiration of God in the words of the young man Daniel redeemed both the life of Susanna and the honour of the community which had condemned her on false testimony. This ultimately unsatisfying story was redeemed by the vivid dramatization of the unnamed woman in John’s story, who battled loneliness and powerlessness, and when caught up in the vicissitudes of sexuality in the ancient Near East, found nothing and no-one to rely on but a mysterious stranger who refused to condemn her. “Neither do I condemn you” he said. Shall we all go forth and sin no more. [AP]

NOTE: no audio recording is available.