Sunday service for 27 February 2022

27 February 2022
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse phone: 632143 
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

To hear the audio recording of this service, please phone 01475 270037. It’s a local landline number so minutes should be included in your phone plan.

Prelude Music

Welcome

Call to Worship
One: God is revealing glory to any who will look
1: from a new perspective
2: through strange eyes
3: in different bodies
4: by a variety of voices
One: right here, right now.
All: Let us open our hearts to see.

Prayer
O God, today in the midst of all the difficulty of this world,
when we can’t tear ourselves away from the news,
and fear and anger rise in equal measure,
we pray you would open inside of us a space to breathe and focus,
to look and listen beyond the soundbites and headlines and images,
to see your people and hear their stories and make room for hope.
You are a God of Truth,
and you call us to live in the reality of your kingdom, even now.
We confess that we operate mainly on assumptions.
We assume that the systems we are comfortable with are the best for everyone.
We assume that those whose bodies or minds work differently than our own are less —
less trustworthy, less mature, less capable.
We assume that those who don’t fit into this world’s economic or social ways
are lazy or undeserving.
Forgive us for relying on our privilege in this false reality,
when in truth it obscures your way.
Forgive us and open us to recognise the fullness of your kingdom reality,
and so be transformed to live differently.
Where we so quickly think we understand,
and fill in the gaps with assumptions,
pull us back and let all our senses work together
to experience the fullness of your grace
in community, in the world, in us.
In this time together,
may we be attuned to your presence in the unexpected,
and made ready to do your work in the world.
We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Music
Online: hymn 465: Be Thou My Vision
In person:

Mission Focus: Venda

Reading: John 9:1-41 (New Revised Standard Version)
Last week we heard about Jesus feeding the multitudes with only the gift of a young boy’s packed lunch, and then teaching that he is the bread of life. After that, John’s gospel tells us that Jesus “went about in Galilee” until the next festival in the autumn, several months later. Throughout the festival he was teaching in the Temple. The religious and political authorities were upset by this and argued about how to proceed — should he be arrested, or assassinated, or put on trial, or allowed to go about his business a while longer to see what would happen? During a confrontation between Jesus and the leaders, Jesus said “I am the Light of the World” and the authorities decided he must be possessed by a demon, and they attempted to stone him, but he left the Temple for the day. We pick up the story there, in the gospel according to John, chapter 9. I am reading from the New Revised Standard Version.

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’
The religious leaders did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ His parents said this because they were afraid of the religious leaders; for the leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’
So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’ He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ Then they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man answered, ‘Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?’ And they drove him out.
Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped him. Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, “We see”, your sin remains.’

For the word of God in scripture
For the word of God among us
For the word of God within us
Thanks be to God.

Sermon: Whose story is this?

It’s so fascinating that we call this the story of the man born blind, or the story of Jesus healing a blind man, when really it seems to be a story of people whose eyes work perfectly well and yet they see nothing.

Jesus is explicit that there’s no sin involved in the man’s blindness, but there’s plenty of sin involved in the wilful choice not to see. And so the man whose eyes were healed sees progressively more, as he tells his story over and over again, until by the end Jesus says “you have seen” and he comes to follow Jesus.

But the other people in the story….his neighbours, who don’t recognise him now that he can see them. They can’t believe he’s the same person they used to walk past every day. Rather than trust his story of his own experience, they took him to the authorities…who also didn’t believe he was the same person, so they called his parents…and when the parents’ answers still didn’t fit the script they were looking for, they simply threw the man out of the community. The authorities have no interest in listening or experiencing anything that might challenge their worldview. It’s as if they simply cover their ears and shut their eyes and say “lalalalalala, we can’t hear you, you’re just a blind beggar who doesn’t understand anything, lalalalala.”

Some of us may have experienced being disbelieved when we spoke about our own experiences. I suspect not many of us have, as adults, had our parents called to check up on whether our story was true.

Of course, people even in our own community who have disabilities, or people who live on the streets, or refugees and asylum seekers, often find themselves infantilised this way still today. We don’t trust them so we ask around for a second opinion on their own stories or needs. We try to find ways to disbelieve what they tell us and get them to say what we think they ought to be experiencing or thinking or wanting. And when it doesn’t work, we escalate to the next level of authority, and make them tell the story all over again, or else we simply cut them off, turning our eyes away and acting as if the situation is somehow their fault.

It was after his own community rejected him, shoved him out and refused to engage with him truthfully that Jesus found him again. When he met the man the second time, Jesus recognised him, though his neighbours who’d known him for years hadn’t. Remember the man had never seen Jesus — he couldn’t see until after he’d gone and washed the mud from his eyes. Yet when Jesus spoke, his voice would have been immediately familiar, of course.

What Jesus said to this man who only began to see with his eyes a day or two ago was: you have seen me. And he worshipped — the first person in John’s gospel to do so.

Those other people whose eyes work perfectly well, and who think they understand everything, actually have none of the insight needed to see Jesus. Their insistence that they know best, which means they’re unwilling to hear someone else’s story, ends up blinding them to the reality of God in their midst.

