I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

      In another time and place I worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the Iowa Commission for the Blind, in downtown Des Moines. My caseload of clients included all sorts of blind people who had different needs. I drove some of them to Iowa City for exams and worked to find employment for others. I taught white-cane travel to some of my clients, following an extensive training period in which I was blindfolded and traveled the streets of Des Moines with a white cane myself. I also helped sell "White Cane" candy on the streets of Ft. Dodge and outside the factories in Dubuque. In short, I was deeply involved in the cause and had many blind people as personal friends. Over time, as I became familiar with their hopes and dreams, it became clear that... they didn't have much room for religion. They didn't have much patience with verses that suggested that God made blind people "whole" when he healed them...because they felt as if they were whole in the first place. They wanted opportunity and respect more than anything else, and they felt that a patronizing religion would only hold them back.
      Thus, they avoided church and they didn't want to hear anything about "mercy," based on pity. They wanted a job, not handouts, and they wanted to get around on their own, rather than depending on others. I understand their point of view entirely and in their behalf, I want to stress that preaching "good news" to the blind is a matter of welcoming them into our community and empowering them in all the ways we can. I also want to stress, although I pray that it is not necessary in our time, that disability of and kind, and blindness in particular, is NOT caused by sin and that it is NOT some sort of punishment from God. It is, however, a context in which God can show that, in Christ, he is the Light of the world. Many of us- should I say most of us?- are disabled in ways seen and unseen and, unless we are in Christ, we are all blind spiritually! We are blind- each one of us- unless we have accepted Christ as our Savior and embraced him as our Lord. This is the point that John makes in his 9th chapter, which is our focus on this 4th Sunday of Lent.
      Unless we know Christ, we are stumbling in darkness because he is the light of the world. This is the truth that we are confronted today... and its a great invitation for those of us, church members or not, who long to see clearly. According to John, Jesus was walking along the street of Jerusalem when he encountered a man who was born blind. Blindness was more common in Jesus' world that it is in ours... but this man had been born blind. He was not blind from a disease, or an accident, or some sort of temporary illness. He was blind from birth and just as it is in many parts of our world today, this meant that living in darkness and begging... was all that he had to live for. Well, as they passed by, his disciples asked Jesus if the man or his parents had sinned... because it was commonly thought, for centuries after this encounter, that disabilities were caused by sin. In response to this question, Jesus replied, "Neither one," but God can do anything because he is the Light of the world. Then, without being asked by the blind man, Jesus healed him with water and a little mud... and the man could see... for the first-time in his life. So, he went home, with an excitement that I can only imagine, but when he arrived, there were no balloons, just questions from his startled neighbors, some of whom doubted if he was even the same man. They couldn't see that God had worked a miracle, so they took the man to the self-righteous Pharisees, who made it their business to judge such things... and they couldn't see that God was involved either. Instead, the fixated on the fact that the man was cured on the Sabbath, and eventually they compelled the man's parents to come before them. The parents, however, we're afraid to speak for fear of being excommunicated; so the Pharisees interrogated the man again... and this time, their meeting deteriorated into a shouting match... and instead of throwing a party, they threw him out. Then Jesus approached the man, who must have been wondering what was going on, and asked him the same question he asks us, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" Do you... believe... in the Son of Man? This, more than glasses, exams, and surgeries, is the key to 20/20 vision... and the man said, "I believe." He said, "I believe," and Jesus said, "I have come so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."
      So, it's not about physical sight at all, but spiritual sight, with which we can clearly see who Christ is and who we are as we stand before him. Seeing who Christ really is... is the beginning of every spiritual journey... and believing in Him... opens our eyes wide. Friends, there's a need in our hearts- for love, acceptance...and for God- but without Christ, we can't see it clearly enough to nurture it. There are opportunities all around us, for growth and rebirth... but without Christ, we can't see them... through our fears and our doubts. There's a narrow path... that will fill us with joy. It's very close to us really and he's on it... but unless we are in Christ, we can't see it because we're lost in the crowd on the broad highway. There are people in our own world- who need to be listened to and loved... but without Christ, we won't see their pain clearly enough to respond. There are God-given vocations that will help the world and fulfill us at the same time... but apart from Christ, we are blinded by our own self-interests. God is everywhere around us, but apart from Christ, we will only see small things- that we can control and measure. Rebirth, new beginning, second chances- they're growing like flowers along the road less traveled- but without Christ, we'll never, ever see them.
      In 1976, when I was struggling in the treatment center, it suddenly occurred to me... that I had been forgiven! I could see, for the first time ever, that God loved me and that things were going to be alright. I was excited about it and I shared the good news with the nurse who was staffing 6 west that evening. However, Nancy was there too... and the next morning at breakfast... she told me that nothing had really happened, that I was as blind as I ever was, and that any new beginning that I was dreaming of... was just a figment of my imagination. She played the role of the Pharisees, or the neighbors... and she rained on my parade. It was a painful moment, but it didn't stop me from claiming what I was sure of. God had taken the burdens of guilt off of my back and he had given me enough sight to see that much! Thus, when he asked me if I believed in the Son of Man, I eagerly said what I say to this day, "I BELIEVE." I believe. Praise God, I can see clearly now because I believe in the Son of Man. Amen,