Worship Tools #
Worship Outline #
Additional Scriptures
1 Samuel 16:1–13, Psalm 23, Ephesians 5:8–14
Worship Center
[Optional] Symbol of Revelation: Add a large candle to the cup table. Across with rocks at the bottom of it, and a table with cups full of additional rocks.
Prelude
Gathering Song
“Light Dawns on a Weary World” CCS 240
OR “God, the Source of Light and Beauty” CCS 593
Welcome
Community Sharing, Prayer for Joys and Concerns
Call to Worship
Psalm 23
Hymn
“My Shepherd Will Supply My Need” CCS 247
OR “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” CCS 262
Opening Prayer
Response
Community Activity
See below
In his book, Can You Drink the Cup? (Ave Maria Press, 1996, ISBN: 9780877935827), Henri Nouwen talks about his father lifting a cup in a toast to acknowledge everyone present.
Jesus, in a similar way, acknowledged a blind man, a person who was considered a castoff in his society. Jesus lifted the “cup of revelation” to acknowledge the man. Jesus revealed himself to the blind man who, at the end of the story, said, “I believe.” May we open our spiritual eyes and clearly say, “I believe.” May we truly celebrate the worth of all people and see them with the eyes of Christ.
Scripture Reading
John 9:1-41
Use a variety of voices to read this entire chapter.
Ministry of Music or Community Hymn
“Come Down, O Love Divine” CCS 47
OR “Lay Your Hands” CCS 545
The Word
Based on John 9:1–41
Our Sung Response
“The Summons” CCS 586
OR “Amazing Grace” CCS 19
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
Disciples’ Generous Response
Reading: “Suscipe”
Suscipe
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will
all I have and call my own.
You have given all to me
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it as you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.
—St. Ignatius of Loyola in Michael Harter, ed.,
Hearts on Fire, Praying with the Jesuits, (Loyola Press, 1993, ISBN: 9781880810040), 153.
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
Hymn
“I Wish God’s Love to Be with You” sing twice CCS 663
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
OR “Go Now Forth into the World” CCS 646
OR “Christ Has Called Us to New Visions” CCS 566
Prayer for Peace
Light the peace candle
Prayer
Ask 4 readers to each share a stanza of “Eternal God Transcending Time,” CCS 59 as the prayer. Add an Amen at the end.
Reader 1: God, stanza 1
Reader 2: Jesus Christ, stanza 2
Reader 3: Holy Spirit, stanza 3
Reader 4: Trinity, stanza 4
Postlude
Community Activity
Suggestion 1
Place a few unusual objects (things that are not usually there such as a cup that was used in one of the previous services) along the entry to the church worship space. During this time, ask how many noticed what was new or different as they entered the worship space. After a few replies, have someone bring the items in and place them as part of the worship center. Ask “How often do we go through our day not seeing what is around us? How often do we miss the extraordinary in the ordinary?” Conclude with a prayer for God to help us keep our eyes open.
Suggestion 2
Have printed on different colors of paper the pattern of a hand holding a cup. Use the image provided or your own. Each person writes one word or statement that has meaning on the cup: for example, love, hope, peace, joy. Then these papers are displayed with tape or straight pins along a wall or large bulletin board reaching upward in a form of celebration.
Sacred Space: Small-Group Worship Outline #
Gathering
Welcome
Lent is a time for personal and community spiritual renewal. The Lenten season is the 40 days (excluding Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. As we journey with Jesus we are called into the wilderness to prepare for something new. In this wilderness we confront the most painful parts of ourselves, face our weaknesses, and await the transforming power of grace, hope, and resurrection.
Prayer for Peace
Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.
During the Lenten season we will use a verse from CCS 221, “Spirit of Christ, Remember Me,” as our prayer for peace.
I will read aloud verse 4. Then I will read it phrase by phrase, and you will repeat each phrase after me. I will close with Amen.
Read verse 4 aloud from CCS 221, “Spirit of Christ, Remember Me.”
Say: “Repeat after me.”
Read the first phrase of CCS 221, verse 4, aloud. Wait for congregation to repeat.
Proceed in that way through the entire verse.
Close with, “Amen.”
