Who's Blind?

Bartimaeus was blind. I cannot imagine a life without reading or seeing a child's smile or the tulips in my back yard. He was desperate to see and called out to Jesus for help. The crowd saw Bartimaeus as an annoyance and urged Jesus not to pay any attention to him, just as they didn't. But, Jesus saw him, called him over and healed him.

Do you think the crowd was healed of their blindness? They were blind to this man's suffering and so, he had become part of the urban landscape. They were annoyed by his presence and his 'acting out'. We all probably have times when the pandhandler on the exit ramp or the forgetful elderly person or the rambunctious kid annoys us. Then, we become blind to the weird kids on the Commons or to the ranting woman in the public hearing or to the students puking on the street - like Bartimaeus, they become part of our social landscape. And, maybe this social blindness is even more debilitating than Bartimaeus' physical blindness.

I cannot imagine a life without hearing the stories of people who are truly suffering, or learning from the people who serve me every day, or without being able to see the ways that I might make a difference in someone's life. At least Bartimaeus knew he was blind! Maybe this story really is about the crowd, about us. Maybe it's an invitation for us to ask Jesus to give us new sight.

I am hoping to see all of you on Sunday when Dr. David Mellott, one of our Foote lecturers, preaches on this story, joins us for an AfterWord time and invites us to see the importance of being an Open & Affirming Congregation is today's world.

Blessings - Laura Lee

Texts for This Week:

Texts for This Week:

+ Psalm 34:1-8,19-22

*Mark 10:46-52

Note: The texts in bold type will be read in the worship service and the one with an asterisk will be used as the focus for the proclamation of the word.