Spiritual Blindness

Call to worship

The Lord is our light, the light of our salvation.

In God we trust.

Let us come together in worship,

opening our lives to God’s renewing grace.

503 Love divine, all love excelling

A gathering prayer

All seeing God,

you are so far beyond our understanding,

yet you want to meet with us.

You call us into your presence,

as the blind man called out to Jesus

We come to you now, mighty Lord,

gathered expectantly,

ready to worship and learn from you.

May we have eyes open to see you

and hearts willing to be seen by you

Amen.

A prayer of adoration

This morning we will be reading about Bartimaeus so can I

Invite people to spend a few moments with eyes closed, imagining how Bartimaeus might have felt being seen but not seeing. Then invite them to imagine the joy he felt when he was healed.

Pause and light one or more candles after each sentence.

God of the vulnerable: we adore you.

God of the disabled: we adore you.

God of the heartbroken: we adore you.

God of the faithful: we adore you.

God of healing: we adore you.

God of hope: we adore you.

God of joy: we adore you.

God of all time: we adore you.

Amen.

A prayer of confession and an assurance of forgiveness

A prayer of confession

Lord, we ask you to forgive us for the times we don’t hear Jesus calling us.

Son of David, have mercy on us.

The blind man was direct in his request: forgive us for the times we go all round the houses, and times we just can’t ‘see’ what is right in front of us.

Son of David, have mercy on us.

The blind man who needed good friends: forgive us when we don’t accept help from friends, and when we aren’t good friends to each other.

Son of David, have mercy on us.

Forgive us for ignoring people who really need our attention, and for not seeing that we can help through you – and you can help through us.

Son of David, have mercy on us.

Forgive us when our faith is small, and we don’t believe that Faith can heal us.

Son of David, have mercy on us.

Amen.

Assurance of forgiveness

Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted from him.

Now he asks us what we want.

We have confessed our sins,

and now we want the assurance that God grants us pardon.

(Keep a time of silence)

Jesus says, ‘Go; your faith has healed you.

’And we say, ‘Amen’.

Offering to God

440 Amazing Grace how sweet the sound

Readings:

Hebrews 7: 23-28

Mark 10: 46-52

495 Dear Lord and Father of mankind

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Sermon

In Hebrews 7:23–24 Paul highlighting the permanence of Jesus’ priesthood, in comparison to the transitory nature of Israel’s priesthood. Because of the reality of death, Levitical priests would need to hand over their role repeatedly. and unlike the situation of priests serving in continual succession, Jesus serves as priest forever in virtue of his resurrection and immortality.

We have the constancy of an eternal Priest to lead and guide us each and every day, we can meet him in prayer and in reading the words he left for us, and in reading the Holy Spirit brings out our understanding.

MARK

Have you ever seen puzzles where you need to identify, and object taken from an unusual angle or zoomed in so much it is almost unrecognisable?

It is not until you zoom out does the object become clear and reconisable.

As we all grow older our eyesight does deteriorate, and unfortunately some of us may even lose our sight altogether. Not long ago I didn’t need glasses to read, now I struggle with small text even with glasses.

This morning’s reading is about the healing of a blind man named Bartimaeus we are not told if he was born blind or became blind.

It is interesting that this is the final healing miracle Jesus performs which appears in the synoptic Gospels.

We join Jesus as was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large group when Bartimaeus who was sitting by the roadside. hears that Jesus is passing by and cries out “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me”

That he called Jesus “Son of David” is evidence that he believes Jesus is the promised Messiah.

And although people tell him to be quiet, Bartimaeus shows persistence and redoubles his efforts to be heard by Jesus.

The crowd following Jesus were stopped by this cry from the roadside. Bartimaeus – a man seen as an outsider, deemed by the crowd he was not valuable enough for the attention of Jesus – but he sees what others didn’t or couldn’t even though he was blind.

