Fr. Ken begins every Vestry meeting with a prayer and message from the Book of Common Prayer. This sets our hearts on things above as well as we prepare to talk about programs, plans, and roof repairs.
As we read about the setting of the sun and the end of the day, Jesus as the Light of the World is especially relevant. It’s cold and dark outside.
Each time, we listen to the Gospel for the day. Last time we heard the story of Jesus healing a blind man.
This man was blind. He needed to see. His friends saw that he needed to see. Seriously, the guy needed to see. So that was surely his greatest need.
May I interject that I speak of this with a degree of insight as a former caregiver for a dearly beloved family member who lost her sight? She lived in total blackness. There was no spot on the horizon to focus on. So, she was out of balance. She was lonely. Her life was devoid of color. There was no day or night and like the blind man in the story, she had to rely on others.
And yet when Jesus asked the man in the story what he needed, he simply asked for mercy.
Sometimes when we are in the dark, it’s hard to know what we need. We’ve all got those times. And yet what we need most is God’s Mercy. Mercy is compassion and forgiveness that offers freedom—a Light in the Darkness.
Do not be afraid. You don’t have to sit in darkness.
Let the Light of God’s Mercy show you the way.
Just ask.
(Originally written for The Clarion, Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield, MO)