Spiritual Practice
Practice of Silence
Practicing silence may be difficult at first. The mind may run wild. Allow yourself grace in this practice. We will begin when I ring the chime. We will be silent for five minutes. I will ring the chime again at the conclusion of our time of silence.
Remember to breathe deeply. Focusing on each breath can help quiet the mind. Become aware of your surroundings; notice how the air feels on your skin; trust that you are in the presence of the holy—fully surrounding and embracing you. Allow your inner conversations to stop for a while, being fully present with the One who is fully present with you.
Ring a chime to begin.
Wait five minutes.
Ring the chime to conclude the period of silence.
Ask: How does it feel to be present with God in silence?
—Adapted from a Guide for Lent, www.CofChrist.org/a-guide-for-lent
Sharing Around the Table
John 9:1–41 NRSVue
As he 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 he.” 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.” 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, 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?[f] 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 who were with 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.
Today’s passage tells the story of a man who was born blind and receives sight, a man who didn’t ask for healing. The healing is both physical and spiritual. It points to something beyond itself and helps readers understand the identity of Jesus. Jesus and the disciples encountered a blind man while they were walking. Jesus used the occasion to help the disciples understand that God’s work would be revealed in him and that “we” (Jesus and the disciples) must be about the work of God, the one who sent Jesus. Jesus hints of his departure, tells the disciples that his presence in the world brings light to it and suggests that the disciples must continue Jesus’ work when he is gone.
When Jesus encounters the blind man, he makes mud from the soil, places it on the man’s eyes and tells him to wash it in the pool of Siloam at which time he is healed. This begins a series of questions about how he was healed and who did it. He was first questioned by his neighbors, followed by the Pharisees when they learned Jesus performed the healing on the Sabbath. The Pharisees questioned the man’s parents about his blindness and out of fear, they betray him. The Pharisees interview the man a second time. After all of that, Jesus and the blind man talked, and the man physically sees Jesus for the first time. The increasingly hostile interrogations prompt the man to reflect on the meaning of his experience.
At the beginning of the narrative, the man only knows his healer as the man called Jesus (v. 11). He later calls Jesus a prophet (v. 17). In verse 33 he tells the Pharisees that Jesus must be from God and, with that confession, he is expelled from the synagogue. Finally, Jesus asks him if he believes in the Son of Man. Still unsure the man asks who that is. When Jesus states that he is talking to him, he responds with “Lord, I believe” (v. 38) and becomes a follower. The man comes to full faith, has spiritual sight and recognizes who Jesus is.
The story is also about sinners and judgement. At first the Jewish authorities (“the Jews”) are unsure about the sinfulness of a man who heals on the Sabbath, but eventually conclude he is a sinner. The Jews are seen as blind hypocrites, unable to see the Messiah in their midst.
The blind man may represent a type of faith encounter with Jesus, or the difficulties Christians were experiencing with the synagogue authorities. The story also serves to encourage Christians to come to a more profound faith than they received from their first encounter with Jesus.
Questions
- How have you been hesitant to publicly proclaim your beliefs in Jesus? How have you taken a risk to share your faith? How have you been ostracized for it?
- While the blind man acquires physical sight and grows in spiritual sight, how do you see the Pharisees growing in blindness?
- How would you describe the disciples’ role in this story?
Sending
Generosity Statement
Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.
—Doctrine and Covenants 163:9
The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response.
The offering prayer for Lent is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response:
Ever-present God, Forgive us when we are less than loving, less than hope-filled, less than you have created us to be. Your mercy and grace are always with us. May we find strength in your presence, and may we respond to your love with generous spirits. Amen.
Invitation to Next Meeting
Closing Hymn
CCS 608, “Take My Life and Let It Be”
Closing Prayer
Additional Options Depending on Group
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Communion Scripture
Choose one scripture to read from this selection: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Matthew 26:17–30; Mark 14:12–26; Luke 22:7–39.
Communion Statement
All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others may have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.
During this Lenten season let us share in Communion as an expression of blessing, healing, peace, and community. In preparation let’s sing from Community of Christ Sings 526, “Is There One Who Feels Unworthy?”
Blessing and serving bread and wine.
Thoughts for Children
Materials: Church Seal coloring page, crayons, or washable markers
Hand out the coloring page and ask the children to describe it.
