Scriptures for Sunday, March 26, 2017:
1 Samuel 16: 1 – 13
Psalm 23
Ephesians 5: 8 -- 14
John 9: 1 – 41

“One thing I do know,
            that though I was blind, now I see.”
                        - John 9:25

Eyesight is so very important. 
For those of us who have it, eyesight is a tool that enables us to work with the appearances that present themselves in the physical world.  Eyesight has a major role in one’s being allowed to drive or serve in the military.  We use eyesight in our work and play, and it furnishes our minds with endless material which composes a large part of our thoughts.
Loss focuses our attention: just as “you don’t miss the water ‘til the well runs dry,” we probably don’t appreciate our eyesight so thoroughly until it is threatened.  Injuries and illnesses have many symptoms, but when something affects our eyesight, we react strongly.  Imagine that a spray of sand and pebbles was coming toward you:  What part of your body would you move most quickly to protect ?  And if you could choose which parts of your body would be saved from an illness, wouldn’t you give a high priority to saving your eyesight ?
In our Bethel congregation and community, we have many people experiencing challenges to their eyesight.  Some of these include macular degeneration, issues related to glaucoma, various other aging and disease processes, and loss due to injuries.  Someone you know and love is dealing with one or more of these.
Perhaps folks in our region of Virginia are more likely to have encountered blind people than those living in other areas, thanks to the long-time presence of the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Staunton.  VSDB was first established there in 1839, only the second institution of its kind in the entire world.  You have probably met some of its students. 
Technology and creativity, over generations, have yielded very real victories in the struggle against blindness.  Who knows what advances may emerge in the realm of eyesight, rendering possible what has long been considered impossible ?  The character Geordi LaForge on the TV show Star Trek- The Next Generation is a big inspiration here: though completely blind, his special visor gave him “eye”-sight even better than ordinary people.  Medical science is working toward this.
And we can all admire the courage and determination that blind folks demonstrate as they pursue success without eyesight.  Throughout our society, “visually challenged” people strive and accomplish high goals.
Yet the story of Jesus healing the man who was born blind (John 9) is mainly about something other than eye-sight.  In fact, the man who was born blind saw the truth about Jesus that many people with healthy eye-sight failed to see.
You have probably heard the saying, “We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience: we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.”  That applies especially to sight. 
As the LORD told the prophet Samuel, when Samuel was trying to guess which one of Jesse’s sons God wanted him to anoint as the King of Israel, “the LORD does not see as mortals see;
     they look on the outward appearance,
          but the LORD looks on the heart.”               (1 Samuel 16:7)
This is not about echo-cardiograms or EKG tests:  this is the spiritual vision that is more real than anything our eyes can see on the surface of things.
As in this past Sunday’s worship, we do well to pray with St. Patrick of Ireland, “Christ in the eye of every person who looks upon me.”

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 19
 Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42

One Great Hour of Sharing is coming to Bethel, along with many thousands of churches around the world, on Sunday, March 26th.  For a number of years, our Bethel has participated in this ecumenical mission offering.  We receive it as a freewill offering— whatever YOU choose to contribute— and our contribution flows worldwide through the United Church of Christ.
Please visit the UCC’s website concerning One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS)— it is both inspiring and heartbreaking to see what our gifts can do to help.  Please make plans to give !
“How is the United Church of Christ's offering used?  Almost 60 percent of the UCC's offering supports international development initiatives, including annual support for missionaries. Currently there are 4 OGHS supported missionaries and 2 Global Mission Interns working in disaster relief, health care, education, sustainable agricultural development, and refugee support.  The offering also funds disaster preparedness and response, and disaster related volunteer initiatives in the U.S.
 
“Where and how are OGHS funds shared?  The United Church of Christ responds to development, disaster, and refugee needs in 138 countries, and provides disaster relief and immigration assistance in the United States.  The United Church of Christ responds as a member of organizations such as Church World Service and the ACT Alliance.  We also support the direct mission efforts of churches and church-based organizations that the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have direct partnerships with through Global Ministries.  Nearly one-third of the UCC's offering is shared through Church World Service to support refugee, disaster, development, and advocacy programs.
 
“What percentage of OGHS donations are used directly for mission?  On average, of every dollar given to One Great Hour of Sharing, 95 cents is used directly for mission programming, and the remaining 5 cents is used to create interpretation materials.  Administrative costs are paid by gifts to Our Church's Wider Mission National Basic Support.
 
This year’s theme evokes both God’s presence AND the presence of God’s generous people wherever there is need in the world:

As I promised last week, here are the top five suggestions from Pope Francis (according to Kevin Cotter, who serves as the Senior Director of Curriculum for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students), in answer to the question, “What should I do for Lent ?”

