Wesley Word – March 15, 2023
To go along with service on Sunday, March 19, 2023
Experiencing Grace
Hymn: #408 The Gift of Love
Exploring Truth –
Conversations With Jesus: Conversation With The Man Born Blind
John 9:1-41
Our Lenten sermon series this year is Conversations With Jesus. On the First Sunday in Lent, we talked about Jesus’ conversation with the Devil during his temptation in the wilderness. On the Second Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. Last week, we dropped in on Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well. This week, we are going to listen in on Jesus’ conversation with the man born blind.
When Jesus and his disciples encounter a man who was born blind, the disciples ask Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents so that he was born blind.” The theology the disciples had been taught from birth was that bad things happened to bad people. Everything was always somebody’s fault, and one could usually blame the victim for their own misfortune. This is convenient because it means that we can excuse ourselves from having compassion and doing anything to help them. In a sense, we could say that the disciples were blind as well.
If the disciples were blind, the blindness of the Pharisees and religious leaders was worse. After Jesus healed the man, the religious leaders were angry. The problem was that it happened to be Saturday, the Sabbath, and work, even the good work of healing, was not allowed on the Sabbath. They just could not see how a good rabbi would heal on the Sabbath. On the other hand, how could Jesus have the power to heal if God was not with him?
In the end, this story is more about the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees than about physical blindness. We all have spiritual blind spots in our lives that we may not even be aware of. Let us pray that God would open our eyes so that we can see. Let us have a conversation with Jesus about our blindness.
New Testament in a Year: https://wesleyonline.org/biblereading/
- March 15 Luke 1:57-80
- March 16 Luke 2:1-35
- March 17 Luke 2:36-52
- March 18 Luke 3:1-22
- March 19 Luke 3:23-38
- March 20 Luke 4:1-30
- March 21 Luke 4:31-5:11
- March 22 Luke 5:12-28
Expressing Love: Family/Mission Activity
Music has always been an important part of my life. I love all kinds of music, but the music I love the most is the music that we sing about Jesus. Now, normally I listen to contemporary Christian music (like K-Love on the radio). However, I deeply appreciate hymns as my Grandma Holt sang in the choir here at Wesley for as long as I knew her. Alas, I did not get her beautiful voice (nor did any of my children), but I love to sing! I do have some favorite hymns and always like finding new ones. I know the song “To God be the Glory” by Hillsong but I did not know that it was a traditional hymn written by Fanny Cosby. What a great hymn of praise to God.
When Fanny was six weeks old, she had an eye infection. Her regular doctor was out of town, and a man posing as a doctor gave her the wrong treatment. Within a few days, she was blind. If that happened to me, I am not sure how I would react. Fanny was never bitter, and she never felt sorry for herself.
Instead of being bitter and feeling sorry for herself, Fanny used the gifts that God had given her to write over 8,000 hymns and poems to praise and glorify God.
Fanny and the blind man in John 9 were both physically blind, however, they were not spiritually blind. The Pharisees were spiritually blind but could see through their eyes, even though they couldn’t believe that they were actually seeing Jesus, the Son of God, healing on Sabbath, working His miracles.
What about Fanny Crosby? God didn’t heal her blindness. Perhaps if God had healed her, she might never have written all of those beautiful hymns — and the world would never have heard of Fanny Crosby. She used the tragedy of her blindness to glorify God. I pray that tragedy will never come into your life, but if it does, remember that everything that happens can be used to praise and glorify God!
This week let us listen to Fanny’s glorious hymn, both traditional and one for kids (straight from a VBS and we all know how much fun VBS is!)
To God Be the Glory (Royal Albert Hall, London)
To God Be the Glory | Roar VBS | Group Publishing
Announcements
- NO WOW Tonight – March 15
- Men’s Lenten Breakfast – United Methodist Churches in the area are hosting a series of breakfasts for Men during Lent each Saturday at 8am.
- March 18th @ Wesley UMC
- March 25 @ Spangler Chapel UMC
- April 1 TBD
- Lenten Taizé Services – Sunday evenings during Lent at 5:15pm in the chapel March 19, 26, and April 2.
- Pickle Ball! Come on Tuesdays 11:00-12:30 on March 21, 28 and April 4 in the Wesley Family Life Center. We will practice and play a game. Call Mary, 563-299-7050, if interested.
- Jackson Concert Series presents Monroe Crossing Bluegrass Ensemble – Thursday, March 23 at 7:30pm.
- Muscatine County Habitat for Humanity Annual Soup & Sandwich Lunch – Sunday, March 26, 11:00am-1:00pm at Wesley Church. $5.00. Learn about Habitat for Humanity and meet the newest partner family.
- Children’s program– Join us on March 26th at 10:00am for a Lenten play presented by the children of Wesley!
Holy Week Schedule
Palm Sunday, April 2
8:00-11:00am Pancake Breakfast
8:00 am Chapel Service
9:00 am Celebration Service
10:00 am Sunday School Classes
11:00 am Traditional Service
5:15 pm Taizé Service
Maundy Thursday Service, April 6 @ 7:00 pm
Good Friday Service, April 7 @ 7:00 pm
Easter, April 9
8:00 am Chapel Service
9:00 am Celebration Service
11:00 am Traditional Service