Say: This is called the Church Seal. A seal is an image or symbol that represents something. This seal represents Community of Christ and our commitment to the peace of Jesus Christ.
What do you see that is peaceful in this image? Encourage the children to respond. Affirm their answers.
The Bible helps us understand God’s love for all people and all of creation. One description of God’s love at work in the world is:
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid [baby goat],
the calf and the lion and the fatling [young animals] together,
and a little child shall lead them.
—Isaiah 11:6 NRSV
This is called God’s peaceable kingdom. Ferocious animals live with small, tame animals in such a peaceful manner that even a small child can lead them around without any danger. For us, it represents a way to live with one another without violence, hate, prejudice, and fear.
This seal symbolizes a way of living where all of creation is at peace.
What can you do to live peacefully?
How can you share peace with others?
Hand out crayons so the children can color the seal at their seats.
Sermon Helps #
Exploring the Scripture
Today’s Gospel lesson is among the longer readings in the lectionary, presenting the preacher with both opportunity and challenge. On one hand, John’s account of the healing of the blind man is storytelling at its best: a complete cast of characters, detailed dialogue, conflict, and resolution. On the other hand, a long story like this can easily tempt a preacher to address every facet of the account and its implications for modern life. It would be more suitable for the preacher to choose one feature of the story. The day’s theme provides a place to focus: on the contrast between the man who is blind, but is healed and gradually comes to understand who Jesus is; and the religious leaders who are portrayed as remaining blind.
We need to first recognize two points. (1) Today we understand the physical causes of visual problems, but in the ancient world many assumed that such conditions were the result of personal or generational sin. Jesus rejects this explanation (v. 3). (2) When John refers to “the Jews,” he is referring to the religious leaders of his time, not an entire people. Note that every character in this story is Jewish (including Jesus!).
As the story progresses it becomes obvious the man’s physical blindness offers Jesus an opportunity to glorify God by healing him. However, the larger purpose of the story was to show how the man gradually came to see who Jesus was and to expose the spiritual blindness of the other people in the story. The blind man first refers to Jesus as a prophet in verse 17, but by verse 22 we are told that he may have confessed that Jesus is the Messiah. Later in verse 28 he is seen as a disciple. In the final passage Jesus asks him if he believes in the Son of Man. The man is still not sure and asks who that is. When Jesus states that he is talking to him, he responds with the words, “Lord, I believe” and becomes a follower.
The first hearers of the story may have been members of a congregation in a cosmopolitan city, several generations after the resurrection, for whom John wrote his Gospel account. Historians believe the Jewish-Christian members of the congregation faced persecution by local Jewish religious leaders because of their confession of Jesus as the Messiah. They likely related to different characters in this story. Those who were afraid to confess publicly Jesus as the Messiah could probably understand the blind man’s parents (v. 22). Those who had been expelled from the synagogue likely identified with the blind man (v. 34). The story not only affirms Jesus’ power to heal, but also shows how fear of persecution was preventing some of them from seeing they, like the first disciples, were betraying him.
It is then not surprising that this story has been chosen for the Lenten season, a time when we examine our lives and confess our failings. Like the audience that first heard this story, we sometimes find it frightening to share our faith in Christ with others. Sometimes we are challenged, like the healed man, to testify to oth- ers of the good God has done in our lives. Like them, we can have our physical and spiritual eyes opened as we expect the coming of the light of Christ into our lives at Easter.
Central Ideas
- We are often unable to see how fear inhibits our faith and witness.
- Others may challenge us to share the good news of Christ with them.
- The light of Christ can open our eyes to see God’s works revealed in us.
Questions for the Speaker
- With whom do you identify in the story? When have you been afraid to confess Jesus Christ? When have you taken a risk to share your faith? When have you ostracized others for their beliefs?
- During this season of Lent, what is difficult to look at in ourselves, in our families, and in our congregations?
- In what ways does the light of Christ help us see our failings and accept the help of God’s grace?
Lessons #
Adult Lesson #
Focus Scripture Passage
John 9:1–41
Lesson Focus
The light of Christ can open our eyes to see God’s works revealed in us.
Objectives
The learners will…
- practice Dwelling in the Word as part of the Lenten journey.
- experience the story of John 9:1–41 through the perspective of a character in the story.
