"Jesus Take the Wheel"
Let Jesus be your guide
Sermon Preached by
The Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Text: Acts 9:26-31
Just a couple of weeks before the Olympics Winter Games in 1988, the CBC did a documentary on how blindness impedes participation in sports. People with other disabilities have the Paralympics, but blind people felt the Olympics were beyond their reach.
The documentary told the inspiring story of a number of Olympic athletes who found a way to help some blind athletes. They decided to give them an opportunity to enjoy skiing at its very best, and took some of them under their wing on a slalom course. The idea was that the blind athlete would be led by the sighted athlete in tandem through the course, around the pylons and safely to the bottom.
Many of the blind skiers said it was one of the most meaningful experiences in their whole lives. But there was a twist! Some of them wanted to ski down themselves; they didn't want to rely on the sighted person. And so, some of the Olympic athletes decided to ski ahead of them. Rather than holding on to them they would give instructions, and with the rhythm of their voice, the blind skiers would be able to negotiate the pylons.
They advised the blind skiers to “swing to the right, now swing to the left,” and everyone made it to the bottom of the hill. Afterward, there was an amazing statistic. Those who were visually challenged hit fewer pylons than the sighted skiers. Such was their ability to be able to hear the voice and to get its rhythm of that they were able to arrive at their destination safely.
When I recall that story, I think that as followers of Jesus Christ, we are very much like those blind skiers. We do not always clearly see where we should go. We don't always have all the skills and abilities necessary, and we need a voice to guide us to safety. We need someone more than ourselves who will give us direction and guidance along life's path. It is a wonderful thought!
The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, recognized this in I Corinthians, 13: “We see through a glass darkly.”
As another writer put it, “We live by faith and not by sight,“ because we simply are not able always to see the path that really lies ahead and we are not always aware exactly where we should go. We need something more - we need a guide, we need a voice and we need direction.
This really became clear to me when I was reading a passage form the Book of Kings II. Only in light of the fact that we have been looking at the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus did the passage's meaning really come through. The King of the Israelites was being challenged by a foreign king who had a strong Samarian army. It was a challenge for the him to raise his people up against this enemy.
In this midst of all this, along comes the prophet Elisha. He speaks to the leader of his nation, and gives him some wonderful instructions. The following passage describes the encounter between Elisha and the king, which has bearing on our lives:
When an attendant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. His servant said, ”˜Alas, master! What shall we do?' He replied, ”˜Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them.' Then Elisha prayed: ”˜Oh, Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw. The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. When the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, ”˜Strike this people, please, with blindness.' So he struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. Elisha said to them, ”˜This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will lead you to the man whom you seek.' And he led them to Samaria. As soon as then entered Samaria, Elisha said, ”˜O Lord, open the eyes of these men so that they may see.' The Lord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria. When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, ”˜Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?' He answered, ”˜No! Did you capture with your sword and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before and food before them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master.'