5.  Take part in the sacraments  “Lent is a favorable time for letting Christ serve us so that we in turn may become more like him.  This happens whenever we hear the word of God and receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.  There we become what we receive: the Body of Christ.”

4.  Pray: “Make our hearts like yours!”  “During this Lent, then, brothers and sisters, let us all ask the Lord: ‘Make our hearts like yours.’  In this way we will receive a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalization of indifference.”

3.  Don’t remain indifferent  “Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians.  Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience. God is not indifferent to our world; he so loves it that he gave his Son for our salvation.”

2.  Do something that hurts  “Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty.  Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance.  I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.”
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1.  Get rid of the lazy addiction to evil  “[Lent] is a ‘powerful’ season, a turning point that can foster change and conversion in each of us.  We all need to improve, to change for the better.  Lent helps us and thus we leave behind old habits and the lazy addiction to the evil that deceives and ensnares us.” 

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 12 
GENESIS 12:1-4
PSALM 121
ROMANS 4:1-17
JOHN 3:1-17

On Sunday evening, March 26th, we will be hosting the Elkton community at Bethel for a light soup-and-sandwich meal and a program.  The theme which our Ministers’ Association has set forth for this year’s gatherings is “Sacrifice and Resurrection.”
If you think about it for a moment, for us followers of Jesus Christ, each of those words has a two-fold meaning.  “Sacrifice” refers to the ministry, passion, and death of Jesus himself, but it also evokes OUR sacrifice, as we obey Jesus’ call to “take up our crosses.”  Likewise, “Resurrection” is the word for the Father raising Jesus Christ from death, but it also means God’s new creation and eternal life for US as we faithfully follow Jesus.
For the program we offer at Bethel, I am inviting YOU to participate in planning our program on March 26th by naming three things:
>your favorite Bible verse (or two) related to
          either SACRIFICE or RESURRECTION
 
________________________________________________
>your favorite song related to SACRIFICE
 
________________________________________________
>your favorite song related to RESURRECTION
 
__________________________________________________
 
Please include your name, and turn in your responses by Sunday afternoon, March 19th.  We will provide some time to consider this during worship next Sunday, March 12th.  The Deacons will help me process your responses and identify the top two or three SACRIFICE song requests and the top two or three RESURRECTION song requests, so we can sing them on the 26th.  Also, we will invite you to publicly say your favorite verses in the program— but it will also be OK if you want to have someone else say it for you.
               †                      †                      †
Last evening, during a very nice time of fellowship over soup and sandwiches at Evangelical United Methodist Church in Elkton, the man sitting next to me asked me if I had heard about Pope Francis’ “tips on what to do for Lent.” 
You never know what God may have in store for you when you reach out and mingle with faithful neighbors !
So, this morning I googled “Pope Francis Lent,” and as far as I can tell, our neighbor was referring to a “Top Ten” list which was compiled from Pope Francis’ writings and addresses by Kevin Cotter of The Fellowship of Catholic University Students. 

https://focusoncampus.org/content/what-should-i-do-for-lent-pope-francis-10-tips
 
Here is the bottom half of the list, counting down from number ten.  I hope to share the other five in this space next week !
10.  Evangelize  “The Lord asks us to be joyous heralds of this message of mercy and hope!  It is thrilling to experience the joy of spreading this good news, sharing the treasure entrusted to us, consoling broken hearts and offering hope to our brothers and sisters experiencing darkness.”

9.  Help the Poor  “In the poor and outcast we see Christ’s face; by loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ.  Our efforts are also directed to ending violations of human dignity, discrimination and abuse in the world, for these are so often the cause of destitution.  When power, luxury and money become idols, they take priority over the need for a fair distribution of wealth.  Our consciences thus need to be converted to justice, equality, simplicity and sharing."

8.  Almsgiving  “Today gratuitousness is often not part of daily life where everything is bought and sold.  Everything is calculated and measured.  Almsgiving helps us to experience giving freely, which leads to freedom from the obsession of possessing, from the fear of losing what we have, from the sadness of one who does not wish to share his wealth with others.”  
7.  Fasting  “We must be careful not to practice a formal fast, or one which in truth ‘satisfies’ us because it makes us feel good about ourselves.  Fasting makes sense if it questions our security, and if it also leads to some benefit for others, if it helps us to cultivate the style of the Good Samaritan, who bends down to his brother in need and takes care of him.”  
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6.  Prayer  “In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and could harden our hearts, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of God’s boundless love, to taste His tenderness.  Lent is a time of prayer, of more intense prayer, more prolonged, more assiduous, more able to take on the needs of the brethren; intercessory prayer, to intercede before God for the many situations of poverty and suffering.”