Camp is coming soon!
Just wanted to say that. It seems far away right now, but it’s not really. In fact, I’m going to be coming after you very soon, wanting you to sign away a week of your life in July. I will not be turned away. You will not be able to refuse my call to make a difference in the life of a kid. In fact, when I ask you to volunteer your services I am going to have one of the wonderful kids of our congregation with me. Then, if you’re tempted to say no, I’ll say, “Don’t look at me! Look at them as you say no.” (Oh yeah. I’ll do it.)
Actually I was thinking about camp as I was preparing for this morning’s lesson. Right next to Camp Idlewild is the Sky Anchor Ranch. There, right beside the driveway that leads to Idlewild is Sky Anchor’s disabilities course, a series of stations designed to emulate life with a variety of disabilities. Campers for our session got to go through it last summer. They tried to throw a shot put from a seated position. They had to trace a picture by looking in a mirror (like dyslexia).
The most popular activities were the blind folded maze and the blind BB gun shoot. Campers had to navigate the maze with a walking stick. They had to shoot the gun with the help of a laser sight and voice commands from their partner.
At each station, the campers learned what life would be like if they didn’t have one of the senses that they (we) take so much for granted. I pray that I never have to adapt to something so drastic, but there’s a decent possibility that some day I will. Some day, if I live long enough, I may very well have to learn how to live without some ability that I once had.
This morning we’re going to read about the opposite kind of process. Jesus declares in Luke 4 that part of his mission on Earth is to enable rather than disable. He says, “I have come to give recovery of sight to the blind.” In most cases that sounds like good news, particularly when Jesus give someone physical sight. But as you and I will see (no pun intended), it’s not always an easy process to gain our spiritual sight. Sometimes it’s a little painful when we get clarity about who we are.
This morning, I hope you’ll be courageous. I hope you are willing to try and see yourself as God sees you. There’s good and bad news there. I’ll be sharing both.