John 9:1-3 (NRSV)
As he walked along, [Jesus] 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.
Romans 9:25-26 (NRSV)
As indeed [God] says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they shall be called children of the living God.”
Jer 24:5-7 (NRSV)
Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel…I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will set my eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
Devotion
In his Ash Wednesday sermon Pastor Scott Ramsey suggested giving up something for Lent. The idea fell strangely on Presbyterian ears, since the practice is much more common in Roman Catholic or Anglican denominations. In those traditions giving up something pleasurable reminds us that Jesus gave up many pleasures while he was fasting in the wilderness for forty days. But it soon became clear that our Senior Pastor meant something different. He called on us to give up distractions that kept us from focusing our minds on God and on God’s messages for us.
Our pastors reinforced this call in subsequent services throughout Lent. By giving us a longer period of silence during prayer, they were not encouraging us to come up with a longer “to do list” for God. Rather they were encouraging us to open our minds to God’s guidance for us.
Our three scripture passages for today show that God has a plan for each human being, even when it appears that we are in despair and that things are going poorly. By listening for that plan, we will take the first step in accepting and implementing God’s direction for us. We cannot follow God’s will for our lives unless we first take the time free of other distractions to discern what that will is.
Today is Monday of Holy Week. In ancient Jerusalem this was just another day. The excitement of Palm Sunday was over. Ahead lay the cleansing of the temple, Jesus’ betrayal, trial, execution,and resurrection. But this Monday was just another day. How did Jesus spend it? Almost certainly part of it was spent in prayer listening for his Father’s words. We should do likewise.
Prayer
Loving God help us to use our time of prayer not only to tell you our needs and wants (which you already know) but to listen with open minds and open hearts for your direction to us on living our lives. Let us use that direction to grow closer to you. We ask this in the name of your ultimate gift to us, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Linton Brooks