12-6-2020

 Good Morning All, 

     John 9:3; “Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

     Whose fault is it?  This seems to be a crucial question in any event or occurrence.  Whose fault is it, who is to blame and why did it happen?  Now, to a certain point, this can be a legitimate question.  For if the event is preventable, finding the cause might prevent future problems.  If plugging too many Christmas lights into one outlet causes the fuse to blow or the breaker to trip, then reducing the number of lights might work or finding additional outlets might mitigate the trouble.  But it is most often asked when the answer is either not apparent or even discernable.

    Our verse is part of the story of Jesus healing a blind man.  Jesus and the disciples were walking along, and they met this blind man outside the city.  The disciples asked who sinned, this man or his parents.  It was and is a very common thought.  Somewhere, somehow, someone did something wrong; that is why this malady happened.  Rather than get into a lengthy, and pointless, discussion; Jesus tells his disciples that this occurred so the works of God might be displayed.  This should be a guide for us.

    Too often, when faced with suffering, Christians spend a lot of time on blame.  What is the cause, whose sin is it, that is leading to the suffering?  Is it drugs, is it a failed education structure, is it an economic problem, is it a flaw in the person, what is the cause of the distress?  While finding a cause may help, we should never let it get in the way of our delivering mercy to those who suffer.  The works of God are displayed by the mercy we display.  Maybe, just maybe, that young person should have studied harder in school.  But the past cannot be changed, we can only start from here and alter the future of that person.  We can only make tomorrow better; we cannot make yesterday better.  We can, and should, offer hope, but hope is a future event.  We cannot do anything about the hunger that was yesterday, but we can feed them today and tomorrow and that is where we should focus our energy.

    Jesus calls us to action.  He calls us to actively serve our neighbor in their need,  This may be an occasional event or a recurring event, either way, the works of God are displayed, the Kingdom is proclaimed and the Good News is spoken.   This is an essential part of our faith.  It is the active living out of being God’s agents of grace in a broken world.  A world that maybe broken to the point that only the return of Jesus will truly fix it.  But until that day comes, we have the opportunity to display the works of God to all we meet.

Father, your mercies are new every day.  Guide us to act.  Stir up your people that we may be agents in your service.  Willing servants who bring your love, your, peace and your hope into a dark and broken world.  Protect us and enliven us during these dark days.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret