Sight? - Worship March 22, 2020 Lent 4

Will you pray with me? Oh Lord, May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight you who are our strength and Our Redeemer. I'm in.

light

So some of you know that most of this content. came

from our fearless storage Fearless series the courage the question

Right now I want to ask you. I'm fearless. question

Are we blind? the God's work

do we deny? the work of God

are we blind to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

Or are we striving to see? with the light of Jesus

You know healing stories can be hard. Why are some people healed and others not why do some people seem to suffer so much more than others? Why do some people cry out for healing and feel that they are never? heard

the Jesus finally take that Sabbath on the day we needed him. I asked you what the days of Miracles true Miracles really over. Or are we perhaps just blind? To the Miracles happening all around us has Darkness taken over the Earth or have we just refused to bring the light of Jesus with us? to all

I asked you.

I asked you.

The author Paulo Coelho said you can come become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day brings a miracle. It's just a matter. of pain attention

so again I asked. What miracles can you claim Today, what can we pay attention to? What are we missing out?

This right here.

What are we missing out? Can we claim this is a miracle? What about I can look out this window. I see it right now. I have never seen the mountains. So clear our are so clean.

What about the beauty? Of the birds in the morning.

What about the beauty of going to a grocery store and seeing how people are helping one another? being with one another

What are we not paying attention to? What miracles are we missing out on I can tell you one our children and our grandchildren and our friends and this beautiful day and our love for one another all our Miracles us taking a big deep breath today together are all miracles. You know, what are scripture the parents of the young man? We're so worried about what the neighbors thought of their son following that strange man Jesus that they couldn't even celebrate the miracle around them. Is it was the good church people at the synagogue the Pharisees who were so worried about the rules of the church? What was the proper Sabbath? How was it observed? What was the proper way to do online worship, you know, I can't tell you how many times I have heard that question how many times he would have said we shouldn't do it at all if we can't be in our sanctuary. What was different than the story we read what they were worrying about. Did they sing the right hands in the right way that we say all the proper things and they were so worried about this. Was it done properly?

But they couldn't even see the parents in the Pharisees couldn't even see the miracle of sight before them. Let alone celebrate the very presence of God. among them working miracles right before their eyes

I'm here to tell you right here. right now We are experiencing. a miracle

and a miracle a site we can see one another. Bandwidth continues. I promise you we're going to try to be able to see more of us as it gets stronger. This is a constantly changing landscape were in what we in the worship team had plans on Sunday became different on Monday became different on Tuesday became vastly different with a stay-home order of Thursday night and yet we became more and more intentional more and more resources were brought to bear more and more companies secular companies reached out to churches. Deeply discounted or even offered their services for free for a Time.

We are experiencing miracles of sight. Right here. right now so it's a challenge though. Because often we go inward we go, Inward and we go inward to our fears. the darkest places

Are often the farthest?

reaches of our own mind vines that are so busy looking for just the right Miracle performed in just the right way that we can't even let the light of all the Miracles around us shine in our own lives. Your friend of mine wants told me the mind is a dark and scary neighborhood never travel there alone.

Gratefully, we don't have to travel there alone. We have Jesus and each one of us has the Jesus in us to share with our neighbors and our friends so that God gave us each other. Turn on the light of Jesus and let his light give you true sight true mind. site a scripture says Jesus said to them if you were blind, you would not have send. but now that you say we see your sin remains or as it says in the message. Jesus then said I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day making all the distinctions clear so that those who have never seen will see and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind. Some Pharisees overheard him instead. Does that mean you're calling us blind? Jesus said if you were really blind you would be blameless. But since you claim to see everything so well. You are accountable for every fault and failure.

One of my favorite books of all times is one by father Greg Boyle who doesn't ministry right in Boyle Heights in in East, LA. Homeboy Industries since the ministry He wrote a book called tattoos on the heart. I encourage you all to read it. But I want to read to you. One of the most profound passages that book. Father Greg is talking to Pedro. We just become sober. And 30 days into his sobriety. He loses his brother to suicide. It's an unusual thing in the Barrio. You see gangsters usually commit suicide by g*********** letting someone else do the work. Pedro's brother decides to just end his pain all at once and do it for himself. Father Greg is driving Pedro back to his rehab after attending his brother's funeral. father Greg Reitz Emily Dickinson writes hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul that sings the song without words and never stops at all. The great continues. I come to trust the value of Simply showing up and singing. the songs without the words And yet each time I find myself sitting with the pain that folks carry. I'm overwhelmed with my own inability to do much more than standing all. dumbstruck by the sheer size of the burden more than I've ever been asked to carry. Pedro Is out front waiting for me and we agreed we greet each other with a Brazos and a minimum of words. We hop in the car and he worried I have about what to say gets punctured by Pedro's insistent to tell me about a dream he had the night before. It's a trip G. I had this dream last night and you were in it. I'm in this dream. Pedro and I are in this large empty room. Just the two of us. There are no lights. No illuminated exit signs no light creeping in from under the doors. There are no windows. There is no light. He seems to know that I am there with him. Aesthetics really though we do not speak. Suddenly in this dark silence. I retrieve a flashlight from my pocket and I push it on and I find the light switch in the room on the wall. And I shine this narrow beam of light on the switch. I don't speak. I just hold the beans said he's his father Greg unwavering. Pedro says that even though no words were exchanged. He knows. He is the only one who can turn this light switch on. Thanks me for happening to have a flashlight. He makes his way to the switch following the beam with I suppose some trepidation. He arrives at the switch takes a deep breath and flips it on. The room is flooded with light. Is now sobbing at this point in the telling of the dream and with a voice of astonishing Discovery, he says and the light is better than the darkness. If you did not previously know this to be the case, he's weeping unable to continue then he says I guess my brother. Just never found. the light switch

possessing flashlights and occasionally knowing where to aim them has to be enough for us. Fortunately. None of us can save anybody. We all find ourselves in this dark windowless room fumbling for grace and flashlights. You ain't the light this time and I'll do the next. the slow work of God and you hope and you wait. for the light this astonishing

light

I love that book. I encourage you to read it may be during this time of solitude because these are trying times Belmont Heights United Methodist Church and all those who have joined us today. Dark days is what summer calling them? I talked to my brother yesterday and he said The Times They Are A-Changin.

You know in this scripture. We called Jesus the light of the world and he said as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world, but do you know what Jesus called us? Jesus called?

the light of the world What is it that we are refusing to see that keeps us in the dark? Are we spending so much time right now trying to listen to The Talking Heads and figure out who send and what went wrong that we are blinded to what we can do and act and a B for one another right now. Even as we are distant. and apart are you waiting? for the light

what? are you blind to where are you stumbling in the Darkness? Did anyone bring a flashlight? Can you eat it for me? Can you let me ain't it for you? Are you ready for the miracle? estate Can you step into it follow the flashlight provide a flashlight? Can you turn on the switch and claim it for yourself?

Can we pray? The Jesus open our eyes right now. the eyes of our souls the eyes a miracle

Are you willing? the game

your site

Are we ready? the Shine the Light one with another to Open the Eyes of our heart

to experience a miracle

I'm in.