Let Me See Again

 This is the title of the sermon that I preached in Zanesville on Sunday.  It was based on the story of the healing of Bartimaeus.  The premise of the sermon was the Jesus wrote alot about the importance of blindness and spiritual sight.  The disciples, the crowd and certainly the pharisees were often spiritually blind - seeing only what they wanted to see and often from a lens of certitude.  

I spoke about our need to see the blind beggar in our midst, the blind beggar that might be us at times and to see (trust) God's hidden work of love, healing and peace making in the world.  It was well received and all those thoughts are part of my core values.  What is harder to preach and to "see" are our blind spots. 

In our last "Godcast" Wednesday, we will be listening to Brian McClaren's "Learning to See" which explores the biases that we all have.  Maybe that might help us to understand and accept each other's very divergent views on vaccines, wearing masks, January 6, Trump etc.  What I know to be true is that our blind spots are not seen by us.  Often we can only glimpse them through being open to other's words or writings (or podcasts!)

Often I have these moments of realizing that I live in a bubble with like minded people.  My whole family is vaccinated as a matter of course.  We wear masks when necessary and sometimes when not required. It is often when I am on facebook that I encounter people who think differently about this.  The tendency is to fall into my own form of certitude.  They are wrong, they are ignorant, they are on the wrong side of history.  Interestingly, I read some reviews of Brian McClaren's podcast and two comments accused them of being "like minded people" agreeing on the same premise.  How do we get away from our own limited vision?  I struggle.

I continue to pray that God will help me to see whatever it is that I need to see.  And to recognize that even though we are on different "sides" there is still a place of unity and connection.  And common humanity.

Let me see again - I pray.  Let me see what you would have me see today

May God bless you in your BLINDNESS

When it is impossible to see in spirt of all your looking, may God bless you with the ability to enVision a better world and to visualize a healed creation.

May you be given the gift of prophesy as you share your vision with all who surround you.

May you help others to see by your touch of compassion and your word of encouragement.

May the God of VISION HELP YOU 

- Maxine Shonk