Podcast: Play in new window
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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As once you ransomed your people from Egypt
and led them to freedom in the promised land,
so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your risen Son.
May we, the first fruits of your new creation,
rejoice in this new day you have made,
and praise you for your mighty acts.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
John 12.44-50
Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.’
Reflection
Jesus cried aloud: ‘I have come as light into the world.’
Blindness is one of those disabilities that most people fear. Even though deafness is deemed to create a greater sense of isolation, the thought of not being able to see the world in which we live gives rise to a great sense of apprehension and fear. It is through our sense of sight that we experience so much in this world. The body language of others, the imminence of danger and the comprehension of our words can all be seen in a moment. We do not need to lose our sight to feel deprived of this vital sense. When we find ourselves in a dark place we come to know how debilitating blindness might be. When a light shines into that darkness we feel a sense of consolation and relief.
The darkness which inhibits our words and actions does not have to be physical, of course. Intellectual and spiritual blindness can be just as life-limiting. A refusal to engage with the call of God in our lives can result in a blindness that damages us as well as those amongst whom we live. If we are not attentive and careful our self-reliance can leave us in the darkest of places … the place where we believe we can be totally self-sufficient … the place where the darkness is impenetrable.
In the last of his Narnia Chronicles, C. S. Lewis describes the group of dwarves who are given the opportunity to enter into the promised eternal realm of a new heaven and a new earth. For the purposes of the story, the gateway into that wonderful place is through an old, dirty shed. Other characters are thrown through that door by their captors and they realise the place they have entered. The dwarves are not so open to new ideas. Instead they sit in a self-imposed darkness that shields them from the light Christ brings into this world, and that certainly illuminates the heavenly realm.
When we have lived in a place of darkness the glare of a bright and penetrating light can be painful to the eyes. As the light of Christ shines into our lives, we can feel a similar pain. But, that pain is passing if we can bring ourselves to repent and follow the path illuminated by the light. Then, as we get used to the new light, as we look around us, we will find ourselves in a very different world, a world which is filled with the love and praise of God himself.
Let us pray that the scales may be lifted from our eyes and that we might rejoice in the light of Christ and that, through us, that light might shine into all the dark corners of this world.
Prayers
To Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
and who now lives in the glory of the Father,
let us lift our voices in praise, saying:
risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
Lord Jesus, you are the Amen, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
You are Alpha and Omega,
the one who is, and was, and who is to come:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
You search into the thoughts and affections of all people:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
You reprove and chasten those whom you love:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
You open the eyes of the blind
and set the prisoners free:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
In your paschal victory,
you have proclaimed the coming of the kingdom:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
God of glory,
by the raising of your Son
you have broken the chains of death and hell:
fill your Church with faith and hope;
for a new day has dawned
and the way to life stands open
in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has 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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The God of peace,
who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the eternal covenant,
make us perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.