For the week of October 27 – 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Morning Prayer: O Jesus Christ, teacher and healer, You heard the cry of the blind beggar when others would have silenced him. Teach us to be attentive to the voices others ignore, that we might respond through the power of the Spirit to heal the afflicted and to welcome the abandoned for Your sake and the sake of the gospel. Amen. (Lectionary prayers)
Opening Hymn: #139 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
- Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation.
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near; join me in glad adoration! - Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigning
Bears thee on eagle’s wings, e’er in His keeping maintaining.
God’s care enfolds all, whose true good He upholds, Hast thou not known His sustaining?
- Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, who with His love doth befriend thee. - Praise to the Lord, who doth nourish thy life and restore thee,
Fitting thee well for the tasks that are ever before thee.
Then to thy need God as a mother doth speed, Spreading the wings of grace o’er thee.
- Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the amen sound from His people again; gladly forever adore Him.
Psalm 34:1-8 (CEB)
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be in my mouth.
2 I praise the Lord— let the suffering listen and rejoice.
3 Magnify the Lord with me! Together let us lift His name up high!
- I sought the Lord and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to God will shine; their faces are never ashamed.
6 This suffering person cried out: the Lord listened and saved him from every trouble.
7 On every side, the Lord’s messenger protects those who honor God; and He delivers them.
8 Taste and see how good the Lord is! The one who takes refuge in Him is truly happy!
Prayers of Intercession: Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those dear to our hearts. We now pray as You have taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us, not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: The number of foster children in Columbia County is at a record HIGH!! If you are called to be a foster or adoptive parent, please step into these children’s lives and nurture them. November is Adoption awareness month. Church leaders are requesting donations of NEW Lego sets, puzzles, local restaurant gift cards and books to give to Dwell’s Hope Chest. As you make these purchases, pray for loving permanent homes for these children.
Offering prayer: Merciful God, You open our eyes to Your truth, and we bring our gifts to You with gratitude. As we reflect on the story of Bartimaeus, we bring our offerings as a response to Your call, a step in faith to follow You more closely. Use these gifts to spread Your love and light, helping others to see Your grace and mercy. Bless our giving and open our hearts to see the needs around us so that we may serve with compassion and humility. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Hymn of preparation: #451 Be Thou My Vision
- Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. - Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, great God of heaven, my treasure Thou art. - Great God of heaven, my victory won, may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Scripture: Mark 10:46-52 (CEB)
46 Jesus and His followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with His disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. 47 When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” 48 Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him forward.”
They called the blind man, “Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you.”
50 Throwing his coat to the side, he jumped up and came to Jesus.
51 Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.”
52 Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way.
Message: Pastor Becky
It’s important to see all the people surrounding Jesus. There is always more going on that teaches us. In today’s account we have: Jesus, his disciples, a sizable crowd, and Bartimaeus.
Jesus: we know about Jesus. We can pretty much expect Jesus is going to teach, preach, heal, or feed. We have a solid foundation of who Jesus is.
His disciples: the “12”, they assist, learn, and kick up dust as they travel with Jesus. Sometimes they are the object lesson;, sometimes they are the receiver of the lesson. They provide dialogue and conversation. They ask the questions we need answered but are too afraid to ask. They can be incredibly insightful. Other times, they are portrayed as bumbling idiots. I don’t particularly care for that characterization. They are learning and unlearning on the fly. They are human and are our connection to understanding Jesus in the human existence. They are the beneficiaries of the boundless grace of Jesus. With the exception of Peter, Jesus never showed contempt for them – impatience, annoyance maybe – but not even when Judas betrays Him does Jesus ever lose hope in them. Jesus never loses hope in their abilities or faith in their devotion. Jesus is continually fostering a love for them.
A sizable crowd: which is the townspeople of Jericho. They are the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. There are the women and the children. All of them have their own lives. They have joys and sorrows, triumphs and failures, and community connections. They have established their own support systems. They have jobs and skills, religious lives and understandings. They have dreams and aspirations, biases and prejudices. Although called a crowd, it’s the townspeople.
Bartimaeus: the son of Timaeus. He is one of the townspeople. They know him. He’s Tim’s boy. He’s blind; the town knows he is blind. He’s begging along the road. It’s hard to talk about Bartimaeus without talking about his community. Everything we know about him, his community knows because he is one of them. We know this because we know his name, his lineage, we know who his father is. And here is the heartbreaking part – MANY of them didn’t want him healed.
Let’s go back to verse 48, “Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet.” Now praise God he shouted louder, in order to be healed.
Yet, the fact remains, many didn’t want him healed.
Why would that be? Here’s Jesus and in other places people lined up with their sick and possessed. They brought their folks to Jesus for healing. One poor family lost their roof because a group of friends would not be denied the healing of their friend (Mark 2:1-12).
But not these folks of Jericho, they're trying to quiet Bartimaeus. Are they ashamed of him or are they ashamed of themselves? They knew the scriptures on how to treat the blind, deaf, and lame:
Leviticus 19:14 You must not insult a deaf person, or put an obstacle in front of a blind person that would cause them to trip. Instead, fear your God, I am the LORD.
Deuteronomy 27:18a Cursed is anyone who misleads a blind person on a road.
The very fact Bartimaeus was out on the roadside begging was evidence that as a community, they had failed to care for the least of these. The primary call of all the prophets was the care of those who couldn’t care for themselves. Now, Jesus was going to see Bartimaeus and know the truth about Jericho and her people.
This is heartbreaking because they scolded him instead of helping Bartimaeus. They could have easily lifted him onto their shoulders and carried him to Jesus. Others have done it, why not them?
Why not us? Because we are part of that sizable crowd. Substitute a blind beggar with the unhoused. We say we don’t see them, yet as we pack folks’ cars at the food pantry, we have a sneaking suspicion that some of them are living out of their cars. They may not be sleeping in them, but everything they own is in that car.
What if we substitute blind beggars with the uninsured? Those so in need of basic care, but financially can’t afford care. So they treat their pain with alcohol or drugs. Forgo food for insulin or vice versa.
Just like the crowd in Jericho, who is looking to hide and deny the one in need of healing; we deny and hide behind demonizing the one in need of help. We say things like: if they would just do A B C – they would be experiencing X Y Z. We cry out for personal responsibility, yet desire a personal savior. Ancient Israel was held accountable in community as a community and the followers of Christ will be also. From far before the beginning, God has always been in community with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Somewhere we forgot, or lost, or regressed to this small god of our beckoning. A god solely focused on us and what we want. Yet, the reality is, God has always been vast and in God’s vastness, healing will always be within the divine will.
It is for us to lift the Bartimaeuses in our community. Allowing them to be healed and continually working to root out the causes that keep folks from experiencing the wholeness God desires for all God’s children.
Closing Hymn: #454 Open My Eyes, That I May See
- Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine! - Open my ears, that I may hear voices of truth thou sendest clear;
and while the wavenotes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine! - Open my mouth, and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere;
open my heart and let me prepare love with Thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine!
The blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you this week.
