Week Commencing Sunday May 16th 2021

Week Commencing Sunday 16^th May 2021.

Call to Worship

“In Him was life; and the life was the light of men” John 1:4

Last Sunday and today we look at the Lord’s healing of a man born blind.

Opening Hymn (Guitar & violin)

Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

So here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days
O, so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you came to the earth You created
All for love's sake became poor

So here I am to worship…
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
And I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross    (x2)

So here I am to worship…(x2)

Tim Hughes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_KNvkk2G-Y

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, with you there is no darkness. Your character has no shadows, and you are pure and good. Yet in our broken world, we see so much darkness around us. Pain, sickness, and disease are in our community and in many of our homes.

Bring your light and restoring presence to the dark places in our lives. Bring your hope to hearts that feel defeated. Bring your love and compassion to those in pain.

Give us faith to say with the psalmist, “Lord, you light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.” May your light of hope shine in the darkness for families today. Show us glimpses of your presence with us and the comfort you bring.

In the busyness of today, help us to take a moment to be still and sit with you. To slow down, breathe deeply, and release our burdens to your strong hand. You are trustworthy, good, and true, and we thank you for caring for us so deeply and beautifully. Open our eyes to see you at work today. Give us your light.

In the name of Jesus Christ the Light of the World we ask these things, Amen. (St Francis).

Reading. Mark 8: 22-268²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying “Don’t even go into the village.” (Mark 8:22-26)

Prayer

God, our Father, hear our prayer
and let the radiance of your love
scatter the gloom of our hearts.
The light of heaven's love has restored us to life -
free us from the desires that belong to darkness.

Lord Jesus, free us from a fear of the dark night of death.
Let the light of resurrection dawn within our hearts
to bring us to the hope and radiance of eternal life.

Through your atoning sacrifice for our sakes.

We thank you that if we confess our sins

You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins

And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

All powerful and ever-living God
splendour of true light, and never ending day,
let the radiance of your promised coming
make us ready, so lead us into the light of

Your revealed truth from the Scriptures.
Merciful and compassionate Father God,
shine with the light of your radiance
on a people who live in the shadow of death.
Let the dawn from on high break upon us in
Your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
Lrd, as daylight fills the sky,
fill us with your holy light.
May our lives mirror our love for you
whose wisdom has brought us into being,
and whose care guides us on our way.
 

God our Saviour, help us to follow the light
and live the truth.
In you, we have been born again
as sons and daughters of light.
May we be your witnesses before all the world.

Lord, true light and source of all light
listen to our morning prayer.
Turn our thoughts to what is holy
and may we ever live in the light of your love.

Heavenly Father, fill us with zeal for your house
that we may be radiant lights in Your Church.
May we walk always as children of the light.
We ask all these things through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Hymn (Recording. From the album “You Shine” Brian Doerksen)

Why should I fear man
When You made the heavens?
Why should I be afraid
When You put the stars in place?
Why should I lose heart
When I know how great you are?
Why should I give up
When Your plans are full of love?

In this world we will have trouble
But You have overcome the world!
 

You Shine
Brighter than the brightest star!
Your Love
Purer than the purest heart!
You Shine
Filling us with courage and strength
To follow You!

Why should I fear man
When You made the heavens?
Why should I be afraid
When You put the stars in place?
Why should I lose heart
When I know how great You are?
Why should I give up
When Your plans are full of love?

You Shine…

In this world we will have trouble
But You have overcome the world!
You have overcome the world...!

You Shine…x2

You- Shine-, (Oh Lord! Oh Lord give us courage
Give us courage and strength, to follow you!)
You- Shine-! (To the ends of the earth! Oh Lord! Oh Lord!
We're going to follow, we're going to follow You!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp3N-nrh7cg

Sermon. “Seeing and Understanding”. Part Two.

Last Sunday we saw how Jesus used his spittle to heal the man born blind. We thought about how this action speaks of His being the Creator described in the Book of Genesis. God is the source of life. He is the life giver. Only He can take what is material and inanimate and give it life. This cannot be accomplished through natural means alone.  Jesus’ actions in using spittle could not in themselves affect such change naturally, but they point to His identity as the Creator of all life. He miraculously renews and restores this man’s eyes.

Jesus actions also gave the man hope and we saw previously that only Jesus can give us hope. Our hope is not subject to other people. ‘Ask me’ the Lord says, ‘and I will restore your hope.’

Let’s look again at the man’s healing.

What is unique about this man’s healing is that it’s in 2 steps- not instantaneous. Jesus first touch gives the man sight, but it is blurred sight- people look like trees walking. The second touch indicates a climax in seeing, literally the man “looked up, opened his eyes and had a clear view of everything”

What are we to make of the significance of this 2 stage healing?

I think the best way of understanding this healing is to see it as a visual lesson, a metaphor paralleling the disciples’ understanding about Jesus.

Up to this point the disciples have not fully understood about Jesus. They have seen some wonderful miracles, heard his wisdom, but they do not clearly perceive who Jesus is. They only see dimly. This is what Jesus is getting at in verses 14-21. Mark 8:14-21 is where Jesus speaks with his disciples after feeding the 4000.

So let’s take a look at what Jesus says to them, because what He says here immediately precedes the healing of the blind man and is significant:

“8¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:14-21)

When Jesus fed the 5,000 and afterwards appeared to the disciples on the lake they were terrified because Mark says they had not understood about the loaves. They did not at that point have the eyes of faith to see Jesus divine nature in the feeding of his people. It is God who makes “bread to come from the earth” Jesus, the Son of God, does what his Father does. He provides for the people of God.

