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LENT 4
YEAR A 1 SAMUEL 16:1-13 EPHESIANS 5:8-14 JOHN 9:1-41 MARCH1, 2, 2008 John 9:15 Then the Pharisees also began to
ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my
eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” One of the projects I worked on during my chaplain residency
was to write my personal theology. It was a self assigned project designed
to help me know what I believe. My personal theology comes after years of
study and living through life experiences. It was important for me to
write my theology on paper or in this instance on the computer. I needed
to be able to see it and read it and know that this is what I believe. I
would like to share a part of my personal theology with you. It was
written while I was doing hospital
chaplaincy. My personal
theology: In Matthew 25 Jesus says that if we have done it (cared for
those in need) for the least of these we have done it unto him. For me
Jesus is talking about caring for many that have a limited capacity to
tend to their own needs. As a caregiver or companion I am entrusted with
the care of many that did not ask to be or choose to be in need to a
caregiver. God calls me to share spiritual blessings and to give of
myself, as I am able. God did not call me to share Lutheran, Methodist,
Roman Catholic, Judaism, Islam or any other organized religion. God called
me to give of myself. I not only walk with patients and their families but
I also walk with God as I minister to those God places in my life. Doing
this for the least of these is to reach out sharing the talents and gifts
God gives me but also sharing love and companionship with them. Many are
forgotten by family and appreciate a kind smile or a genuine conversation.
Others will forget who I am or that I have been visiting with them. As a
caregiver I do not consider whether they will remember I have been with
them. It is more important that I have been there for them for a short
while allowing them to have a listening ear, a strong elbow to cling to or
a warm and tender conversation to enjoy. Companionship is about caring and
sharing God’s love and human
understanding. As I share this with you I am reminded that God has restored my
sight and set me free. God has allowed me not only to share the stories of
my life with you but, more importantly, to also share the Gospel story. My
personal theology is a work in process. As the story of my life continues
my personal believe must also continue to evolve. As God adds to my story
I must tell the stories of God’s healing and God’s love. The story written
in the book we call Bible is to be told over and over again. It is to be
told and heard over and over again. As we hear the story we have an
increased ability to see. As we hear and tell God’s story we also have a
larger part to play in that story. John 9:24-27 So for the
second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him,
“Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do
not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was
blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he
open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would
not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become
his disciples?” The Pharisees were not pleased that this man received his
sight. They were not even sure this man had previously been blind. They
were more concerned with the ritual of the Sabbath than someone being
blessed with sight. They ask the previously blind man about receiving his
sight. The man continues to tell the story of healing. The man tells his
story over and over again but the blind man doesn't seem to convert
anyone. As he tells the story people are listening but they continue to
wonder how this can be. He tells the story and the Pharisees get somewhat
angry. Yet he continues to tell what Jesus has done for him. Through the
telling he learns much about his faith. He learns through his own witness
to the doubting Pharisees. There is a similar progression toward faith as
the Samaritan woman from last week. When he first talks to the Pharisees,
he says that "a man named Jesus" healed him. Later he calls Jesus a
prophet. Finally the blind man realizes that Jesus cannot be a sinner and
that he has come from God. A theme throughout the Gospel of John is,
“where is Jesus from?” Those we regard as “the faithful” recognized that
he has come from God. When the man has been cast out of the synagogue
Jesus finds him. Jesus helps him take another step toward faith by helping
him understand and confess that Jesus is the Son of Man. When the man sees
that Jesus is the Messiah the man worships
him. It is so important to share your stories of faith. Others may
not appreciate your story of faith. They may get angry because your story
is not the same as their story. Others may even put you down because your
story is more charismatic than theirs or less dramatic. It is the story of
your relationship with God. It is yours to tell. Jesus touched your life
in an important way. It is unique to you. You must tell the story. God may
have blessed you with miraculous healing. God may have put your family
back together when you thought it was all lost. It is your story but you
must tell it. You must tell it over and over and over not because others
have a need to hear but you have a need to
tell. John 9:27 He answered them, “I have told you
already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do
you also want to become his disciples?” The man who had been blind extends an invitation: "Do you want
to become his disciples?" The
Pharisees did not receive the invitation very well. Their response was
anything but polite. What does this say about you and me in the church? We
tell the story but we also extend the invitation for others to join us. If
the church is going to grow we must share the invitation with others,
those we consider to be outsiders. What do we say? How do we ask? It is
actually a simple question. The man previously blind asked it. Do you want
to become disciple of Jesus? He was thrown out of the synagogue. You too
must be willing to face the possible rejection that can come from that
invitation. Last week we heard about the Samaritan woman. Jesus offered her
living water. After the woman
asks for that living water, Jesus tells her to go and invite and bring
someone to him. Could witnessing and inviting and bringing people to Jesus
be the way we receive living water? In that lesson last week we heard the
contrast between water in a pool and living water. If we are keeping the
story to ourselves it is not living water. Living water has to be moving
and flowing. It flows from us to other
people. Maybe we've taken the wrong approach to evangelism. We need to
evangelize, but not just for the sake of those others who need to hear the
Gospel, but so that our own faith may grow and flourish. This is
especially true when working with those that are doubting, questioning
that the things we believe. This is sometimes in the group where I least
want to share my thoughts and ideas and faith. We might have difficulty
sharing the story of faith but when we tell the story we are the ones who
are probably most changed. When I am talking with those that question my
faith and my story I am forced to have a better understanding of what I
believe and how I might more clearly communicate it with
others. The man previously blind didn't have to initiate the
conversations. There was such an obvious transformation from the old to
the new that others noticed and asked, "What happened to you?" "How did it
happen?" "Who did it?" The answers to what and how didn't change much.
What happened and how it happened stayed the same. The blind man’s
understanding of who did it increased greatly and he repeatedly shared his
story. The more he told the story the better he understand who gave him
his sight. Not even the Jewish authorities could stop him from telling.
The threat of being thrown from the church did not stop him from telling
the story of God’s healing. What is your
story of faith? How will you tell it and to whom? Tell it over and over
again. AMEN
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