What a Blind Person Sees – Rev. Dr. Carol Kerr – 10.25.09

We just read two events from the life of Jesus that are put one after the other in the gospel of Mark. In each of the events Jesus ask the same questions: “What is it you want me to do for you?’’ The disciples are arguing and Jesus asks, “What is it that you want me to do for you?” The blind man, Bartemeus calls out, and Jesus asks, “What is it that you want me to do for you?”

The disciples answer, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left in glory.” In contrast, the blind man answers “Let me see again.” Two very different answers to the same question (repeat the answers again…). The point that the gospel of Mark is making here, is that although the disciples could see physically, spiritually they were blind. And, although Bartemeus could not see physically, spiritually he saw the light.

So when Jesus asks us the question, “What is it you want me to do for you?” We need to answer as the blind beggars, “Let me see again.”

Lets start out by practicing being blind for a few minutes. What I would like you to do is very simple exercise. You may participate as much as you like, if you like. Start by sitting in a relaxed position. Have your back straight. Allow the cares and worries of your day subside. Be aware of your presence as you sit in the pew. This is where you are. Around you, outside you is the visible and sensible world. Now close your eyes. We enter the world of the blind man. Bring your attention to your body. Be aware of your sensations…the breath… the beating of your heart…the feelings in your back. Now pay attention to two things. The first is the experience of whatever sensations you are having. It could be your muscles, or noise, or some smell…whatever. Then pay attention to the “I” that is experiencing those sensations.

Go deeper still, to the river of thoughts, images and emotions that are running through your mind. These are somewhat out of your control because they will keep going whether you try to stop them or not. (I forgot to defrost the hamburger! What was that noise the car was making on the way here? My foot hurts. Whatever….) Pay attention to 2 things: First the thoughts that are streaming by. Second the “I” that is watching these thoughts stream by. If you continue to go deeper, even you most intimate feelings and desires will pass before you like images on a screen. If you can remain both relaxed and alert, you may have a sense of something very quiet in you. It is that which is constantly awake and experiences all the a passes as your life. There is no limit to this part of you. St. Francis of Assisi says, “What you are looking for is what is looking.”

This is the end of the exercise. You can open your eyes. The practice, as simple as it is, goes to the heart of Christian mysticism. You just experienced two major forces, the world, and the soul which is that “I” experiencing everything that goes by it. This is sometimes called the soul. But it gets better as you go deeper into it. It is the entryway to the kingdom of heaven, a great light, divine wisdom, and Christ within.

All of this might seem far out and bazaar to you. But this is where the blind man sees. Quite literally. Blind people claim that they can see a great light. Let me give you 2 examples. The first comes from an article I read in the Book, The Best Spiritual Writings of 2000. The article was written by a blind man. He says that when blind people are together with no sighted people around, they will describe all kinds of things that they do in fact “see.” He says that their world is an enchanted one. However, they do not like to talk about it with others who can see physically because it is a world that is difficult for us to understand. They don’t want to be written off as crack pots, or just wishful thinking to compensate for their drastic loss. But, when they are alone, they talk about a world of enchantment. He says that everything that people see on the exterior lies on the interior of them.

Light, for instance. He says that he can summon light from within. People will say that it is left over from the memory of the light before he was blinded. But , he insists that it is different. He knows the difference between actually perceiving the light within himself and just imagining it. He says, “I could choose when the light came and went. Yes, I could make it appear and disappear. I had that astonishing power: I could light myself. You hear right: “light myself.” ….I could create a light inside me so alive, so large, and so near that my eyes, my physical eye, or what remained of them, vibrated to the point of hurting….

He said that when he is upset in some way, sad, or angry, or impatient, his world is obscured by black butterflies. He no longer has a sense of where he truly is. He bumps into things. Objects move, so that when he reaches for the glass that was at the tip of the napkin it is now behind the ketchup, and he spills them both. For him joy clarifies everything. So much so that he thinks joy is actually linked to the universe.

This year I came across another testimony about the light from another blind person. She writes that after she became blind she began to look more closely at an inner place. As she looked deeper and deeper into it she became aware of a radiance emanating from the place. She called it light. When she discovered this place she says she found light and joy at the same time. They have never been separated in her experience since. She says she became bathed in this light which her blindness had brought much closer…She says,

“Sighted people always talk about the night of blindness, and that seems to them quite natural. But there is no such night, for at every waking hour, and even in my dreams I live in a stream of light.”