- apply John 9:1–41 and Doctrine and Covenants 163:3a–c to circumstances in the community.
Supplies
- Bible
- Response Sheet for each student (end of lesson)
- Pens or pencils
- Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
Notes to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for John 9:1–41 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: New Testament (with focus on the Gospel according to Matthew), p. 50, available through Herald House.
Gather
Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)
Today is the fourth Sunday in Lent. We fast for 40 days remembering Christ’s own fast in the wilderness. Our journey through Lent gives us a chance to reorder priorities and to make space in our lives for being in the presence of God with greater awareness and intentionality. As we practice self-examination and conversion through prayer, fasting, self-denial, and generosity, we open ourselves to God’s creative purposes in our lives and in our world.
We begin with the practice of Dwelling in the Word using Isaiah 58:6–12.
Read the passage (see Response Sheet) adapted from the NRSV and The Message. Spend a few moments in silent reflection with the following questions, record your thoughts on the Response Sheet, or share in groups of two or three.
- What is being restored in you?
- What are you called to restore?
Read or sing “Lead Me, Lord” CCS 450.
Engage
Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)
The following points are helpful background information for today’s focus scripture passage.
- Today we understand the physical causes of visual problems, but in the ancient world many assumed that such conditions were the result of personal or generational sin. Jesus rejects this explanation (v. 3).
- When John refers to “the Jews,” he is referring to the religious leaders of his time, not an entire people. Note that every character in this story is Jewish (including Jesus!).
—Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: New Testament, p. 50
Assign one of the following characters to individuals, pairs, or small groups. Read John 9:1–41 and invite each person to hear the story from the perspective of that character. Discuss the questions (from the perspective of your character) which follow and share insights with the larger group.
Man born blind
Religious leaders
Parents
Disciples
- In what ways are you physically or spiritually blind?
- What keeps you from proclaiming Jesus as Christ?
- In what ways are you excluded from the community?
- How is God’s light revealed in you OR what keeps you from revealing God’s light?
Respond
Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)
Read Doctrine and Covenants 163:3a–c.
3a. You are called to create pathways in the world for peace in Christ to be relationally and culturally incarnate. The hope of Zion is realized when the vision of Christ is embodied in communities of generosity, justice, and peacefulness.
b. Above all else, strive to be faithful to Christ’s vision of the peaceable Kingdom of God on earth. Courageously challenge cultural, political, and religious trends that are contrary to the reconciling and restoring purposes of God. Pursue peace.
c. There are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. Be especially alert to these influences, lest they divide you or divert you from the mission to which you are called.
How would you rewrite John’s story for your community today?
- Who represents the one(s) in need of physical or spiritual healing? What are their needs?
- What cultural, political, and religious trends are contrary to meeting the needs mentioned?
- What fears inhibit those capable of responding to these needs?
- What specific congregation ministries can address both the needs and the fears?
Send
Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)
Select a phrase or verse from John 9:1–41 or Doctrine and Covenants 163:3a–c to use in personal spiritual practice throughout the coming week(s). How does it help you reveal God’s light? To whom will you share the light of Christ?
Bless
Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)
Read Psalm 23 or Ephesians 5:8–9 as a closing prayer of blessing.
Response Sheet
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Dwelling in the Word: Isaiah 58:6–12 (adapted from NRSV and The Message)
Reader 1: Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Reader 2: Is it not sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families?
Reader 1: Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly;
Reader 2: Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage.
Reader 1: Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say Here I am.
Reader 2: If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
Reader 1: The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in the emptiest of places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
Reader 2: You will use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You will be known as those who can repair, restore, rebuild, and renovate, and make communities thrive.
- What is being restored in you?
- What are you called to restore?
Youth Lesson #
Focus Scripture Passage
John 9:1–41
Lesson Focus
Being open to new ideas helps disciples grow in the likeness of Christ.
Objectives
The learners will…
- identify ways we can be blind.
- explore how to develop as disciples of Jesus.
- experience how a disability can generate new perspectives.
Supplies
- Bible
- Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
- Small to medium size bag—paper or other opaque material
- Items to touch, hear, and smell
- Cloth to cover eyes (optional)
Note to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for John 9:1–41 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the Gospel according to Matthew), p. 50, available through Herald House.
