I've been rather remise in posting sermons synopses lately. And considering that we've been having mid-week Lenten services, I've missed the opportunity twice a week for a while!
Christ being the Light of the World was enhanced by the cloud cover we experienced this morning and the short, furious snowfall that occured right before our divine service began.
Today's sermon focused on the Gospel reading from John 9:1-41 where we learn about blindness in various forms - actual and spiritual. Pastor likened the blind man's experiences to "A Day in the Life of..." He reminded us of the coffee table book that came out in 1986 where over 200 photographers all took pictures on the same day in various parts of America. Since there there have been many other books in that series.
So the blind man's first snapshot is where Jesus has placed mud upon his eyes and tells him to wash in the Siloam. The second snapshot is where neighbors are questioning the man and not believing that it was really him who used to sit and beg and was blind. The third snapshot is of the Pharisees as they declare that Jesus could not be a man of God as He doesn't keep the Sabbath. They surely must have ignored those promises of sight and hearing from the Lord in Exodus 4, Psalm 146 and Isaiah 35. The fourth snapshot is of the parents of the blind man, who won't quite go as far as saying that their son's sight has been restored by Jesus Christ out of fear of being expelled from the synagogue. The final snapshot is of the formerly blind man before the Pharisees again, asking if they would be Jesus' disciples too. How impertinent they must have thought him to be as they cast him out of the synagogue!
The Pharisees are blind to their own sin and knew that only God could restore sight. They abide in darkness that only the Son of God can enlighten. We are often blind to our own sins as well.
At the end Pastor reminded us to live in the light of His love and forgiveness and to share it with those around us.
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