Now this second feeding, the feeding of the 4000 that has just taken place, is really a repeat lesson for the disciples. Will they now understand Jesus is the Bread of Life? That the religious authorities are in comparison, a corrupting leaven polluting the people? But the disciples again are spiritually dull. They only think on a pragmatic, superficial level. So Jesus rebukes them “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see? (8:17, 18)

Only a radical healing, the literal opening of a blind man’s eyes will jog the disciples into a clearer perception of who Jesus is. Isaiah prophesied the Lord would come to his people “then will the eyes of the blind be opened…they will see the splendour of our Lord the glory of our God” (Isaiah 35:5) As the disciples reflect on Jesus healing of the blind man, they are now ready to move on from their first perception of Jesus to a clearer second stage. It’s as though through this healing, Jesus touches their understanding and opens it up so they will see more clearly who he is.

And that brings us to the point where the disciples ‘look up’, open their eyes wide and have a clear view of who Jesus is. We come to Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ described in verses 27-30.

These verses follow on immediately after the healing of the blind man:

“8²⁷Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

³⁰Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.” (Mark 8:27-30).

We see here that Peter acts as a spokesman for the disciples when he confesses Jesus is the Christ, and as Matthew Gospel adds “the Son of the living God” All that has gone before has prepared for this recognition “You are the Christ the Son of the living God” The people of Jesus day were saying Jesus was John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets. An extraordinary powerful human being only. These were the half-truths of half blind people. But in Peter’s confession is the recognition of Jesus divine nature.

Do you see that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you see who he really is- are your eyes opened wide?

Perhaps you are one of the blind at the moment.

Today there are people who are blind. It is their sin that makes then blind. Whether the legalism of the Pharisees-blind guides Jesus called them- or the permissiveness and license of Herod. Their sin fills them with deliberate and hostile unbelief towards Jesus, so they are prejudiced in how they see him. Are you like that?

Or perhaps you have some spiritual sight. Your conscience cannot bring you to oppose Jesus or hate him, but neither do you want to submit yourself to God.

You make excuses to ward off commitment. You may talk about being an agnostic. Or you might try and fit Jesus into some philosophy of your own. The New Age Jesus who can be squeezed in with all kinds of weird and wonderful practices, or the Muslim Jesus who is merely a high ranking prophet and nothing more. Or there is the respectable Jesus, for those who just see attending Church and thinking about Jesus example as a way of making you a decent citizen, a respectable “do gooder”. Perhaps your Jesus exists to serve facets of socialism or environmentalism or certain family values.

While Christianity has ethical implications, Jesus can never merely serve an ideology.

Is that all Jesus is to you: Jesus the prophet, Jesus the good man? These are half -truths of half blind people.

C.S. Lewis famously exposes the deficiencies of such views when he writes:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Clarity only comes when you recognise Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. If you come to him in humility, searching the Scriptures, genuinely seeking the truth about him, then he will open your eyes to the truth of who he is.

Jesus true identity is key.

The angel Gabriel had said to Mary she would give birth to a boy and that he would be called ‘the Son of the Most High’ (Lk.1:32)

Once you see Jesus Christ is the Son of God, it follows that He is Saviour. John Stott writes ‘Only one act of pure love, unsullied by any taint of ulterior motive, has ever been performed in the history of the world, namely the self -giving of God in Christ on the cross for undeserving sinners’. Only Christ’s atoning death¹ on the cross for you is acceptable to God and has power to bring you forgiveness and restored relationship with God.

Many have had their eyes opened wide ² to see that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is Saviour and Lord

Do you see Jesus is the Son of God- will you now bow to Him as Saviour and Lord?

Seeing that Jesus is the Son of God changed everything for C.S. Lewis:

He was alone in his room at Magdalen College, Oxford, when Lewis found that his thoughts kept returning to the subject of God, whom, he says, he did not want to meet. He gave in to God in 1929, when he knelt down and acknowledged that God was indeed God. It was not an emotional reaction but the result of reflection comparing secular and religious claims. He felt as if he was ‘the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England’. At this stage Lewis thought of God as being other than human, and he did not think about Jesus Christ being God incarnate. When confronted by the truth that God has become a man, Jesus, he again put up resistance. But on reflection could see Jesus was neither a liar or lunatic but Lord (Mere Christianity, Chapter 3). The result of these and other reflections about Jesus Christ led to his Christian conversion. It took place while he travelled on a bus to visit Whipsnade Zoo. It was a lovely sunny morning. When he left Oxford he did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. By the time he arrived at Whipsnade he did. His conversion came from a conviction about truth, but having made that commitment he found himself ‘Surprised by Joy’, (the title of his autobiography that details his conversion) ³

Jesus healing of the blind man teaches us that our eyes are ‘opened wide’ when we see He is Creator, the Giver of Hope, the very Son of God- our Lord and Saviour.

^1-3 For detailed footnotes, see the end of these devotional notes.

Communion Hymn (Piano)

There is a Redeemer

Jesus, God's own Son

Precious Lamb of God, Messiah

Holy One

Jesus my Redeemer

Name above all names

Precious Lamb of God, Messiah

Oh, for sinners slain

Thank you, oh my Father

For giving us Your Son

And leaving Your Spirit

'Til the work on Earth is done

When I stand in Glory

I will see His face

And there I'll serve my King forever

In that Holy Place

Thank you, oh my Father…

There is a Redeemer

Jesus, God's own Son

Precious Lamb of God, Messiah

Holy One

Thank you, oh my Father…

And leaving Your Spirit

'Til the work on Earth is done.

Keith Green

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldRcFz7rK7w

Communion

Final Hymn (Piano)