Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - "One Great Hour of Sharing"/Fourth Sunday in Lent - 03/30/14 Sermon - “I was blind, now I see"

Sunday 03/30/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “I was blind, now I see”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 23

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Ephesians 5:8-14

Gospel Lesson: John 9:1-41

                            

          Brothers and sisters, welcome again on this Sunday, which is both our “One Great Hour of Sharing” Sunday, and the Fourth Sunday of this Holy Lenten Season.

          We celebrate this “One Great Hour of Sharing” Sunday, and as a part of our tithes and offering collection today. During our tithes and offerings, I invite all of you to make a special offering in addition to your normal offering, for this cause, by designating on your check or some other means that your gift is for the “One Great Hour of Sharing.” In doing this, you will be giving to help fund the United Methodist Committee on Relief or “UMCOR’s” operating expenses. This offering then, is to help UMCOR to pay its bills, to then do all of the work that it does to help suffering people in this country and all around the world. To help people who are in darkness, to see, to see light.

In addition to this, in this Lenten Season we are invited to continue to examine our hearts, our minds, and our souls, as we prepare for the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. In this season, while we can give up something, let us also seek to root out of ourselves all that separates us from God, and all that keeps us from being more holy. Let us also seek to give the love and kindness of Jesus Christ away in this Lenten Season, as he loves us so much, that he is coming soon to die, so that we may live.

In one way of putting it, in this season of Lent let us seek to remove our “blinders.” You see when we have on “blinders” we can hear, we can feel, but we cannot see. Some people, and some people that we might even know are blind. Some people are blind from birth, but others become blind at some point during their lives. Others are blind in their souls. For they are draped in darkness, and the light never shines in their hearts.

In this way, there are people right here in our own community that cannot see. Perhaps they have a guide dog, or a walking cane, so that they can navigate around there homes and the city. For they are blind and without sight. Some people we know are also blind inside, in their souls, they are hurting, they are in darkness, and they need to see light.

I remember when I was attending the State University of New York or SUNY Potsdam, that there was a student there my first year, who was completely blind. I don’t remember her name, but she was completely blind from birth, and was pursuing her bachelor’s degree. She had special accommodations, she had books in braille, books on audio-tape, and people that were hired to help her be able to do her class work. She even had a machine that had braille keys, so that she could type all of her papers.

One Saturday afternoon, she was asked to speak in a meeting area of our dormitory about her experiences as a student and as a person, who was born blind. I remember that she said, that when she would exit the dormitory in the morning, that she would approach another student and ask them what class building that they were heading to. If that person was headed to the building that she needed to go to, she would then ask if she could clasp onto that person and be led to the class building that she needed to go to. You see, like our faith in Jesus, she could in a matter of speaking now see, through the person leading her. We can also see, when Jesus leads us.

This student was a top performing student, and graduated from the college, I believe with high honors. You see while she could not see with her eyes, she was able to see in other ways. She was able to have vision in ways other than her eyes. She taught me that there are many types of blindness, and only one type is in our eyes.

With this in mind, the message I am giving this morning is called “I was blind, now I see.” For in our gospel reading from this morning, Jesus heals a man who had been blind from birth. While some people have physical blindness, there are many that also have spiritual blindness.

In this way, Jesus calls to us this morning, and he tells us that if we put our faith and trust in him, that he will restore us. That a fountain of living water will well up within us, and we will be given sight and light from within.

In the Old Testament reading from this morning, from Psalm 23, it says, that “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” The Psalm then continues, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.” With Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, our souls are restored, and our spirits are awakened. This classic Psalm, also reminds us of the great love and faithfulness of God.

The Apostle Paul in his Epistle or letter to the church in Ephesus or the Ephesians from this morning, spoke of spiritual blindness. For the man in today’s gospel reading was physically blind, but he was also spiritually blind, as well. In this reading though, the Apostle Paul said, “For once you were in darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of the light.” You see brothers and sisters, to be blind, is to be in darkness. For how can we see if we are in darkness?

