Preaching to an Empty Room That's Filled By Jesus - John 9:1-40

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

We all have dates in our memory that will stick with us forever. Many are joyful: the day you got that bike you wanted, when you were married, when each child was born, when you went on that special vacation, when your held your first grandchild. Other days are filled with hurt and pain: the day your mom died, the day your spouse said she didn’t love you anymore, the day you got laid off, the day the officer stood on your doorstep, hat in hand, and said, “There’s no easy to say this, but…” As a nation, we remember Pearl Harbor, when the space shuttles didn’t come home; and watching the towers fall on 9/11. You have your personal dates.

I added a new date to my list last week: March 18, 2020. I will always remember it as the day I recommended we suspend public worship as the people of Zion-Mission Valley, in this house of God. In almost twenty years of ministry, I’ve had to cancel a service or two over the years because of icy road conditions and hurricanes, but there was always the knowledge and certainty that the next week or two we would gather together as a congregation. However, in the meantime, in those storms, we were able to gather in small groups to encourage and support one another. But this…this is different. A big part of the difference is that we’ve been asked to self-isolate, self-quarantine, and separate ourselves – first by 6 feet, then no touching, then in groups of no larger than 50, and then no more than 10, with some states now calling for each and every citizen stay at home.

This is not how things are supposed to be. Humans are, by nature, designed to be together. Even in the Garden of Eden, when God declared everything to be good, He saw it was not good for man to be alone and created Eve for Adam to be a help-meet and companion. This is still true after the fall, and you see it as people desire to gather together.

If this is true of humanity in general, it is doubly true of the church who is called to unity under Christ. In the adult Sunday school class a few weeks ago, we read in Ephesians chapter 5 how Paul uses the analogy of the human body to the body of Christ: there are many unique parts, each working together with varying tasks of service for the wholeness and wellbeing of the body. But all parts of the body are under Christ as our head. Where the head goes, the body goes.

Yet today, we are not together. We are separated: some of you by six feet, others by sixty feet from your home to your neighbor’s, still others by the six tenths of a mile to the next home of a member of Zion, or even the 16 miles from where I sit to the center of town. We are isolated – or, to use a Biblical image – we are exiled, not to foreign lands, but to our living rooms, our couches, and our six feet of social space, separated from each other.

And, as you sit in front of your computer this morning watching this, as I sit alone in my office instead of in front of the congregation of Zion, we are all painfully, eye-open aware that this is not the way it should be.

In times of crisis – especially when so much is out of our understanding and knowledge and experience, let alone control – it is very tempting to turn our eyes to the heavens and shout a mighty “why?” Why is this happening? What have we done to deserve this, as a family, as a community, as a nation, even as a world?

I suspect we, as Lutheran Christians, know the answer. I began this morning’s service with the old rite of confession from The Lutheran Hymnal – it may or may not have been familiar to you. In it, we declared “we poor miserable sinners confess unto Thee all my sins and inequities with which I have ever offended Thee…” Those words say that we are sinners who live in a sin-stained and sin-broken world. In times like this, the brokenness of creation becomes painfully evident. In this morning's Gospel reading from John, the question was asked, why the man was born blind? Whose fault is it? The assumption was the man or his parents were guilty of some secret, hidden sin and God was punishing them for it with blindness. They want someone to blame, someone that assignment of guilt can be directed to. Instead, Jesus directs the inquiring and accusing minds elsewhere, away from the individual to the fallenness of the world. It's not his fault or the mother or the father. Stop trying to lay blame, as if it is a this-for-that punishment from God. Rather, see it for what it is: the reality that in this world is great trouble, hurt, grief and loss.

Too often, we suffer in silence, alone, even in the midst of a crowd. Difficult marriages, health problems, family struggles, unemployment, financial woes, wondering how to feed the family today let alone tomorrow. But, for the sake of a good show we pretend all is well and good while we are, figuratively at least, dying inside. This virus has stripped all pretense away. None of us can pretend we are not touched by it. Some are touched by it literally: the doctors and nurses and medical vocations are facing a very real yet unseen enemy in the form of a virus. Others of us face secondary effects with job insecurity, financial worry, and loneliness. These things are real, as are our concerns.

You've seen the cliches, the bumper-sticker theology. “Let go and let God,” “Just believe,” “Be strong,” and other such seemingly pithy comments. Some even cite Bible verses: “I can do all things through Christ.” Almost all point to you, like the old Uncle Sam posters. You notice, Jesus doesn’t ask anything of the blind man. He had nothing to give. Just as the blind man could not make himself see, and his parents couldn’t restore his vision no matter how hard they might wish, we know we cannot save ourselves from our situation either. No, those bumper-sticker theologies have it backwards. I'll tell you the exact opposite. This morning, you are not called to be strong. You are not called to be brave. You are not called do a single thing. You are, however, baptized, and as a baptized child of God, you are able to be faithful by the Spirit of God. 

