Do You See What I See - March 30

Do You See What I See

March 30/2014   1 Samuel 16:1-13 and John 9:1-41

All our readings this morning are about seeing – seeing the world not as we see the world but in the way that God sees the world – it is a pretty common thing for us as humans to assume that the world that we see around us and the assumptions that we bring to what we see is the way the world is – we forget that it is an interpretation of what the world is - through the filters that we have on our perceptions.  How we think we know what we see is what causes blindness –like the optical illusions we saw earlier our brain creates a story to make sense of something even if it is not a true story.   It is a question of being able to take the filters from our eyes so that we go in with fresh eyes not expecting to see something in a familiar way – then we can be open to see the world as God sees.

A good example of seeing in different ways is to look at how the world has been ‘seeing’ what has be going on with the loss of  Malaysian Airplane flight MH370 –. All that is known – really known at this time is that just over three weeks ago it took off with over 200 people on board and has not been seen since.  

Since that time there has been all sorts of speculation about what happened to the airplane and it’s crew and passengers.  According to the Globe and Mail on March 26, “The leading theories so far include a crisis that punctured the cabin, incapacitating the pilots by oxygen starvation before they could dive to safe altitude. Other speculation, drawing on the shutdown of communication and detection systems, focuses on takeover of the plane for malign purposes, whether by hijacker or a pilot bent on spectacular self-destruction.”  There has been speculation about the plane landing on some deserted island somewhere – and in the last few days two different search zones bases on information about how fast the plane might have been travelling.  There are a lot of smart people in the world right now trying to figure out what happened to flight MH370 – and to date no one has any physical evidence that they are on the right track.  As much as there are those saying they ‘see’ what happened to the flight – no one has seen yet what really happened and truth be told we will probably never know for sure – and even if the plane is found and the events pieced together with the clues it will still be speculation.  I wonder if we let go of what we expect to see whether or not we can become blind so that we can see what really happened.  We expect airplanes to land where they are intended, we expect countries that have monitoring systems to share information with each other, we expect that a plane load of people and what happened to them is a top priority for all nations and that they would be willing to share information that they have so that the plane can be found – we expect….but is that really what is happening in Malaysia and its neighbouring countries - has all information been shared?  Have all satellite images been handed over?  Is the radar path of the plane really not available?  How can we see what happened when so much of the picture is being covered up?

Samuel today is in the midst of learning to see things in new ways as well as all the information he needs is not available to him all at the same time – before Samuel can see the truth path that God has laid out for his people he first must lay aside his filters, his assumptions. 

A long long time ago, in the newly formed kingdom of Israel the God appointed king, Saul has become corrupt and ineffective.  Although at one time Saul was the right king for the country but his reign has become tarnished and the time has come for a new king to be appointed.  It is assumed by all that the new king will be one of Saul own children, but they too are not worthy of the crown.   Samuel, the high priest of the kingdom knew that all was not right in the kingdom, and he was disappointed in his King and knows that God is also disappointed in King Saul, but he is not sure what to do about it.  One night when Samuel was sleeping God came to him in a dream and tells him that he was the one who was going to anoint a new King.

And what do we and Samuel assume – that this new king will be one of the old kings children? – not so says God – Samuel is sent to Bethlehem, a small remote village to anoint a king from one of Jesse’s children.  Samuel has problem – how to listen to God and how to save his own neck because if the King gets wind that he is to anoint someone who is not a blood heir… but God offers a solution – take a heifer and say you are offering it as a sacrifice in Bethlehem.  So Samuel goes as God has told him to – offers a sacrifice.  While they are sharing in the sacrificial rites, Samuel begins to speculate which of Jesse’s sons God has chosen as Saul’s successor.  He looks them over as they come before the altar and enters into a conversation with God.  Jesses first son – big, strong, and beautiful – he will be the perfect king says Samuel – no says God – look deeper than that – look beyond the appearance – look into the heart.

How about the next one – Abinadab –or what about Shannmah – surely you one of these two is the one to become king?  Not these either or any other of Jesse’s seven sons – so what now God?  Says Samuel.

Ask for more Samuel – look beyond what you cannot see – so Samuel asks and discovers that there is one more son – the smallest / the youngest – out in the fields looking after the flocks.  And when he is brought in – this is the one that God has chosen – the smallest / the youngest / the one who looks the least like a king – David the shepherd.

