An Invitation to Sight
For Meditation
In this unusual passage, Jesus performs a miracle to heal a blind man, but the first time doesn’t seem to be very effective! So the blind man needs a “second touch” from Jesus, who brings total clarity of sight through his own laying on of hands. The story is a lesson about the transformation that Jesus wants to bring us to truly be able to see, whether it be other people around us or the work and presence of God in our lives and the world.
Our guest preacher this Sunday is Rev. Dr. Jim Singleton, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Leadership and Evangelism at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Prior to his current post at Gordon-Conwell, Jim served as senior pastor of churches in Texas, Washington and most recently, First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, a downtown congregation of 4,000 members.
He has taught at several seminaries around the world, including ones in Virginia, Texas, Washington, Moscow and Zambia. In addition to teaching and preaching, Jim has participated in cross-cultural missions in places in Mongolia, Ecuador, Cuba, Mexico and India.
Jim is an avid fan of baseball history, church history, hiking, and cross-country skiing. Jim is married to Sara, who is the pastor at Old South Presbyterian Church in Newburyport, MA- and daughter of one of Third’s former pastors, Bill and Peggy Long! Jim and Sara have a son, James, and a daughter, Rachel, and three grandchildren.
Mark 8:22-26
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”