John 9:1-38
Last year, when our Archdeacon, Bill Greeley, preached at our parish, he reminded us that the prime reason for the existence of the church is to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I don't know why, but I was startled to hear him say those words. We believe it, of course, but we seldom say it in that way. If we truly believe in Jesus, we know that every ministry of the church is about bringing people to a greater knowledge of God.
The church, of course, is more than a building. The church is the people who have come to understand the message of God through Christ. We, you and I, are the church. Therefore, our prime purpose for being is to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel for today presents a wonderful story of a man who was blind from birth and had to beg for a living. Jesus made mud, put it on the man's eyes and gave him specific instructions to follow. The man followed Christ's instructions and was healed. He could see! It is a wonderful story. The greater significance of the Gospel for today is more than the miraculous event of bringing sight to a man that was blind from birth. It is that CHRIST DEFINED HIMSELF in this Gospel story from John.
Humankind has sought to understand God from the beginning. We have read the biblical stories. Other people long ago isolated in the deepest jungles and on unreachable islands sensed the presence of a power greater than themselves. They were so driven for defining that omnipresence that, in the absence of revelations, such as Jesus, they felt compelled to create answers for the burning questions, "Who is God?" "What is that spirit around us?"
Our curiosity and desperate desire to know and understand God is profound. All who have heard the name need to know who Jesus is and what he does.
Our youngest child was a busy little boy. He was precocious, curious, articulate for his age, and above all …..busy. We took him to church every Sunday. Church for his first three years meant playing in the downstairs nursery and hearing stories. As he was approaching the age of four, I realized that this inquisitive little creature was going to be promoted to the Preschool Sunday School class and would be joining us upstairs in "Big Boy Church" for communion. Preparing him for NOT distracting the adults during communion would require planning and training on my part.
I developed a plan for Danny's introduction to "Big Boy Church." We had a very small chapel (former storage closet) in our church building that consisted of eight folding chairs, a kneeling stand, an alter, a small credence table, and a votive stand. Every Wednesday we had a midweek communion service in the chapel. Usually Father David and I were the only ones attending. I thought the midweek service would be a good way to introduce Danny to proper etiquette and procedures for attending and participating in a communion service.
As we were walking up the sidewalk approaching the church doors, I took his little hand in mine to slow him down. He was always in a hurry. I pointed toward the building and said, I said, "This is God's house. We must be respectful in God's house by being quiet and listening." He inquired, "So God lives here?" I replied, "Yes, God has many houses and he lives in all of them." He said, "OK, I'll be quiet."
We arrived in the chapel a few minutes before Father David. Danny was sitting in a chair next to the credence table. On the credence table was a copper impression of Our Lord's Supper. Danny looked at the picture and quietly asked, "Who are those guys?" I replied, "That is Jesus and his disciples." Danny inquired, "Which one is Jesus?" I said, the one standing in the center is Jesus." "So that's Jesus, huh?" "Yes Danny, that is Jesus." He then JOLTED me with the next logical question, "Dad, what does Jesus do?"
As I was catching my breath, Father David walked into the chapel. I quickly advised him that Danny had a question. "What does Jesus do?" I can assure you that Father stammered for a minute before providing an appropriate answer for an inquisitive three-year-old.
Even a three-year-old child who hears the name of Jesus needs to know who Jesus is and what he does.
In today's Gospel Jesus said, "I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD." The life, teaching, sacrifice, and love of Jesus revealed the nature of God and his expectations for us. Through him, mankind was enlightened.
In a greater context of today's Gospel Jesus said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." We affirm in every communion service that Jesus died, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven. NOW his light shines in the world through his church, through us. WE MUST LET THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINE THROUGH US so that people around us will be brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
What will YOU do this week, this month, or this lifetime to bring others to a saving knowledge of Jesus?