This time of year one my favorite things to do is to re-watch the movie “Jesus Christ Super Star” – I love the music, and I love the story – it based mostly on the book of Matthew – and leads us through familiar territory – but what I love most about this movie is that every time I see it – I see something new / something different.  One of the pieces that I think is really good – is just how much the disciples do not know what is going on – how they are unable to see what is happening right in front of their eyes.  We have the vantage point of 2000 years of story – that is re-told and re-told and re-told – and we see the story of Jesus and his life through the eyes as people who know how it is going to end – but the disciples did not.  In one of the songs that Jesus sings – he speaks so well about the blindness of the disciples – and I think our blindness too

Jesus sings, neither you Simon, nor the fifty thousand – nor the Romans – nor the Jews – nor Judas – nor the 12 – nor the priests – nor the scribes – nor doomed Jerusalem itself

Understand what power is

Understand what glory is

Understand at all.

They could not see – even though Jesus was there in front of them, talking to them, living with them, teaching them – THEY did not GET It – They were blind – The did not see – we do not see!

This story we heard today from John challenges me to look at what it is that I am blind to – because I know that I too am like the Pharisees – I know that I too look for escapes – find excuses – look to close my eyes from the truth of Jesus message.  So I do not have to see what may be hard for me to deal with, so that I don’t have to change my comfortable patterns – so that I don’t have to change my life – leave my comfort zones – to think or act in some other way that is unfamiliar or uncomfortable for me – or to have to reach out to someone who frightens me, or shocks me, or I do not deem as safe.  If you don’t see any problems there is no reason to change.  

The thing about seeing something new – or discovering a new vision with in is that you only have two real choices you can forget about it, stay where you are and pretend that what you see is only a figment of your imaginations, like the Pharisees are trying to do in this mornings gospel reading or you can be open to the new vision and be changed – and you will never see things the same way again.

In the fifth book of Harry Potter – the whole book is based on the world around Harry unwilling and unable to see that which they do not wish to see – Lord Voldemort has returned – but only Harry has witnessed this and although he bring proof – the death of Cedric Digory, the wizarding world is determined to not believe it, because they don’t want to believe it, because if it is true than their world is no longer safe and secure.  The biggest perpetrator of the conspiracy to lie is Cornelius Fudge – the minister of magic and throughout the fifth book Fudge does everything in his power to silence those who seek to share with the world the truth.  He appoints a high inquisitor at Hogwarts whose  purpose is to make sure the rumors of Voldemort’s returned are quashed – at any price, through any means.  

Like Cornelius Fudge the Pharisees in today’s story cannot – will not accept that this man Jesus is anything more than a showoff and a sham – and not a representative of God – for if the Pharisees believed that is man Jesus is the son of Man, is speaking for God and acting as God wants and sharing the truth about God and the world than they will have to change – and everything that they know to be true would shift as well – because what if God does not really care about the rules – and instead cares about the people even if they are sinners or prostitutes or tax collectors.  What if God does not see the way the Pharisees interpret the laws as the only and right way to interpret the laws – what if they are wrong and are not doing God’s will as they think they are – what if there is another way?  

This is what God is challenging us to do today – to look at something different – to see another way - to see something through the eyes of God – to allow the mud and spit of Christ to open our eyes – so that we can see the world as we never have before.  Like Samuel seeing king in a small boy – and Fudge seeing Voldemort’s return, and the disciples seeing Jesus healing as more than just returning sight to the blind  – the gift of God’s sight helps us see beyond – helps us see deeper – helps us see more.  

Richard Hemler writes:  “how would the world look if we allowed Jesus to heal our blindness?  We might see leadership emerging in strange unexpected places.  We might hear God speaking through the voices of those who have been residing on the margins of our community.  We might find new ways of relating to God and each other – ways we had not imagined before, and ways that might bring new life to our ministry, our church and our community and to the people around us.  We might even dare to lift the veils of our own conventional ways of thinking to think outside of the box and see that God is greater than our ways of thought and being allow.  We might even discover a spirit we thought we had lost, a spirit that may bring us new ways of living in the world, new ways of being church, new ways of  loving, caring, sharing, being the good news of God.”  

So, let us take that extra moment to remove the filters that squew our vision – and see beyond the way we have seen before – open ourselves up to the possibilities of a new way to see and be.  And to trust that this new vision – even if it is hard to see and difficult to bring into focus – this new vision will be okay because God is with us and we are never alone.  The new king in the form of small boy, the new sight in the form of a man born blind, a new vision which God has for us, for our community, for our church, and for the world.  Let us be open to the new vision open to discover the movement of the Holy Spirit “that may bring us new ways of living in the world, new ways of being church, new ways of  loving, caring, sharing, being the good news of God.”  Amen.