Fourth Sunday in Lent

John 9:1-41

Grace and peace to you.

Friday I was outside for most of the afternoon. The grass, and a whole lot of clover, is growing and I needed to mow it. While I was in the yard I was delighted to see buds on the branches of two volunteer Japanese maples I brought home from my grandparents’ place. My granddaddy planted the original trees and the small pointy maroon leaves make me smile.

The buds have already burst into leaves on one of the trees, and the forsythia and azaleas are blooming but I really haven’t done much outside yet. I know it’s still too early for tomatoes, but I’m starting to play with the idea of having a real garden – the kind with raised beds and lots of dirt. And I am delighted at the idea of watching the transformation that is possible with some seeds or seedlings, some dirt and water and sunshine.

The beginning of our Gospel for this morning is a lot like that; Jesus uses a little bit of saliva and some dirt to heal the man born blind, and the man is transformed, and each time he has to answer another question about his encounter with Jesus, his understanding of who Jesus is deepens.

First his neighbors ask him, “How were your eyes opened?” (v. 10) and then the Pharisees question “how he had received his sight.” (v. 13) and then the Jewish authorities demand to know, “How did [Jesus] open your eyes?” (v 26).

There are no words of thanksgiving or praise recorded here, only skeptical questions and accusations, and ultimately, rejection. John tells us that when they weren’t satisfied by his answers, the Jewish authorities drove the man out. Because they could not explain what had happened to him or because his experience was outside their understanding, they sent him away.

I thought about this gospel on Friday when the local newspaper initially and in error reported that someone had tested positive for the coronavirus in our county. Like the characters in our gospel, readers commenting on the online story were asking all kinds of questions, demanding to know the person’s name and address and where the person had been. There were no words of compassion or prayers offered, only fearful demands for information.

While, thankfully, that report was mistaken and the person doesn’t live in Cleveland County, at some point, it’s likely we will have someone in our county who tests positive. What do we learn from this gospel about how we respond to our neighbors?

I believe the first thing we learn is that love draws near.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I recommend we follow the federal guidelines to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That’s why we are gathering online and on the phone. The recommendations now encourage us to keep six feet apart and limit groups to fewer than 10 people. Social distancing will help limit the reach of the disease and right now, for the sake of our neighbor and for the world, love for our neighbor looks like empty pews and church buildings.

But in the Gospel, when fear leads the other characters in the gospel to reject the man, Jesus responds with love.

Instead of casting blame or pointing fingers, we can draw near. And in this time of social distancing that will look different but it is more important than ever. We can draw near with our phone calls, with our letters and cards and with our prayers.

At Ascension we say one of our core values is prayer. As the people of God, I ask you specifically to pray, without ceasing and with confidence in God’s boundless love.
for the people in our congregation, perhaps even by name. It is hard to be apart and to lose the face-to-face community that we love. More than ever we must remember God is with us wherever we are and the church is not the building.

• for the residents in nursing homes, patients in hospice and the hospital, inmates in prisons and for their families who are not able to visit.
• for the people who cannot self quarantine or isolate or for whom home is not safe and food is not secure.
• for the essential services and workers who continue to collect the trash, deliver mail and provide food, gas, medicine and healthcare.

Maybe Jesus’ first encounter with the blind man was by chance, but when the man has been cast out, Jesus goes and finds him.

Nothing could separate the man from God’s love – neither the physical blindness he had been born with, nor the spiritual blindness of those in the community.

And isn’t that Good News for us today?

God’s love reaches us no matter where we are, and when we encounter Jesus, our lives are transformed.

There is a lot of uncertainty in our lives today especially as the world responds to the pandemic. We can choose to respond with fear, anger and frustration. Or we can choose to respond with faith.

Responding with faith doesn’t mean we don’t follow the guidelines for protecting our health and that of our neighbors. It means choosing to remember that no one and nothing is beyond God’s far-reaching love.

May we be alert to where God is still acting in our lives and those of our neighbors.

May we draw near to one another and share the hope that is in us because of Christ Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15)

And may our witness shine brightly in the darkness. (John 9:5)

Amen.