He recognised who Jesus was and the hope that could be found in him. Bartimaeus had heard about Jesus, and now he called out to him with complete faith that the teacher could and would heal him.

In verse 50 Bartimaeus a blind beggar throws off his cloak. There is no guarantee of getting it back, it is a sign of abandonment, total commitment, and belief in Jesus.

At that moment all Bartimaeus can think about is getting to Jesus. It is all that matters because he believes Jesus can help him. As we Come to Christ in faith, we need to consider this about ourselves we must have a keen sense of need, this is crucial abandoning oneself completely before Jesus laying bear all we have and all we are.

But as we look at the healings Jesus performed there was more to it than the healing itself.

Firstly, leading up to this healing Jesus had spoken about what lay ahead for him in Jerusalem, so you can imagine that the disciples would have been feeling somewhat discouraged, Jesus had spoken to them several times, teaching on the subject of the demise of Christ.

Here, by doing another healing Jesus gives their flagging faith a final token of who he really is. That he is the Son of God, and his words can be trusted.

Secondly, the disciples are blind spiritually, and once again Jesus heals a blind man in the context of their spiritual blindness (8:22–26).

In verse 51 Jesus asks Bartimaeus the same thing he asked James and John in the previous paragraph verse 36.

“What do you want me to do for you”

The contrast is the Bartimaeus want to see, to have his eyes opened.

But James and John’s request shows their blindness to the situation when they ask “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory”

They still didn’t see the bigger picture, although we cannot judge them when we don’t know how we would have behaved in that situation.

What we see is that Jesus heals Bartimaeus and tells him that his faith is what made the difference. the disciples need the faith of Bartimaeus to heal their spiritual blindness.

There is hope for the disciples as well as for any of us today who like when looking at a zoomed in picture I spoke of earlier, that we don’t see the bigger picture, this will only become clear as we grow in our knowledge and faith, when we meet the risen Jesus through his word.

PICTURES

What do you see – what is it?

Can you think of a time when faith has helped you to see something differently?

What does it feel like to see things clearly, and to be seen?

As we draw back to Mark’s gospel even though people told him to be quiet, Bartimaeus shows persistence and redoubles his efforts to be heard by Jesus.

Jesus asks the question.

“What do you want me to do for you”

So that is the question we are each asked.

Will we ask as John and James did, self-promoting want the best place?

Our do we come as Bartimaeus humble asking to have our eyes spiritually opened.

83 Praise my soul, the king of heaven

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Prayer of thanksgiving and intersession

We thank you, Lord,

that you are a God of action – and interaction.

You see and want to be seen by us.

We thank you for the amazing sights you have for us,

if we are prepared to call on you.

We thank you that you are a God of healing,

and whichever way you choose to act is always best.

We thank you, Lord.

Amen.

God, we pray for all those sitting in darkness,

those who feel that they have little to offer,

those who cannot see light – not even a pinprick of light –

in the night that they currently endure.

We ask for the candle in their hearts to be relit,

and for those around them to be inspired to help them,

to intervene and intercede on their behalf.

Have mercy on us, O God,

have mercy on your world.

We pray for those who are unsure of the way ahead,

who struggle to discern the right thing to do.

Give them insight and wisdom,

that they may perceive the right course of action

and understand what is needed.

Have mercy on us, O God,

have mercy on your world.

We pray for those who have been hindered

by unhelpful or untrue expectations,

asking that you would untangle the muddle

that they find themselves in,

and allowing them to see your truth and grace.

Have mercy on us, O God,

have mercy on your world.

We ask in the name of the living Christ.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from all evil

For yours is the Kingdom

The power

The Glory

Forever and ever AMEN

Offertory Prayer

186 Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord

Noel Richards (1955)

Sending out and blessing

Lord, may we look out into your world

with your eyes, listen with your ears,

and speak and love in your name.

May we speak and love in your name.

Thanks be to God.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face towards you. and give you peace;

and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.