Open eyes, risen lives

For some reason, the first image or idea that came to mind when I started thinking about today’s readings were those magic eye books; you know the ones I mean right?

The ones where you stare at an image, then you blink or look away and you see an image within an image? I think that’s what today’s readings are pointing us to. We have all had enough life experience to know that a huge part of how we function in life has to do with how perceive it and how we act on our perceptions: That idea can apply to us individually, as a community or the world as a whole. I come from a family of nature lovers, my relatives like nothing better than unplugging and connecting with nature, through a hike.

In Isaiah 55:10-13, we see a portrait of God’s heart in nature, of God expressing Himself/ herself through nature. Of course this poem like reading was written for the survivors of the Babylonian exile, who were as we know were redefining themselves after trauma.

What might it mean for us?

One idea worth considering, is that God is always speaking to us in many ways often simultaneously. Now, I’ve been doing this awhile and most of you know that I don’t subscribe to the theology that everything is planned and that God uses circumstances to teach us lessons, no life has shown that those approaches have too many holes in them.

What I am saying and what I do believe is that if we take a pause to be still in any circumstance, one way or another we will hear God’s voice.

What I like about this reading is that it shows nature as an expression of divine love. I love the imagery of nature as the hand of God. I believe it serves to remind us that we are constantly being fed and nurtured by divine love, the image of the snow and rain reminds us of the living water Jesus offers to the woman at the well in John chapter 4:13 “13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

God’s love is what truly feeds us; God’s love is what truly relives our thirst.

Through the beautiful imagery of Isaiah, we are called to live with a higher view, a view which perhaps calls us to an awareness that we are connected to all life. How does the imagery of the seed the sower and the bread speak to you?

For me, it speaks to the fact that every interaction with have God and each other takes us somewhere and gives us a chance to leave an impression with others. Everything we do has impact either for the negative or the positive. It reminds us that just as God is our nurturer we are called to play a part in nurturing others.

In a very short but punchy reading, Paul invites us to walk deeper into the life of God.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58, predates the Gospels and offers a glimpse into the early churches understanding of what the concept of resurrection meant.

Of course, this plays a large part in our confessions as followers of the risen Lord.

We note, that Paul is not offering any kind of ethical guidance to his audience but his rather is inviting them and us to steep ourselves in God reality.

It’s designed to open our theological imagination.

I love the use of the word sleep, our first two readings and the Gospel as we’ll see shortly are challenging us to wake up! To let go the perishable in favour of the Imperishable: in other words, the eternal!

In fact, that’s my first question can you imagine the impact the Christian church would have if we were deliberate about that? If we focused living out our lives with resurrected hearts and minds? As a side point, some of you may know that early Christians would greet each other with the phrase he is risen.

Paul is referring to both an individual and collective transformation.

I remember being in church over twenty years ago at an Easter service and we were asked share what resurrection meant to us.

Since Paul is speaking about the resurrection in terms of a collective experience, why don’t we take a moment to reflect on what it means to us?

What love about this reading is that it grounds us firmly in God reality. Paul’s final words leave us with no doubt as to what we need to do 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain”

I love that, don’t you? Because sometimes when we step out to love and connect and it doesn’t seem to work; for Paul’s part he’s saying it does work it, it does something. Stand firm!

In our Gospel today, Jesus speaks about being steeped in God reality and living with open eyes.

In the parable and proceeding example Our Lord is encouraging us to think about God reality in terms of our actions and reactions.

It’s interesting that the Gospel begins with the well-known blind leading the blind image, those of you who are familiar with Jewish spiritual literature will know that blindness is referred to many times in scripture;

Ranging from Isaiah 61:1, the famous scripture where Jesus heals a blind man with mud in John 9:1-12 and of course the really known story of Paul regaining his sight in Acts 9:17.

All of these examples and many others show us that blindness refers to lack of insight or having it and not using it.

Like the words of Paul, Jesus isn’t offering a moral code but rather he’s challenging those who claim to follow God to engage in introspection, in other words to reflect more and what they do as they interact with the world. I just love the image of the speck and the log.

Recently, I was discussing with a friend what shape the church would be in and the impact it would have if we became more introspective about what we believe, why and how we communicate it. I don’t about you: but I get excited when I think about what the results or fruit would be; if we engaged in that.

Jesus is calling his audience to a new deeper human experience. One that is aware of what they are doing and why: Jesus’ words are primarily aimed at an audience whom have a well-established view of who God is and their relationship to him. Jesus is inviting them to examine the condition of their hearts, to step out from behind from their religion and take another look at life.

I think that’s a healthy idea for us to think through, both individually and collectively “are there ideas or theology we need to let go of in order to take hold of something new?

To move forward in the way God might be calling us?

Are we hiding behind dogma?

Those of you, who sit near me, have probably noticed I don’t always sing;

That’s because I often take that time to think about where I am with life and to think about what messages the songs have for me. I ask you that question this morning, what are you are you taking in?

Where are you seated?

Are you thoughtful about the past?

Thoughtful about the future?

Or are you taking in the gift of the present moment, a moment in which you’re loved by the divine.

Like so many Jesus’ lessons, he is asking us to consider our foundations.

He asks he audience directly “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Then he jumps to what life looks like for those who give themselves God foundations “48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built”

The imagery here is interesting isn’t? I’m sure we’ve all had storms and floods.

I’m sure we’ve all had times where our foundations have been strong and others where they haven’t been.

Now, I’m not going to argue that having a foundation based in Jesus means that storms or floods aren’t going to hurt you; no way man.

What I will say is, that if we have a relationship with Jesus: his risen love will help sustain us and help us see what we are living through clearly.

Today, we are being invited to open our eyes so that we might see and embrace the reality set before us;

A reality in which God’s love is known and the holy voice is always being heard: so that we like the portrait of nature in Isaiah, will always have songs to sing to God.

We are being invited by Paul to understand and reclaim the power of the resurrection, to understand that death has lost its sting.

To stay focused on serving because loving labour is never ever wasted.

Jesus is offering us the chance to open our eyes, so we might see where we are standing and remind us, that if we take the time to steep ourselves in God reality; that will become our reality. The scales will fall from our eyes, we will see God everywhere we look; in every place and person. With open eyes we will live a life in which circumstances don’t move us, but rather we are moved solely by the love of Christ