I wonder if the reason we title this story to focus on the single man who sees despite not having eyes to see, rather than focusing on the majority of the community who do not see despite thinking they know all they need to know, is because that’s who we’d prefer to imagine ourselves as? We like to think we’re the ones who have had our eyes opened. Yet as a society or as a church, do we, a collective we, listen to and trust people’s stories of their own experience? Do we insist that a story that doesn’t fit our pre-cut moulds must be wrong or discarded? Do we ever push out people whose stories challenge our understanding of the world? Or when we encounter something that doesn’t make sense, do we simply ignore it and walk on by?

The man who sees is the man who was changed. The ones who don’t see are the ones who refuse to change. And there’s only sin associated with the refusal to change. The judgment is self-imposed, for those who choose not to see.

The things happening in the world and in the church are a reminder to us that insisting on only operating from what we think we know, and refusing to adapt or integrate new stories or try a new perspective, is a dangerous way to live. Running the same script over again will never address the challenges the church is facing. Running the same script over again will definitely not solve the problems on the world stage. We can never get to peace, or justice, or new life simply by doing what we’ve always done, no matter how well-worn the path. If we want to see Jesus, if we want to experience God’s kingdom among us, we will need to be open to a bit of mess — mud and water and stories that don’t make sense, new ways of thinking and listening and including and changing our minds and hearts to go a different way, which may require blazing a new trail…but we are never out there on our own, Jesus will always meet us there.

May it be so. Amen.

Music: When God’s Perfect Plans by Resound Music
In Person Hymn 352: O For a Thousand Tongues

Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
You seek us out, O God, and bring us together into your community.
You do not leave us to walk this way alone,
and we offer you our gratitude for your companionship on the journey of life.
When we find it difficult to be taught, you persist.
When we can hardly believe our eyes, you bring us along slowly.
Hear our praise for your compassion and your wonders.

We lift up to you those who are looked down upon,
who have been infantilised because of disability or economic circumstance,
whom we do not recognise as our neighbours, people made in your image.
May they know their value, and experience love from you and from others.

We lift up to you those who say things the systems of this world do not want to hear,
and so are rejected because their ideas are threatening.
Give them your courage to stand firm and speak out.

We ask your transforming power to be at work in
those of us who find it so easy to refuse to receive the testimony of others;
those of us who speak easily of justice and love,
yet drive it out of our community when it’s inconvenient;
those of us too afraid to own up to what we have seen,
choosing instead to take the easy way out of hard conversations;
those of us who trust our own vision more than yours.
Heal our hearts that we may turn to your way of truth.

We pray fervently today for peace and justice, hand in hand.
You hold the people of Ukraine, their names carried in your heart.
In the darkness of invasion and in the mire of political machinations, 
we pray for your light of hope and of justice and of peace.
Encourage those who are frightened,
comfort those who are grieving,
and give strength to those who stand to protect others.
May they find strength in you, and in those around them – near and far.
You hold, too, the people of Russia —
those who are demonstrating against war, at great risk to themselves and their families;
those who feel they have no choice but to comply;
those who have been dragged in to a situation not of their making.
We ask for your courage that they may stand and do what is right,
and we pray you would surround those who risk safety for peace with your care.
We pray for leaders of nations —
for a change of heart and direction for those who choose to make war,
and for strength of spirit for those in the worldwide family of nations
that they may find ways to respond with the wisdom needed to effect a peace that lasts.
And for ourselves, save us, we pray O God, 
from not caring enough,
from turning away and believing this is nothing to do with us,
from rejecting the stories and needs and hopes
of those whose lives are being turned upside down.
You are transforming the world, one person at a time,
so we pray for the eyes and hearts to see all you reveal,
and for the minds and wills to live differently according to what we have seen.
In the name of the One whose truth dazzles our senses and calls us to live in hope,
Jesus the Christ,
who taught us to pray together:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn 622: We Sing a Love

Benediction
Go into your week with all your senses open to the transformation God is revealing around you. And as you go, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.

Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.

Postlude Music

Announcements

* This winter our theme is “Seeing Jesus.” Where do you see Jesus? What is he up to in your life, and in our community’s life?

*You are invited to join in reading the Bible in a year for 2022 — immersing ourselves in God’s word throughout the year. Click here to find a reading plan that’s five days a week (leaving a couple of days for catch up each week!). Watch this space for information about a Bible study as we go through the scriptures together!

* All worship is online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print) and we also meet in person, subject to the usual protocols for distancing, hand hygiene, mask wearing. We can now welcome up to 85-100 people for worship with 1m distancing between households. No booking is required. Masks are required at all times inside the building, including while singing. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door.

* Tonight we will gather with Christians across the nation for evening prayer on the Connect Facebook Page, led tonight by David. Log on at 6:58pm to join in.

* The Kirk now has online giving! If you have not already set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Peter Bennett, our treasurer, or Teri and she can give you his details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. Remember: no one is coming to your door to collect your envelopes, so please stay safe!

* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word and/or Westminster Wednesdays on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!