Gather
Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)
Blind from Birth
A person learns about the physical world through senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. A person born without sight learns about their world through touch, taste, smell, sound, and sometimes limited vision.
Fill a bag with items group members could identify by sight but might have difficulty using only their other senses. One at a time, ask each member to reach into the bag, select an item, and identify it by touching, shaking, or smelling it. (Have several scented items such as various spices wrapped identically. Allow these to be removed from the bag to smell. Omit this activity if someone has allergies.)
- How did this activity make you feel?
- If you could see the items, would you have felt more comfortable?
Engage
Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)
Jesus Heals the Man Blind from Birth
Assign roles for the reading of John 9:1–41. You will need disciples, Jesus, the blind man, his parents, and two groups of Pharisees. The group leader will act as narrator; actors may speak parts or mime as the narrator reads. Read the scripture.
- What was the question about sin in this story? (First-century belief was that physical disability was the result of someone’s sin.) What is known about the causes of disability today?
- John uses the symbol of light throughout the Gospel. How is the theme of “light” and “dark” used in this scripture?
- How did each of the characters respond in the story?
- This story takes place over several hours with characters moving in and out of the story. How does this affect the story?
- Who is blind in the story? Are there different kinds of blindness?
- What did you think when the man asked the Pharisees in verse 27 if they wanted to become Jesus’s disciples? What meaning would their answer of “yes” or “no” imply?
- What does the conversation between Jesus and the man born blind in verses 35–38 mean to you?
- How would you summarize this scripture?
Respond
Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)
The man born blind received the use of his eyes to see the world for the first time. He also gained spiritual insight. He saw who Jesus was.
Blessing of Sacraments
Jesus blesses those in need. He offers healing and new life.
Sacraments are special ministries given to the church to convey the grace of Jesus Christ to his followers and all those he yearns to touch with his compassion. Sacraments are baptism, confirmation, the Lord’s Supper, marriage, blessing of children, laying on of hands for the sick, ordination to the priesthood, and the evangelist blessing. In these ministries, God sanctifies common elements of creation to bless human life and to renew and form the church to seek the peaceful kingdom of God.
The church throughout the world celebrates sacraments. These special ministries use common symbols and familiar procedures to draw us into relationship with God, who seeks to establish covenant with us. The sacraments embody God’s grace and peace and lead to transformation of our lives and communities. The sacraments shape our identity and community life as followers of Jesus Christ. As we experience the blessings available through sacraments, we are empowered to share the peace of Jesus Christ and to fulfill our mission in the world.
—See Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, pp. 44–50.
Photographs of each sacrament appear on pp. 45–50 or at CofChrist.org.
If there is time, act out each sacrament and have group members decide which one is being performed.
- What sacraments have you observed?
- In which sacraments have you participated?
Form small groups or pairs and assign each group or pair one of the eight sacraments of Community of Christ. Discuss how each sacrament helps people grow as disciples. Describe how you, or someone you know, have grown as a disciple through participation or observance of the sacraments. Share insights with the larger group.
Going Deeper
For the last several decades, research has been generated in the Theology of Disability by professionals—some of whom are also disabled—in medical, sociological, and theological groups. Their studies provide interesting perspectives and new ways of thinking about disability. Studies challenge the concept that the man was born blind because of a sin his parents committed. They raise theological questions about the worth of all persons, what contributions the disabled have for society and theology, and how disabled theology impacts the image of God we have in our heads. Some names in this field of research are Deborah Creamer, Ph.D.; Nancy Eiesland; Jennie Weiss Block; and Kathy Black among others.
-
- If possible, read about one of the people listed and share what their research reveals about disabilities.
Jesus said all are welcome and have a place at the table. Read or sing “For Everyone Born” CCS 285.
Send
Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)
Blind Spots
Sometimes a person looks but cannot see. A blind spot can mean a physical inability to see but also can mean a person’s view is obstructed mentally or emotionally.
- When have you felt blind?
- Was there a character in today’s story with whom you identified? Explain.
- When have you experienced new insight, a new chance to be the person you are called to be?
Bless
Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)
I Believe!
