Fourth Sunday in Lent
The 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 for ever. Amen.
Old Testament
1
Samuel 16:1-13
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over
Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil
and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for
myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it,
he will kill me.” And the Lord said,
“Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice,
and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom
I name to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded,
and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and
said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to
the Lord; sanctify yourselves
and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and
invited them to the sacrifice.
When they came, he
looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before
the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look
on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him;
for the Lord does not
see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then
Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has
the Lord chosen this
one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse made
seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”
Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet
the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and
bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought
him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him;
for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the
presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.
Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
The Response
Psalm
23
Dominus regit me
1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.
I shall not be in want.
2
He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
and leads me beside still waters.
3
He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
4
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
6
Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The Epistle
Ephesians
5:8-14
Once you were darkness, but now in
the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light
is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is
pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but
instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do
secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything
that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Sleeper,
awake!
Rise from the dead,
Rise from the dead,
and
Christ will shine on you.”
The Gospel
John
9:1-41
As Jesus walked along, he saw a man
blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his
parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.
We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when
no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and
spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of
Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is
this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others
were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.”
But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The
man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam
and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him,
“Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
They brought to the
Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when
Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask
him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes.
Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not
from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man
who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again
to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He
said, “He is a prophet.”
The Jews did not
believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the
parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your
son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents
answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do
not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask
him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because
they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed
Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his
parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
So for the second time
they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to
God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he
is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They
said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered
them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to
hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled
him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that
God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes
from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where
he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to
sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never
since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person
born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered
him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they
drove him out.
Jesus heard that they
had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son
of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in
him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is
he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into
this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do
see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to
him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind,
you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”
Born Blind
We are all born perfect and broken
needy and dependent from the first
often we hide our raw humanity
believing that noone can see us.
All of us struglle for acceptance
knowing our flaws are so revolting
who could love this broken wreck?
who will heal this empty shell?
The more perfect and right we seem
within storms are surely nearing
the dangerous clouds of righeousness
might just bring about our ruin.
We are all broken and perfect
fully loved by the completely Divine
swaddled in the blankets of love
which are ours for the asking.
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