Reflection for 18th November from Rev Alison Roberts

Luke 18:35-43

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (NIV)

It seems only a couple of weeks ago that we heard about the healing of the blind beggar Bartimaeus (Mark 10: 46-52) and today we hear a similar account from Luke. So, it’s a familiar account of Jesus noticing a blind man who is begging by the side of the road. The beggar hearing the noise from the crowds that are following Jesus, asks no one in particular; ‘What’s all the commotion about?’ The crowds respond, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is close by!’ And our unnamed beggar calls out ‘Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me!’ With an instant response from Jesus asking him; ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The beggar answers; ‘Lord, let me see again.’ And immediately the beggars eyesight was restored.

Blindness, our blindness is a big issue!

But unlike the blind beggar who knew what he couldn’t see, our blindness, our lack of vision contributes to what we believe to be true and supports the actions we take as rightful, even though they might not be.

What I find so tricky about my own blindness is my total lack of awareness of what it is I’m not seeing.

But last week like the blind beggar I had elements of my own blindness restored. My blindness of having lumped all together the people I’d experienced over my lifetime as miserable and negative to my being and my needing to avoid them at all costs.

How did this happen? Well, it happened last week as I sat down on a quiet afternoon to watch a video of a talk recently given by Rowan Williams. Now I confess to being a fan of Rowan Williams regardless that his academic prowess so easily highlights my limitations. And maybe that’s something of what happened in how Rowan enabled me to see what I hadn’t seen before.

His talk was entitled Inspiration; what had fed Rowan’s inspiration over the years. He chose to talk about how Soul Friend/s had been profoundly important throughout his life.

I’m sure you can think of good loving nurturing folk that have popped up in your life. A parent, or friend or sibling who listened, and still listens, to your frustrations with faith, the church or may have sat through the full force of your grief or angst.

You and I, we both recognise who they are, the Soul Friends who have contributed to our wellbeing, our healing and sometimes our questionable ability to continue.

Special people who we recognise who have played a supportive role in our lives as a Soul Friend.

But Rowan pushed the notion of ‘Soul Friend/s’ further, much further than my vision. He suggested that those who annoy and irritate us, yes, even the ones who have hurt us, are maybe also our Soul Friends in how they have helped shape who we are.

I’m not suggesting Rowan was including those who cause us harm through abuse or violence. Without a doubt there are some harms we know leave permanent scars and damage.

But for forty minutes or so last week Rowan Williams restored some of my impoverished vision as he wove the connection between our souls being opened through our trust of each other and the world around us freer, leaving our hearts able to heal, and more able to love without the miserable limitations that we’ve unconsciously set for ourselves.

A Soul Friend, Rowan suggested, doesn’t even have to be a person, it might be simply listening to music, walking out across the Burrows, getting creative or planting up some spring bulbs. But it’s imperative that we keep trying to see more clearly. Not just viewing the hopeless images of war and violence that we see on the news, or the current shocking mess that is the Church of England or the fearsome appearance of American politics.

We need to be able to see beyond all of this…..

Rowan suggests that our true vision is facilitated by the people, places and things that touch us, moves us, the things that make us laugh out loud; the things that challenge us to see bigger and wider and deeper.

For in truth we are all blind Beggars and need to ask the same question

‘Lord, let me see again.’

Pray

We ask only a few things more, O God,

a few small, mustard-seed sized faithful, saving things:

to walk with you in each moment

without plotting for tomorrow,

and so to really consider the birds of the air,

the lilies of the field,

and find the treasures hidden

in the round of the daily;

to learn by leaning into your Spirit

to be present to others without preoccupation,

to engage without having to win,

to disagree without being judgmental,

to accept outcomes without despair

to succeed or fail without misplacing hope,

to Tune to the bracing hum of the stars,

to fathom enough

without dismissing fathomless mystery

of your creation, our brothers and sisters,

and the grace and mercy and power

of your embrace that holds close,

each small one of us,

and everything all together;

in Jesu’s name,

Amen.

from Guerrillas of Grace by Ted Loder 

Common Worship: Collects and Post Communions, material from which is included here, is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2000