Worship Notes for Sunday, March 30 (looking ahead!)

Worship Notes

The Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year A

March 30, 2014

The Season

We are midway in our journey through the Sundays in Lent, and today we are in the third of a series of four long narratives from the Gospel of John. Each of these narratives reveals to the characters—and to us—an ever-deepening awareness of who Jesus is. Two weeks ago the Pharisee Nicodemus visited Jesus by night. Last week Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Today Jesus heals the man born blind.

In Word

What a plethora of rich texts our lectionary offers us today! Samuel anoints young David as king; we sing the beloved Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd”; the Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Live as children of the light!”; and Jesus announces, “I am the light of the world,” and authenticates his proclamation by opening the eyes of the man born blind.

Our God is a God of reversals. When Jesse presents Samuel with his sons, the expectation is that the eldest should be anointed to be the next king. But God reveals to Samuel, “. . . the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). When God passes over all seven sons whom Jesse presents, Samuel inquires, “Are all your sons here?” Jesse replies, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” The shepherd boy becomes the next king, with the charge to be the earthly “shepherd” over Israel.

The precise center of the beloved Psalm 23 in the original Hebrew is the phrase, “. . . for you are with me.” The psalmist insists—and God promises—that God is with us, even in our darkest hour, “through the valley of the shadow of death.” Even in darkness, the light of God’s love shines through. God is a God of reversals.

In our Second Lesson, the Apostle Paul announces, “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of the light . . .” (Ephesians 5:8). Being transferred from darkness into light makes a difference in how we live our lives. God is a God of reversals.

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Jesus announces what our Gospel writer John declared in the Prologue: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). Jesus authenticates his claim by opening the eyes of the man born blind. He orders the man to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, the City of David (do we find here an oblique reference to the “still waters” of our psalm for today?). With his newly-found sight, the blind man sees more and more clearly who Jesus is, while the religious leaders, who “see,” are blinded to Jesus’ identity. “Siloam” means “Sent.” The “blind” man, who is banished from the synagogue and religious community, is sent into the world to proclaim Jesus as the Light of the world. God is a God of reversals.

In Song

Our songs and hymns today contain multiple references and allusions to our Scripture readings. In our Opening Song, “Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery,” we sing, “Give us eyes to see you clearly; make us children of your light. Give us hearts to live more nearly as your gospel shining bright.” Our Song of the Day, “You Are Mine,” sings: “I am eyes for all who long to see. In the shadows of the night, I will be your light. . . . All the blind will see . . .” The Sending Song, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light,” draws from various scriptural references, including today’s readings and from Revelation. In the beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace,” we sing, “I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.” God is a God of reversals!