Next Sunday’s long passage from John 9 is full of rich lessons for us today. My comments from three years ago (you will notice an early reference to the Christchurch earthquakes) address three possible themes:-
1. There is the age-old question about why God allows innocent people, especially children, to suffer. In this text Jesus points us towards the only way we can ever find answers to such questions: by opening ourselves to experience God’s redeeming creative presence in our world.
2. The healed man’s rejection from the synagogue raises ongoing issues within our own faith communities and even our personal consciousness. How can I allow fresh experiences of God’s redemptive action to transform my settled convictions, especially those about what is right for others?
3. Responding to Jesus’ redemptive presence within and around me has an aspect of judgement: how I respond may lead to new insight into the reality of God’s purpose in our world, or deepen the darkness within which I hide from what the truth I need to know – a Lenten challenge if there was ever one.
You can hear my comments by following this link…
As ever, please feel free to leave a comment!
Howard Pilgrim