3/22/2020 "Can You See Me Now?"
Sight to the Blind and Judgement to the Blinded
During the days the cell phone was becoming increasingly popular, networks were jockeying back and forth over who could provide better coverage. That prompted a now famous advertising campaign by Verizon, "Can you hear me now?"
We rely on our senses to experience God's created world. Without them, our ability to smell the roses, to hear the birds sing, to see the sun set would all be lost. That's what happened to a man in today's lesson. He was born blind. The disciples asked Jesus a curious question, "Who sinned? The blind man or his parents?"
It's easy for those who have to be critical of those who don't have. The disciples had their eyesight; they assumed that the reason the blind man couldn't see was someone's fault. Jesus, though, points the disciples to an alternative truth: "this happened so that the work of God could be displayed in his life." And then Jesus gave him his eyesight back.
Many in the world have eyes that work just fine, but are steeped in a spiritual fog that blinds them to Jesus' work. They're dismissive of God. They're skeptical of his involvement in our lives, and they resent the notion that he's guiding the direction of the world. The Pharisees were examples. They refused to see that Jesus performed a miracle! They were lost. Spiritually, they were blind.
For a time, so was the blind man - until Jesus follow up with him and asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man? He's the one speaking with you." Jesus might as well have said, "Can you see me now?" The man said, "Lord, I believe."
I see your amazing grace, too, Lord. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.
God bless your worship.
First reading: Isaiah 42:14-21, God will not forsake his people
Second reading: Ephesians 5:8-14, Live as children of the light
Sermon text: John 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39 Sermon theme: Can You See Me Now?
Livestream Watch live on Sunday, March 22 at 10:45am. Or watch the recorded video anytime after.
(Please be patient as this is our first attempt at livestreaming. Youtube bandwidth may become overtaxed on Sunday morning or other technical difficulties may arise. If this happens, we will still record an unattended service on Sunday morning at 10:45am and post it to our YouTube channel later that day for prerecorded viewing. Thank you.)