First Presbyterian Church of Olney

An evangelical church in urban Philadelphia

A family of believers of all ages and ethnicities

First Presbyterian Church of Olney Philadelphia PA


Home Olney Pres Web Site
Calendar Olney Pres Web Site
Services Olney Pres Web Site
Activities Olney Pres Web Site
Photos Olney Pres Web Site
Beliefs Olney Pres Web Site
Location Olney Pres Web Site
Listen Olney Pres Web Site
Contact Olney Pres Web Site
Youth Olney Pres Web Site
Donate Olney Pres Web Site
Members Olney Pres Web Site


Lenten Season Devotions 2017
Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - Rev. Randy Barge, Pastor



“One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”


John 9:1-11 NRSV
 
As he walked along, he 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. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”  Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.”

------------------------------------------

‬‬

 

Seeing requires light, and what we are able to see often depends on the quality and type of light that illumines the world around us.  When I was a teenager, we would have what we called black light basement parties.  The black light gave off a ghostly, bluish glow that transformed the whole room and everything in it.  Under the cast of the black light, some things that were hidden and unable to be seen in regular light were not only seen but glowed.  I don’t know why we thought black lights were so “cool” other than the fact that they allowed us to see the world in a whole new way.
 
Seeing requires light, and Jesus tells us that he is the light of the world.  To be a follower of Jesus is to see the world in a whole new light-- the light of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness.  To see the world through the radiant glow of the Lord Jesus Christ is to see the people who are often unseen and overlooked by the world.  It is to see that many of the things that we deem important are not important at all.  It is to see the humanity and dignity of everyone including those who would be our enemies.  It is to see that we are all connected and that, when some of us are diminished in any way, we are all diminished.  It is to see that the path to salvation is not through the stockpiling of weapons or the hoarding of material goods but through the self-giving love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Seeing requires light, and during the season of Lent, we are invited to bask in the radiant glow of God’s love as we make our way to the cross.



Back | Home | Calendar | Services | Activities | Photos | Beliefs | Location | Listen | Contact | Youth | Donate
For more information about this site, please contact thewebmaster@fpcolney.org

Copyright © , First Presbyterian Church of Olney,
5435 N. Third Street, Philadelphia, PA 19120
215-424-6809