LIGHT FOR THE BLIND
Pastor Phillip Dunn of West Virginia went blind 14 years ago due to macular degeneration and cataracts. He learned to prepare for his sermons by listening to the Bible on audio. Without ever seeing them, he met new church members and became friends with them. He attended his daughter’s wedding but could not see it. He had never laid eyes on his grandchildren. Always, this pastor hoped God would restore his vision. Dunn developed a sharp pain in his left eye: the cataract in that eye had ruptured. His doctor operated to try to save his eyeball. Days after the surgery, Dunn removed the patch. Not only could he see light through that eye, somehow he could literally see. God saved this pastor from his darkness just as Jesus’ resurrection saved all believers from the darkness of sin and death.
LIFE FROM THE DEAD
There is no greater example of light penetrating the darkness than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With the incarnation, God was invading our realm with salvation. With the crucifixion, God was conducting the great work of atonement. But as we see from Paul in today’s lesson, all our preaching and even our faith would be useless if it were not for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Our bodies are sown in weakness, as we know all too well. But because of Christ, the believer’s body is raised in power.
Questions
- What experience do you have with blindness or a deep darkness?
- How has the resurrection of Jesus changed your life?
- Who do you know who needs Christ to bring light to their darkness?
