Seekers,
From 1991 to 1997, Saturday Night Live used to have an interstitial segment called “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey”. I used to think it was a character, but it turns out he is a real humorist. One of the segments projecting a cloud still life had this voice over:
If a kid asks where rain comes from,
I think a cute thing to tell him is “God is crying.”
And if he asks why God is crying,
another cute thing to tell him is
“Probably because of something you did.”
It is one of those ouch funnies. I can only speak for myself, but I’m sure many of us grew up with a similar theology of blame. Some say Original Sin or predestination. No matter how you parse it, “We done wrong.”
I’m not going to lie. This week’s Scripture is problematic. It is the passage where Jesus encounters and heals the blind beggar. The disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Even though Jesus replies, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him,” it smacks of ableism and a malady that must be healed in order to be whole. It is still embedded in our operational systems today.
In our need to make sense of the human condition, we can ask questions like, “Whose fault is it?” or make assumptions like, “This happened because….” Where is God in all of this?
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday at 10 am, either in the room or on Zoom, as we reflect upon John 9:1-41.
Love,
Rev. Michael Cronin
P.S. This Sunday is also a Congregational Meeting. You must be present in the room or on Zoom to win, no proxies! Please attend so we can attend to church business. BIG LOVE
