COLLECT

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world:  Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns  with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

1 SAMUEL 16:1-13 . . . the Lord sends Samuel to anoint David

PSALM 23 . . . The Lord is shepherd and guide.  God is present in the time of danger and generous and merciful

EPHESIANS 5:8-14 . . . disciples are called to be a people of the light, forsaking all the works of darkness

JOHN 9:1-41 . . . the story of Jesus’ healing of a man born blind.  Jesus brings light into a dark world

SERMON

“There’s something holy and important about paying attention to our surroundings and to the people near us,” says Rev. Dr. Kristin Adkins Whitesides, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Winchester, Virginia. She invites us to journey with the blind man who is healed by Jesus in John 9:1-41. He must figure out what his life would mean now that he was no longer blind. Those around him must also figure out what their lives meant in response to his healing. Who is truly blind?