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The Holy Spirit had me hear the words from the Prophet Isaiah in shaping this morning’s message, he says: “18Listen, you that are deaf; and you that are blind, look up and see! 19Who is blind but my servant, or deaf like my messenger whom I send? Who is blind like my dedicated one, or blind like the servant of the Lord? 20He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear.”
I
thought about these words this past week spinning out of a conversation with a
colleague about the idea of service, being serving one another; how it is seen
or interpreted today in the 21st century? What has become a priority,
sadly, is not only not God’s priority, in how we should treat one another but
is devoid of all gracious fruits in favor of what is seemingly logical,
practical and financially sound. What about compassion, hospitality and
kindness I ask?
Are we
becoming so wound up in our rules, regulations and agendas that we don’t even
go there any more to be “lights” in the world?
As I was remembering the beautiful sunset this past weekend across the
Las Vegas landscape, I wondered and prayed even further—have we let the Son go
down into the darkness of our hearts to truly change? Or are we in essence
claiming to see the light of many things but are truly spiritually blind to the
beauty that is the Gospel and its call upon us?
So many
questions this season of Lent leaves that first church, the heart, to
ponder. Lest we forget though, Lent is
that spiritual time of introspective “house cleaning.” Last week we saw and heard about the living
water and the well of the soul accepting and converting through the wonderful
testimony of the Samaritan woman at the well.
With this week’s Gospel, we see Christ actively healing a man who was
not only born blind but was to a certain extent, spiritually blind. The Pharisees and their entourage however,
are completely blind to the spiritual truth of loving God and neighbor and are
immersed within their own justification for their darkness and distortion of
the purpose of the law. They are compassionless,
hostile, self-righteous and curved inward towards their own blind agenda. I
would simplify this further in saying that they exampled graceless behavior.
Those
are a lot of loaded words but we are, at times, on our journey, guilty of this
attitude towards our neighbors ourselves. Graceless behavior is fueled first
and foremost by the Old Nature, the ego—remember our fascination with the world
revolving around ourselves? The Amazing Grace of God is seen throughout our
lives when we find ourselves at that same spiritual pool alongside the blind
man washing away not only our sin, but washing away the past to build upon a
brand new future! Let me tell you, there’s
been a lot of that going on. Speaking for my husband and I, instead of washing,
it has been packing away the past and preparing the pathway into the future to
come and answer God’s will—to love and serve my neighbor in what has become
titled in jest as “Sin City,” or best known as Las Vegas.
That’s
probably a really unfair title for a city in America, why was it even given
such a jab? Is it because of their past,
the gambling, etcetera? What about their
future? Truth be told, my favorite depiction of Jesus in action is from the
classic 382 minute movie, ‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ from 1977. Today’s Gospel has Jesus look with loving
compassion and understanding upon this poor blind man who was pan-handling
outside of the temple. Through His most
loving and gracious heart, Jesus thought about the blind man’s future and
wanted him to truly know what it means to SEE.
“Seeing”
things through, is that spiritual aerobic or internal surgery God is calling our
hearts to be faithful to. God is calling
us to live into our promise to Him to become children of light. Seeing things… however, the way God needs for
us to, requires us to wake up! We have
to wake up to the reality of sin, death and evil, more than alive and well practiced,
all around us… How do we remain
faithful? Especially to the future yet to be realized—something “unseen,” and
for the most part, “unknown?”
The
Gospel writer John doesn’t really say what happens to the former blind man
after Jesus heals him. I bet a part of you would love to see the story continue
to hear exactly what happened but that, right there, reveals our constant, “want
to see” attitude without harboring or holding enough faith and hope in the
details we can’t see or truly know. The
other day on social media I ran across a very old acquaintance from my art and
poetry days. He was still pretty much
the same as he’s always been. After about 15 one liners jabbing at everything
and anything I mentioned in regards to what I have been doing within a New life
immersed in ministry… I think he gave up and finally began to share where his
life had been going.