You do believe, don’t you! You know that Jesus intervenes. He steps in and redeems the man’s sight. He restores that which was broken. He makes whole that which was broken apart. He does it for the man; He does it for all of creation; He does it for us. And, He does it in a remarkably backwards way, not through strength but through weakness. Christ's weakness is greater than your strength. Yes, I said that on purpose. If you think you are strong, I assure you, you are not. Christ's weakness is greater than anything you have. His weakness let Him be nailed to the cross to overcome the world with all of its fallenness. In His deepest of humility and out of the depths of His love for this fallen creation, Jesus was subject to the fallen world so He could die. But, more than that, Jesus rose from death’s grave. He stood, Easter morning, alive, victorious, with death conquered.

This, friends, is called the Gospel: Christ redeems the fallen creation. His healing the blind man shows His strength. Jesus says the blindness was to show the glory of God. Don't think this was only the man's eyes. Yes, vision was restored but there is something even greater to see here. This is a microcosm of the restoration that takes place in all creation. In His death, Jesus makes broken creation unbroken. He makes things right and true, whole and holy. It's already trued and holy and righted and whole, even now in the midst of this pandemic, creation is being restored. But we're not there, all-the-way, just yet.

I imagine some may be saying, that’s great and all…thanks…but what about everything going on right now? Nice little talk, preacher, but that doesn’t heal anyone, hire anyone, help anyone. “Jesus, then… What about me, now?” Ok, fair enough question.

When there was a recession or a depression, Jesus was there.  When there was a plague, or a small pox, or a cholera, or polio, or a famine, Jesus was with each person who was sick.  When there was a persecution of Christians or others, Jesus was there too. Through every terrible scene of the fallenness of creation was the Good News of the Saving work of Jesus Christ.  

Christ's power is made perfect in our weakness. This virus has stripped us of any pretense that we can control creation, that we can play the part of creator. God is creator; we are creation. Yes, He gifts us with wisdom and intelligence, and by His grace and mercy, those gifts will be used by scientists and doctors to help in this time of great need. But He gifts us – the non-scientists, the non-medical folks – with something as well.

I said earlier that we are joined together, as one body, under Christ. Where the head goes, the body goes. Christ, our head, has gone to the cross. We follow with life under the cross. This side of heaven, there is suffering. But, as the body of Christ we are never alone – ironically, even during this time of separation. So, this is the perfect time to not only be reminded of our oneness under Christ, but to reconnect with parts of the body of Christ as well. But, remember: Christ's power was shown chiefly in His love on the cross. In this time of cross-bearing, share the love of Jesus.  And, in loving one another, Christ's powerful, self-giving love is shown in actions and in the words you share. We are created to be together. So be together, even if it is from afar.

Here is what I hope we, the people of Zion might live out the love of Christ this week, and every week, until we return together as the body of Christ.

One: Every day, pray for different specific groups of people:

·        Healthcare workers: doctors, nurses, techs, support staff, EMT’s

·        Government officials: on the national, state, and local levels

·        Families sheltering at home: there is a whole lot of togetherness right now, and fear and frustration can fuel words and actions we might not say or do under less stressful times;

·        Displaced Workers: everyone who is working from home, furloughed; or now out of work

·        Infected by the Disease:  that they would be ok and have a full recovery

·        Business Owners: who potentially may have to cut employees, scale back, or worse close altogether

·        God’s peace and healing: with anxiety levels and stress levels at a heightened sense we need the peace that passes all understanding

Two: Every day, call – not text, call – three people. Call at least one person from church you don't regularly talk to, a member of your family, and a friend or coworker. Ask them how are they doing?  Ask them is everything ok?  Ask them if they need anything?  But most of all just be a compassionate ear. 

Three: Be a good neighbor. There is no better time than now to check in on them. You many even find-out something you didn’t know.  Use that fence for distance, and ask them how they are holding up, if they need help with anything, like running an errand especially if you are young and they are older (they may ask you the same thing). Then, ask them if you can pray with them.

And then remind them of the good news: Jesus has been with us through every trial and calamity. He is restoring a fallen world. His open grave promises that we, too, shall be raised and that in that resurrection a new heavens and new earth will be ours.

I realize we are in the season of Lent and, according to our calendar, it's not yet Easter. But remember, Easter has happened. Christ is still risen. He is still the victor. This does not change. Christ, the risen one, has endured everything and keeps us connected to Himself as His body... even through the valley of the shadow.