The Apostle Paul continues on saying, “for the fruit of the Light is found in all that is good and right and true.” Given this, are we blind in anyway here this morning? Are we blinded or in darkness in our own ways, or are we living and seeing the light?

The Apostle Paul then tells us to “Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” He then says, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” The Apostle goes on further, that “everything exposed by the light becomes visible.”

In our gospel reading, from the gospel of John from this morning, we begin with Jesus walking along. The gospel says that, “As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.” The gospel then says that, “His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Then “Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed to him.” Jesus then said, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” The Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

After saying this, Jesus “spat on the ground and made mud with the salvia and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent).” The gospel then tells us, that this man did this, “and came back able to see.”

The people that knew this man for years or his whole life were confused and amazed that he could see. Some wondered if it wasn’t him, but just someone who looked like him. Once the people were convinced that was indeed the man who had been blind from birth, they then wanted to know how it was that he could now see. He told them, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.” He told the people, that he then came back being able to see.

The people still suspicious and perplexed by all of this, took this man before the Jewish Pharisees or priests. The Pharisees questioned the man on what happened. The formerly blind man then told the Pharisees that Jesus the “prophet” did this. The Pharisees not believing that this man was truly blind from birth and could now see, then called the man’s parents before them. The parents told the Pharisees that they did not know how this happened but that it did happen. They then encouraged the Pharisees to further question there son alone as they said, “he is of age.”

The Pharisees then recalled the formerly blind man saying, speaking of Jesus, “We know that this man is a sinner,” and because of this, they wanted the now seeing man to explain to them, how it was that Jesus made him see. The now seeing man then said this, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They then wanted to know again how Jesus made him see. The now seeing man then said, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples?” The Pharisees then answered him, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.” The now seeing man then said of Jesus, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” Angered, the Pharisees then drove the now seeing many out of the synagogue.

Jesus shortly after heard about this whole story with the now seeing man and the Pharisees, and he then found the now seeing man and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man then asked who that is. Jesus then tells him, that he himself is the Son of Man. The now seeing man then said, “Lord, I believe.” He then worshipped Jesus. Jesus then said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those do see may become blind.”   

Some of the Pharisees that were listening nearby then said to Jesus, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Then “Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

          You see brothers and sisters, in this season of Holy Lent, Jesus offers us sight. The sight he offers us though, is the sight of our souls. For if Jesus had made the man from birth physically see, and if that man still did not believe in Jesus, then he was still blind. For while we can see or not see physically, we all can be made to see spiritually.

          In this way, in this season of Lent, Jesus asks us to receive his love, and to receive the spirit of God, so that we can say, “I was blind, now I see.”

I would like to close this message this morning with a poem called, “If Jesus came to your House.” Here is how it goes: “If Jesus came to your house, to spend some time with you, if He came unexpected, I wonder what you’d do. Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room, to such an honored guest, and all the food you’d give to Him, would be the very best. And you would keep assuring Him, you’re glad to have Him there– That serving Him in your home, is joy beyond compare. But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door, with arms outstretched in welcome, to your heavenly visitor? Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in, or hide some magazines, and put the Bible where they’d been, would you hide your worldly music, and put some hymn books out? Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about? And I wonder – if the Savior spent a day or two with you, would you go right on doing, the things you always do? Would you go right on saying, the things you always say? Or would life for you continue as it does from day to day? Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you go? Or would you maybe change your
plans for just a day or so? Would you be glad to have Him meet your closest friends? Or would you hope they stay away, until His visit ends? Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on? Or would you sigh with great
relief when He at last was gone? It might be interesting to know, the things that you would do, If Jesus came in person, to spend some time with you.

You see my brothers and sisters, at the core our faith, and at the core of this Lenten Season, Jesus asks us in love, can I come in to your heart and your soul? He says, I love you so much, that I am going to die for you. Will you let me? When you do, he will give you great light, and you will then see from the inside to the outside. Sometimes we can’t always articulate what Jesus has done for us. Sometime all we are able to say is all I know is, “I was blind, now I see.” Amen.