This is not just a story about a blind man healed once long ago. It continues to challenge us to recognize the ways in which we are blind and to recognize our blindness – and the ways in which we are wrong about the blindness of others.The joy of this morning’s text is that there is hope.

Vicar Paul presents "The Speech of Christ" on the Wednesday Worship Service during the 3rd Week of Lent.

The church is the earthly manifestation of Jesus, the body of Christ. We are here to be the hands and feet of Christ to our neighbors, even if we cannot gather to worship. Here is Vicar Paul with some simple ways to be the church.

The woman at the well in Eastern Christianity is considered a saint, and by many viewed as on par with the apostles. As a Samaritan woman, she was looked down upon in a huge way, but this gets upended with the societal norms that Jesus broke in His conversation with her. In today's reading, Jesus shows us ways to reach out to those for whom we have little in common with, or might even be our enemies.

In this weeks Gospel reading, Jesus cranks up the law.. On the surface this seems a stark contrast with last weeks focus. on being the salt of the earth, and light of the world. The thing is, rather than repeating a series of thou shalt nots, Jesus points us toward a transformation of the heart.

The institutional church has been great about proclaiming a lot of information. But, when Jesus declares us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, what good is it, if we don't put it into action? How might we provoke one another to be light to the world?

How do we know right from wrong? As Vicar Paul said, "we like rules". The challenge is that people disagree and egos often translate what is good and advantageous for me, must therefore be the right thing for you, which doesn't work out too well for anyone. Jesus shows a better way with the sermon on the mount.

This weeks Gospel reading from Matthew chapter four and last weeks reading from the first chapter of John tell the same story... but the details are markedly different. Many people want concrete details upon which to base their beliefs. Yet, when the Gospel accounts differ, how do we know who got it right? Is asking which is right, perhaps the wrong question?

Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, He asks, What are you looking for, John's disciples respond, where are you staying? Jesus answers, come and see. Unpacking these questions, we see insights into the big questions of life. We also see how they tie into our relationships, practices, and beliefs

John the Baptist, the preachers kid chucked convention. Beyond his choices of attire and food, he took Baptism from a religious practice of ritual cleansing for temple entrance, out to the wilderness using living water. Baptism is the holy ritual to bind ourselves to God's way of being in the world, acting in selfless love. As imperfect ego driven human beings, selfless love is hard.