Both of these blind people recognize that this world has been given to them by someone. This someone was very much inside of them but was not at all identified with them. They say, that there seems to be this joy and light watching them from within. But, then “watching” is not the right verb. Rather the light “allows” watching, allows seeing, allows all things to be and do. Without this light we perceive nothing, neither our physical eyes nor our inner eyes.

Let’s close our eyes again and see if we can get anywhere near that inner light that the blind people talk about. Quietly lets listen to Jesus ask us the question once again, “What is it you want me to do for you?” Keeping our eyes closed lets now all answer Jesus, “Let me see again!” That is the point of the gospel. Jesus comes to heal us and set us free. He says, “Your faith has made you well.” The word is sozo which means “to save, to rescue, to preserve from being lost.” We are all blind and Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness.

Today we have used the lyrics of the blues group, “The Blind Boys for Alabama.” These men are blind but through Jesus they see the light. The lyrics of one song called, “I May not Can See”

May not can see, but I’ve got somebody looking after me.

Some people wonder how I get around.

Some people wonder how I go from town to town.

It is not me I want you all to see,

It’s Jesus Christ lives inside of me.

I may not can see, but I’ve got somebody looking after me.

I can’t see the sun that shines so bright.

I can’t see the moon that comes out at night.

It doesn’t make a difference to me.

Because a part of me is the faith I see.

I may not can see, but I’ve got somebody looking after me.

“Does God Have a Plan for Your Life?” – Rev. Dr. Carol Kerr

10/04/09

“Where are they now?” Have you ever wondered that about TV or movie stars that were once famous but you haven’t heard about in years? Well now you can find out because there is a website called “Where are they now?” On it there is an alphabetically list of TV and movie stars. Click on the name of your choice and you find out what happened to them. Sometimes you click on a name and their life seems to have gone according to the script you expected. But, for many of these stars their lives have veered from what you expected would happen to them. Reading “Where are they now?” you come across irony, you come across the unpredictable, and you come across suffering. “Where are they now?” makes you wonder, did/does God have a plan for their lives?

For instance, here is a story with an ironic twist. Does anyone know who Richard Thomas is? Richard Thomas was “John boy” in the 1970s TV series the Waltons. The Waltons were a family living in small town America who were struggling to make a decent life during the Great depression and World War II. The family’s story is seen primarily through the eyes of John boy, the eldest son and aspiring writer, who serves as narrator. In the signature scene that closes every episode, the family house is enveloped in darkness, save for a light in an upstairs window. Through voice-overs, two or more characters have a very brief conversation, often humorous and related to the episode, and then bid each other good-night (e.g. Good-night, Mary Ellen.” “Good-night Olivia.” “Good-night John boy.”) The Waltons lived in small town America which we nostalgically look back on as a simpler time. John boy embodied wholesome honesty.

So, where is John boy now? This is the ironic part, Richard Thomas who played John boy is now providing the voiceover for recent Mercedes-Benz commercials. One goes like this: “The new GL from Mercedes Benz. We engineered it unlike any other SUV in the world. We gave it more safety and strength. We gave it more space and comfort. We gave it more horsepower and torque. We gave it better handling and performance. We gave it technology and innovation. We think it is finally ready. Introducing the new full size passenger GL. It’s more Mercedes to love.” You can almost imagine a new version of the famous tag line, “Good night Mary Ellen, Good night John boy, Good night Mercedes GL.” Was this part of God’s plan? Ironic, don’t you think?

Does anyone know who Shelley Hack is? She was the beautiful tall thin blond that was the face of the perfume advertisements, Charlie. Then she became one of “Charlies Angels” in the 1970’s TV show (coincidentally the same name). She played Tiffany Welles. Where is she now? Her story is not ironic but completely unexpected. One would expect that she may have developed her own line of perfumes. Or become the host for a game show. But, no. This all American girl became embroiled in Bosnian politics. That’s right, Bosnia of southeastern Europe. This Charlie’s angel ended up as a registration and polling station supervisor in the Bosnia-Herzegovina elections. You have to wonder was this God’s plan for her life? Frankly, it seems like she picked up and started playing the wrong script. Instead of her script she accidently picked up the script of someone else’s life such as a script that was suppose to have belonged to a political science major from the University of Sarajevo.

Then there is Annette Funicello. I bet someone recognizes that name. She was the favorite Mouskateer in the Mickey Mouse Club. The Mickey Mouse club was a variety television show produced by Walt Disney in 1955. It had a regular cast of teenage performers. It often helped children with moral decisions. Annette Funicello had dark brown curly hair which would charmingly frame the beanie she wore sporting Mickey Mouse ears. Most famous from the Mickey Mouse club was the Mickey Mouse march, “Whose the leader of the club that’s made for you and me? M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!” Where is Annette Funicello now?