At the end of the story, the healed man exclaims, “Lord, I believe!” An eighteenth-century man named John Newton experienced a conversion that led him to believe in God’s grace. Once a slave trader, he realized the deplorable acts to humanity that the slave trade brought. Newton eventually became a minister and was inspired to write the hymn “Amazing Grace” CCS 19. Read or sing this hymn together.
Invite students to complete the following prayer statement. Close by leading the prayer and inviting individuals to share what they have written during the prayer together.
God of abundant grace,
Forgive me when I am blind to___.
Help me to see___in others.
Give me the courage to change___.
In Christ’s name and peace, Amen.
Children’s Lesson #
Focus Scripture Passage
John 9:1–41
Lesson Focus
Sometimes disciples are spiritually blind and fail to share their faith with others.
Objectives
The learners will…
- discuss the difference between physical blindness and spiritual blindness.
- experience what physical blindness might feel like.
- act out a skit about how to share a testimony.
- engage in the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina.
- share experiences from their Lenten calendar, if applicable
Supplies
- Bible
- Pens or pencils
Notes to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for John 9:1–41 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: New Testament, p. 50, available through Herald House.
Gather
Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)
Greet children as they enter and have them form a circle. Ask them to share about their Lenten experience, and how they used their gifts with others since the last class session.
Ask the children if they know anyone who is blind. What difficulties might a blind person have? (Examples might include bumping into objects; needing a cane or seeing-eye dog, special street-crossing signals that make sounds, and Braille writing.)
Engage
Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)
Today’s scripture passage is about a man who was born blind. When the blind man meets Jesus, his life changes.
Read together John 9:1–41.
Note: Due to the length of the scripture, you may find it more appropriate to read this adapted version.
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. Jesus spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smoothed the mud over the blind man’s eyes. Jesus said, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.” So the man went and washed. And came back seeing! The neighbors asked, “Aren’t you the blind man who used to sit here and beg? Who opened your eyes?” The man said, “The man called Jesus.”
They brought him to the Pharisees and when they asked who healed him, he said, “A prophet. What I know is that I was blind, and now I see!” They sent him out of the city, but when Jesus talked to him, he said, “Lord, I believe you are the Son of God.” Jesus said, “I have come to give sight to the blind.”
Say: In our scripture passage today, there are two kinds of blindness. One is easy to understand—physical blindness (a person’s eyes don’t allow them to see properly). The second kind is more difficult—spiritual blindness (not being able to see God at work).
Let’s try an experiment. Close your eyes. Now tell me how many fingers I am holding up (put up three fingers). Why is it impossible to know? (because you are “physically blind”)
Now open your eyes and tell me how many fingers I am holding up. (Hold up three fingers again.) This time you were all correct! What was different this time that made it easier? (This time our eyes were open, and the light in the room helped us see.)
When we allow Jesus to shine his light into our lives, we are no longer “spiritually blind.” Jesus used lots of stories and metaphors to help people understand. We can see what is hiding inside us that makes us hesitant to share Jesus’s love with others.
Form groups of two or three and create a skit about seeing something around you that needs special attention or about sharing what you know about Jesus. Consider talking with someone on the school bus, standing up for someone who is being bullied, or inviting a friend or family member to a church activity. Perform the skits for the class.
Respond
Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)
Lectio Divina
This spiritual practice encourages us to read scripture carefully to understand God’s Word. As I read the scripture story based on John 9:1–41, close your eyes and try to be part of the scene. Consider: Who are the characters? What is the setting? Imagine the scene—the sights, sounds, and smells in the story.
One day, Jesus met a man who was blind from birth. Jesus said that God did not make him blind and the man did not do anything wrong that caused his blindness.
Jesus asked, “Would you like to be able to see?” The man said, “Yes! Yes! Oh yes, please!”
Jesus took some soil from the ground. He spit on it and mixed it into mud. Then he put the mud on the man’s eyes and told him to go and wash his eyes.
The man did what Jesus said, and after he washed, he jumped up and shouted and told the people, “I can see! I can see! Jesus helped me see!”
Ask:
- Where do you find yourself in the story?
- Describe what you see, hear, and smell as you imagine the scene.
- How does it feel to witness what Jesus does?
Send
Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)
Ask students to name at least one way to show others the light of Jesus this week.
Bless
Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)
End your time together with the chant, “Lord, we were blind, but now we see”!