Through Stained Glass: A Mid-Week Reflection-Space

Mark 10.46-52

The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus

46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ⁴⁸Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ ⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.⁵¹Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ ⁵²Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. 

What is ‘gospel?’

Perhaps we need not look any further than this healing story from Jesus.

Take a closer look at it.

Before Jesus heals Bartimaeus, he asks him what he wants.

Jesus's love for people means he listens to them.

Faith can make us well. This is not magic, or superstition, or some simple fix of course. It seems clear, to me at least, that when Jesus says, "Your faith has made you well" he is not saying that these people somehow believed their way into wellness. Rather he is pronouncing their wellness, declaring it, making it happen for them. It is Jesus who heals, and faith that receives that healing. And so it is, or can be, for those who hear this story and this good news. Faith can make us well. Faith can open our ears, unstop our ears -- even raise us from death.

As much as we may want to make this piece of scripture only about faith, there is something else to explore in regards to being church.

Did you notice how the blind man responded when he heard who was in his presence?

Better yet, did you notice how “the many” around him responded when they heard the blind man cry out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”?

His cries stopped Jesus in his tracks. Even against the advice of his top advisors and friends who knew better, Jesus stops and listens.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks.

“My teacher, let me see again.”

What if God is waiting for us as God’s people to begin to ask what we want of God? What if the way we can bring healing to such a hurting place is by stopping and listening to the cries around us? What would our ministry look like if we visited everybody we send checks to?

Gospel is not only the telling of the good news. But it is also about listening for it. Then, providing that space where we can celebrate our good news together as a community.

Daily, as God’s people, we have choices to make.

We choose to listen and to see.

Or we choose not to.

So I can’t help but wonder, what do you think Jesus would show us if we allowed him to fully open our eyes to the beauty that surrounds us?

God sees us as God’s beloved children. It is time we begin to do the same.

Through Stained Glass: A Mid-Week Reflection-Sassy

Sassy

He’ll turn 8 in a little over a week.

He was born on Mother’s Day in 2007.

8 weeks he came home with me. A little golden ball of fur who whined all night and awkwardly tumbled upstairs and was so adorable I almost thought about renting him out to single folks.

He’s always had a heart of gold. I like to think it’s from his golden coat that goes with me everywhere.

Whenever we go out, people are often taken aback by his size. “Does he bite?” they ask. Always with a grin, I reply, “Nope. He’ll lick ya to death.”

I guess you could say he is a gentle giant.

People who don’t have pets don’t quite understand their impact on us humans. Often when I’ve talked about Silas and Chloe people will ask, “Oh, are they your children?” and when I politely say no there is often an expression of judgment. No that is too strong of a word. There is an expression of misunderstanding and ignorance. Pets are intuitive creatures. Especially dogs. When the time is right, rarely do they instigate for their own sake of feeling good. Nor do they ever talk back. And never have I ever come home and was met by Silas and Chloe with their tails not wagging. Even on their worst days, and on my very awful, no good, bad days, they offer me love.

All went well today at our vet appointment. Both dogs are healthy and the lumps found on Silas’ belly are nothing to worry about. A large sigh of relief was breathed at the house upon the good news.

They are with me now at church. Asleep at my feet. Silas is snoring by the door. And Chloe, well, about every 4 minutes she raises her head as if she has heard something. Perhaps she hears the church mouse.

Next week Silas turns 8. The following week Chloe will turn 3. They are dogs, yes. But they are much more than that. They are companions and teachers. They reveal insight about joy and simplicity, grace and forgiveness, happiness and love. Life isn’t perfect. And trust me, my pups aren’t perfect. However, despite the imperfections, they help me see each day as a gift, a reason to go on an adventure and smell the flowers, to walk a little slower, to saunter more.

Before you think I’ve gone off the deep end and am a pantheist, let it be known I am a Christian. In fact, I absolutely love the story of creation and how God created us in Her image, selflessly and with great love. I find comfort knowing that before God made a partner for humans, there were animals to keep us company. However, I do like to read those ancient creation myths that depict God with a dog. These stories do not explain the existence of the dog; like God, the dog is assumed to have existed from the beginning. In this assumption, these primordial people revealed their intense attachment to their animal companions.

I agree with Milan Kundera who speaks to this attachment when he says:

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.

Silas can be sassy.

Chloe can be…difficult?

But they make me smile.

And that is one of the greatest gifts of peace I can receive.