Sam
used to write tarot readings and a sarcastic column for an art magazine back in
the early 90’s. He’s retired now but
still fairly immersed in art, astrology, agnosticism, alimony and absinthe… Yes, you heard that last word correctly,
absinthe. He and his girlfriend live in
the northern most point of Minnesota just about within waving distance from Canada. Not too much to do there, he claims, except
for getting a “ride” from absinthe and painting life-size tarot card depictions…
It was a sad story to hear, not just his dangerous problem with addiction, but
that I felt I was talking with someone who is still stuck back in the “BoHo”
Chicago of 1990’s—nothing has changed.
Nothing
has changed, and his vision of the world has even become more clouded and murky
due to his choices. I could have ended the conversation a lot earlier, sensing
the hostility and misunderstanding he held against how much my life has changed
by finding the Lord, but I couldn’t and I didn’t. He needed someone to talk to, and perhaps
share something that was more or less, a cry for help. The Pharisees in today’s Gospel completely avoided
the poor and suffering souls outside of their own temple doors! They were so wound up in their
self-righteousness and indifference, they really couldn’t see these people at
all. They only “saw” them when Jesus had
the audacity to show compassion upon them and break their Sabbath day “rules…”
What I
had said in last week’s message should echo here as our Lenten challenge and
truth. This challenge and truth is that
life is unpredictable (gotta have faith to carry on), but it is not unchangeable.
We have that light within us given as the reality, gift of Grace—we are called
to let it shine! Let it shine by believing
not only in God, but believe in yourself.
Believe in yourself that God has truly given you New Life to tape into,
and that His love is the new law and guide for our unpredictable,
ever-transforming journey. Again, the Lenten season is so much about
fine-tuning spiritually what faith is, does and becomes for a world struggling
within a darkened wilderness. Winter is nearly over, get out there (spiritually
that is) and get to work!
Sleeper
Awake! Give heed to the cries of your neighbor and love them, bring them the
gift of peace that your heart can shine upon them through Christ. Wherever you are on the road of your
spiritual formation as a disciple of Jesus… wash away the past by learning from
it and moving forward. Shake off the
dust, rise up from the past and MOVE into a new future! In regards to myself, I’m hearing that in my
heart—the Living Word is speaking to me about a brand new life quite literally
as well as spiritually. For 48 years I’ve
lived in Chicago and I’ve packed away just as much. Thirteen years earlier, my life at that time
completely changed upon my finding Christ.
Christ gave my life a whole new purpose and direction—He opened my blind
eyes to truly SEE. I laid down my paints
and brushes and took up my cross to follow, love, trust and serve Christ Jesus and
my neighbor with the gracious fruits of my live lived to His Gospel.
The
Pharisees couldn’t stand Jesus’ freedom and preaching, teaching, living change…
much like the man I talked about couldn’t or didn’t want to understand how
someone else could change so much.
Welcome to being “human,” this isn’t an excuse, but think for a moment—Christ
became fully human and was fully divine to take everything that was darkness,
death and evil to that Cross. He took
all of our blindness, deafness, and inaction nailing it to that cross only to
destroy it and pour upon us, amazing Grace—how sweet the sound of those living
waters, saving many a wretch like me!
The fact is Christ continues to save us, strengthen us daily—this is our
hanging onto the unpredictable roller-coaster of life. Faith is our bond—that tiny
mustard seed of the New Nature pleading for us to come and see. Come and see the King, Come and follow—share the
Gospel within a weary, hurting world.
Serve your neighbor—love, peace and mercy—through Christ who shines
eternal.
Let us
Pray,
Gracious
and loving Lord Jesus—
We are
Your children needing to shine
Help to
open the eyes of our hearts to truly see and know
What
must be done for Your Gospel’s mission in the world
Let us
each embark upon that unpredictable highway
Towards
building a New foundation, New Future
Where
the Son is always shining
Through
our hearts, hands, feet and voices
Love,
is not a difficult task, but requires faith and diligence
Help
our weakened spirits become strong.
In Your
most precious Name, we take refuge and we have New Life!
AMEN
March 26th, 2017; Fourth Sunday in
Lent; Year A; SOLA Lectionary
Sermon By: Reverend Nicole A.M.
Collins
Psalm 142; Isaiah 42:14-21;
Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41
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