Geneva Presbyterian Church

Weekly Sermon

October 29, 2000 - "That We Might See Again"

The Reverend Anne Benefield

Geneva Presbyterian Church; October 29, 2000

Mark 10:46-52

46) Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47)When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48) Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49) Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." 50) So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51) Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." 52) Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. Prayer: Lord Jesus, have mercy on us that we might see again and follow anew. Open our eyes to see to your vision, our hands to your work, and our hearts to your love. Amen. I had a tough time getting started on today's sermon. I just couldn't see where I needed to go. I think that to understand most things, we create a vision of them. It reminds me of something Johnny said the other day. Last weekend we drove to Long island so I could attend a surprise baby shower for John's sister Kathy. Since we didn't want Johnny to be disappointed that he and his Dad wouldn't be joining to the party, we explained to him that it was a party just for "girls." A day later I was driving Johnny home, when out of the blue he said, "Mommy, are you going to take your clothes off at the party with the rest of the girls?" I said, "What are you talking about?" He said, "You know, the baby shower. People always take their clothes off when they have a shower, don't they?" Johnny had created for himself a logical vision for a baby shower! Like Johnny, we need images-we need to have a vision of what we hope to achieve in our future in order to get there. But first let's take a look at where we have been. Today is Reformation Sunday, but since we don't know much about our history, Reformation Sunday does not have much meaning for us. That is too bad, because we have a wonderful history. Our living history is formed by the stories we share about ourselves as a church. We have lots of good stories to share. Some of those stories inspire us; some warn us of danger; some just make us laugh. Most of the stories we share are from the Bible, but on Reformation Sunday it is appropriate to think about the stories of the Reformation. The Reformation began with Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses on the Wittenberg church door in Germany. He was a priest in the Catholic Church and had no intention of starting a new, separate church. He just wanted to open up a discussion with the church hierarchy, but church hierarchies are seldom pleased to receive a list of critical questions. Unlike today, questions of theology could lead to trials and martyrdom. Martin Luther and the later reformers faced threats of death. What was so important to the reformers that they risked their lives? They were revisioning the church, and it was important and dangerous work. Our church, named after Geneva, Switzerland, was revisioned by John Calvin. Like Luther, Calvin believed that each Christian could and should have a personal relationship with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. What is more, Luther and Calvin believed that all people shared in the ministry of Jesus. Luther used the phrase "priesthood of believers" to describe the fact that everyone is called to ministry, not just the ordained priests of the church. Calvin introduced the idea that a call to ministry was felt not just by the candidate, but must be affirmed by the congregation, the regular people in the pews. Calvin believed that we all work along side God in the transformation of the world. Calvin stressed that all work had dignity and could be done to the glory of the Lord. Calvin emphasized that we do good works not to earn God's love, but as a grateful response to the love God has already given us. Calvin became the first international reformer and, of course, he was the father of the Presbyterian and Reformed churches throughout the world. But the interesting thing is that Calvin had a tough time revisioning Geneva. Calvin had such a powerful revision for Geneva, that the people rejected him. He was banished from Geneva and had to flee to avoid being martyred. I don't think we would be called the Geneva Presbyterian Church had Calvin been martyred. The people of Geneva did everything they could to silence Calvin and temporarily they succeeded. He left town, but three years later, they realized that his vision for their city and their church was the vision God was calling them to reach. They begged him to come back, and, with some trepidation, he did. It kind of reminds me of the story of Bartimaeus. He was sitting by the side of the road, a blind beggar, when he heard Jesus coming. He called out to Jesus for he had a vision, a vision of a world in which he could see again. The people around him tried to shush him, but his vision was too powerful. He wouldn't let them silence him, and Jesus heard his cry, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted and Bartimaeus answered, "let me see again." Today we share Bartimaeus' prayer, "Lord, let us see again." We are at a turning point. It is time for us to look at our future and how we can serve our Lord. I have a dream for Geneva, but I don't know if you share it. I believe that our stained-glass lantern can be a beacon of light in this community. I believe that we can be a Christian lighthouse leading young people to safety in these difficult times. I believe that we can be a beckoning sanctuary to people struggling to find meaning in lives filled with success and prestige, but no hope. I believe that we are called to a shared ministry bringing the light of Jesus Christ into our community. But it will not be easy. We take the first steps today. In a few minutes we will complete the revisioning survey. I hope we will have 100% participation today. The survey is just a tool to help us better understand ourselves and our community because our answers to the questions will be compared to answers of people who live around us. The information we get will give us a starting place to begin discussing where God might be calling us to ministry. The really exciting work will start when we begin meeting in small groups. In the context of our beliefs and with a Biblical foundation for our discussions, we will dream together in small groups. We will talk and question, laugh and struggle, pray and pray and pray. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will revision Geneva in the image we believe God is calling us to fill. I don't know the exact nature of the church we will become, but I know we will be blessed by God for faithfully searching for God's will. Jesus spent very little time in the synagogue. He spent his time out on the street ministering to people where they were. It will be exciting to see what streets Jesus will call us to travel.