NORMALIZING THE DIVINE

Dr. Richard J. Henderson March 6, 2005

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John 9:1-41
Psalm 23

Introduction

Are we scared of the divine? Are we afraid to sense God in our world? An amazing experience happens and suddenly, we find ourselves looking for a rational way to explain it. Someone says he felt the presence of God, and others respond with comments like, "Well you've been under a lot of pressure," or "I didn't think you were feeling yourself."

Often, when someone has a dramatic religious experience, other people will look for a reason to explain what they've felt. A person talks about a serious religious commitment he has made, and some people respond with, "Do you think this is comes from feeling guilty?"

One woman, who had been through a particularly difficult time, told her colleagues "God gave me hope and strength to go on." One of her friends responded, "You always have been a strong person." Another answered, "I don't know anyone who has a stronger sense of self than you." She said, "No, God gave me the hope and strength to go on." Her friends wanted to find another explanation besides God for how she made it through tough times.

I

We think we can explain almost everything that happens. When something happens that we can't explain, we rush to find a reason - to find a place where this event will fit. In some ways our world is like a giant wall of cubbyholes - everything has to fit in somewhere. If something doesn't fit into one of those slots, we are threatened by it. If we experience something that doesn't fit with the world we know, we try to force it into one of our cubbyholes. Or we reject it outright. "Maybe you just thought you saw it." We see a miracle, and we look for an explanation.

II

That's not altogether bad. I'm glad there's some questioning of unusual experiences. We need to ask about what seem to be divine events. Everything that happens isn't a major miracle.

It happens a couple of times a year. You're watching television and the news breaks in with one of those "teasers." "Woman sees face of Christ; more at Eleven." It turns out a woman saw what looked like Jesus' face in an icicle hanging from her house. A few years back television news carried a story of people who saw what looked like the Virgin Mary in a shadow on the front of a Presbyterian church, in Royal Oak. The news showed hundred's of people gathered outside this church looking for this image in the shadows.

We hear these kinds of reports on a regular basis. Someone thought he saw the face of Jesus in the swirls of a potato chip. I hope people will question the miracle of Jesus appearing in a potato chip. I hope someone will ask why Jesus would want to appear in a potato chip! These miracles don't enhance our faith in the eyes of those who are skeptical of religions to start with. Some questioning is helpful.

III

But when our experience of God is authentic, we don't need to explain it away. If you've experienced the presence of God, allow that God may speak to you - even if that doesn't fit into our cubbyhole world.

In our scripture today, Jesus heals a man who has been blind since birth. Jesus mixes together a little spit and dirt; spreads that mud on the man's eyes; and sends him to the pool of Siloam to wash it off. When he washed, he was able to see again. The blind man knows what happened, but he doesn't know why or how.

The Pharisees - the religious leaders - want to know what happened. He tells them he knows that he can see, but he doesn't know the details. The Pharisees say Jesus is a "sinner" (he healed on the Sabbath!) so he couldn't have healed him. The once-blind man says, "Look, I don't know why or how this happened, but I do know this: yesterday I was blind; today I can see. It was because of this man Jesus." He knows his healing doesn't fit into the cubbyholes of explained life, but he knows it is real.

The Pharisees can't accept what's happened, so they reject the man. They kick him out of the synagogue! If reality doesn't fit with your world, one option is to get rid of the ones who claim it.

Looking carefully at this account, you see that the blind man grows in his understanding and his faith. The "wise" Pharisees are hardened in their faith; their minds are made up. There is great irony in this experience; the blind man sees while the seers are blind!

IV

When you see, the miraculous doesn't shut your eyes. Don't blind yourself to the real presence of God. A college student went to his pastor at school. "After my summer internship in South Africa, I believe God has called me to give my life in working with the poor." The religious professional answered, "I can understand how you may have gotten on this religious high, but you have no gifts for working with the poor... I know you feel some guilt after your freshman year, but you don't have to move to South Africa to get over it."

The student replied, "Well, all I know is that I felt the presence of God in those children: This summer I felt a joy like I'd never felt."

Later the pastor said he regretted his words. He said, "I wish I had said, 'Go ahead. Trust your experience... Go with what God has given you.'" 1 We want to test the experiences we have felt. But when we know them to be authentic, we trust what we have felt and seen.

Conclusion

Just last week in our congregation, a girl came to Sunday School with a friend. She hadn't been here for quite a while, but a few years back she came regularly. Last Sunday she said she would like to come more often, but she couldn't get her parents to bring her. Her Sunday School teacher told her she was always welcome. Then they began their lesson and passed out the Bibles. When the girl opened the Bible she was given, her name was in the front of it!

Apparently, she was given the Bible three years ago when we handed out Bibles to the third graders. She hadn't been there to pick it up, so that Bible moved around the halls of this church from room to room for three years. Last Sunday when the teacher grabbed a stack of Bibles and passed them out, she happened to get her Bible from three years earlier. What are the odds of that happening? What might that mean?

Amen.

©Richard J. Henderson 2005