Love Under Pressure: One Thing I Know

The chapter explores the kind of vision that recognizes the movement of god in the world. We notice different people respond to Jesus in different ways, and their responses reveal the condition of their hearts. Some people recognize the work of God with wonder and gratitude. Others need to examine the situation carefully and search for any and all explanations. And in the center of the story stands a man, a man whose life was changed so dramatically that he can describe it with one simple, powerful testimony. One thing I know, I was blind and now I see. Those words carry the heart of our message for today. [00:58:25] (59 seconds)  #IWasBlindNowISee

They wanted to get it right. They wanted to honor god, but standing right in front of them was a man who received his sight for the very first time in his life. Instead of throwing a party, instead of ringing cowbells, there is this intense investigation, and that moment invites us to pay attention to something very important because sometimes we become so focused on the rules surrounding faith that we miss the joy of what god is doing right in front of us. Imagine from this man's perspective. For the first time in his life, he sees all the things. And the leaders, they begin by asking questions. How did you receive your sight? [01:05:41] (50 seconds)  #JoyOverRules

The question looks for a cause. They assume that someone must be responsible. However, Jesus isn't having that question at all. He shifts the entire conversation. Instead of searching for blame, he speaks about the opportunity for the works of God to be revealed. Then Jesus performs the healing in a way that feels earthly and sacred. He kneels down. He makes mud with his hands, and he places it on the man's eyes, and he sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man goes. He washes, and suddenly, the man who has never been able to see anything in his life is given full sight. [01:00:13] (52 seconds)  #SiloamMiracle

So I wonder if anyone has ever had this experience of sitting in an eye doctor's chair. Have you done that before? You've been in the eye doctor's chair. We settle into the seat, the doctor lowers the big machine in front of our face with all of those different lenses, and then the question begins. One or two? Better or better this way? Three or four? You know how it goes. You know how it goes. So we stare at the chart on the wall and the letters shift slightly. Sometimes they blur together and sometimes they sharpen, and the doctor flips another lens. How about now? [00:56:51] (41 seconds)  #LensOfFaith

Trust in the one who loves you. Trust in the one who holds you. Trust in this great power of a faith community and the holy spirit working together that when we collectively decide we're gonna worship Jesus, that the holy spirit just shows up in a way that each one of us are like, wow. Wow. We the holy spirit's here all the time. It's just whether we're tuned in and ready and eager. And today, I would invite us to be eager and know that even if something feels heavy, even if it feels hard or if something is joyous and wonderful, what we can always trust is that god's love will lift us and carry us and move us forward and send us out in our mission field on the other side of our worship time together. [00:19:23] (50 seconds)  #SpiritShowsUp

His words carry remarkable clarity. He speaks about what he has experienced. He describes the change in his life. He offers a witness grounded in transformation. His testimony is straightforward. He does not attempt to explain all the theological details. He speaks about what he knows best. One thing I know. That kind of testimony carries deep power in our lives because faith faith grows from our experiences through those moments when grace becomes visible, through experiences when Christ meets us right where we are needed to see Jesus, and we begin to change. [01:07:32] (56 seconds)  #OneThingIKnow

The story invites us to consider how Christ opens our eyes, how Christ opens your eyes and and my eyes, how we might see or not see the work of God all around us. I wonder, has anyone here ever prayed for clarity? Have you ever prayed for wisdom? Have you ever prayed for understanding? Maybe we can remember those moments in our life when something finally became crystal clear. Maybe it was a season of hardship that revealed the strength of god's presence in our life. Maybe it was a moment of forgiveness that changed the way we see another person. [01:09:35] (48 seconds)  #PrayForClarity

Maybe it was an unexpected blessing that reminded us that god continues to work in ways that we had never even imagined. Maybe as we look back, we look back on our lives, we can see those moments where our faith grew the most. Those moments we see the ways that Christ guided us, the way this that Christ help heal us, the way that Christ shaped our lives, the way that Christ shaped our understanding of the world. We learned something pretty powerful in this text today, something that we can use every single day of our life after being asked way too many times how he got his sight restored and people were debating all about his miracle. Listen again to what he says. [01:10:23] (59 seconds)  #FaithGrows