Well, after the Mickey Mouse club she went on to be a teen idol in beach movies starring with Franke Avalon. This in and of itself makes one realize even Mouskateer’s have to grow up sometime. Although, because she was still under contract with Walt Disney they made her wear a one piece swim suit instead of a bikini. She then was married had three children and divorced. Then in 1987 Annette Funicello was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. No one would have guessed this would happen in 1955 when she was a member of a club for you and me. In 1994 she wrote a book with the wonderfully hopeful title, A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: My Story. In 1999 she underwent brain surgery to slow down the tremors which result from her MS.

Now even breathing can be difficult. Annette Funicello’s life is not ironic, or surprising, but filled with chronic illness and struggle. The Mickey Mouse show would end with the same song but much slower….”Now it’s time to say goodbye to friends and family….A-N-N-E-T-T…..”

With some people it is easy to see God’s plan for their life. Like the brilliant student that goes to medical school right after college. Then receives prestigious fellowships becoming a brain surgeon. Who then dedicates his life saving the lives of others. But, this is more the exception than the rule. For the vast majority of people it is much harder to tell what God’s plan was/is. I mean John boy now the voiceover for Mercedes Benz? Charlie’s angel in a Bosnia polling station telling an old lady with a scarf which door to exit. The teen idol who would dancing the twist in front of millions now unable to move.

We as a people of faith assert that God has a plan for us. But, it seems that most of the evidence points to the contrary. I know a person with a life something like this. First he got incredibly high SAT scores. Princeton University gives him a scholarship even before he applies. He graduates as an English major. Writes a few great articles for a few national magazines. No matter how talented, this is unsteady work and then he has to get a real job. Ends up at UNUM. His career plateaus in middle management. After his second divorce he wakes up one morning looks around and wonders “Is this the plan for my life?” Has that ever happened to you? Waking up looking around and wondering “Is this it?” Perhaps he wonders, should he have majored in law instead of English? Should he have stayed married to his first wife? Did he somehow veer from the plan unknowingly?

We are not the only ones to be surprised by God’s plan. After all Jesus instructs the twelve disciples that he is to be betrayed killed and resurrected on the third day. Peter takes him aside and rebukes him “What kind of plan is that!?”. At which time Jesus says, “Get behind me Satan!”

I think the problem lies in our definition of plan. Our ways and strategies and idea of a plan is quite different from God’s (James 3:13-4:3). A plan for God is not a set of strategic moves laid out like a chess game until checkmate. A plan for God is not like a business plan with 5 goals and 3 objectives underneath each goal, and corresponding start dates and end dates, and tasks to be completed. Rather, God’s plan is this: That all of us should turn and fall into the arms of the loving God (2:4 Timothy). God’s plan is not written down some where and filed away in heave to be brushed off and reviewed once a year. Rather, God’s plan is his great love for us and God’s desire is that we learn to love God back.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16)” This is God’s plan.

The important thing to know is not the we have somehow taken the wrong steps in God’s plan, but that God has a constant ability to redeem our deeds and our lives. This is so, as we grow in love to God and our neighbors. As Martin Luther once said, “God can ride a lame horse and shoot with a crooked bow.” We are the lame horses and the crooked bows. Even though our lives are full of irony, strange twists and turns and sometimes great struggle God can use us for God’s purposes of love anyway.

There once was a man in his mid sixties who had spent his life as an accountant, and told his minister that he was convinced, through events of his life, that God really wanted him to be a preacher, to go to seminary, and go into the ministry. This made the minister then ask, You mean your life was one big mistake? But the man continued, “Still, as I look back over my life, I am amazed at how well God has used what I have been. If I had gone to seminary and become a preacher, as I think God might have liked for me, I would never have been able to be a lay leader of the church and to make the difference and the contribution that I have made.”

God’s plans are larger than our plans. They are bigger and more lasting than even a good marriage, a good job, the right house in the right neighborhood, one perfect marriage and three perfect kids. God is relentlessly moving in on us with God’s plan which is to be with us now and for all eternity in love. Where are all those old TV and movie stars now? I don’t know. But I do know where are you now. You are here in church today. That is where you are. You are here to connect with the larger plan. To center in on God’s love and to deepen and engage that love however ironic your life might be, full of twists and turns, thoroughly unpredictable, and difficult. Rest assured God has a plan and it is love.