Sunday, March 22, 2020

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

The Seekerville bloggers are praying for YOU and for our entire blog community throughout this Lenten season. If you have any special intentions that need additional prayer coverage, please leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 
May the Lord bless you and your families abundantly as we journey to Easter. 

Please join us in praying for our country--and the world--during 
this coronavirus outbreak. 

Dear Lord, protect us and keep us
free from COVID-19 infection. Help all who are working hard to 
contain the spread of this virus, especially those  
in the healthcare professions and those caring for the sick. 
Give clarity and right judgement to the WHO, CDC, NIH and 
federal, state and local agencies combating this outbreak.
Guard our elderly and immunocompromised 
and bring healing and comfort to those who have the disease.
God bless us, and God bless the United States of America.
Amen.

Christ healing the blind, by Nicolas Colombel, 1682. [US-PD]

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”

He said, “I don’t know.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”

So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, “Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?

Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;

but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.
John 9 1:41

16 comments:

  1. This Gospel always gets to me... how this beautiful miracle is accomplished, and then how people do not believe, even refuse to believe what is right in front of their eyes.

    Isn't that amazing?

    That we find it so hard to believe things when they're right in front of us?

    The people in charge were threatened by goodness.

    Oh, we can learn so much from that!

    Wishing all of us strength and courage and faith during these trying times. We are so blessed to be able to get together here and help.

    ReplyDelete
  2. YES, Ruthy, your last sentence.....says it all! Thanks to you, all Seekers for your prayers....remember my family for safety/health please.
    Blessings~~~

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  3. Debby, I knew this was your post from the prayer. Thanks so much for sharing today. I keep your writer's prayer on my desk beside my computer.

    I was encouraged to see scientists around the world working together to find a cure. Praise God!

    Jackie Smith, I'll add you and your family to my prayer list.

    Ruthy, strength, courage and faith. AMEN!

    Thanks to everybody who is praying for healthcare workers. My husband and sons are all in the healthcare industry and going to work every day. I appreciate your prayers!

    God is our defender and protector. Let's not get tired of praying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jackie, I'll be praying for your husband and sons. Bless them for their work!

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    2. Jackie, I'm covering your family with prayer. I know how worried you must be about them. I make a little cross on the foreheads of my loved ones when they venture out and say the little prayer I love, "Jesus, I trust in you!"

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  4. Debby, thank you for blessing us with this today.

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  5. I'm so glad we're all coming together in prayer today. I'm sure services at your husband's church were cancelled. We had live streaming and watched from our home. Such an amazing time, but God is in control and he loves us and wants the very best for us, which brings me comfort!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should have added that the service was private. No one was in the church, except for a few video folks running the equipment since we all are remaining in our homes.

      I just learned a man in our church died from COVID-19 last night. He had been in ICU for a week and on a ventilator. God bless his family.

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  6. Praying for our friends, our families, and our country. The world needs a strong church!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you Debby! I also enjoy your facebook live encouragement and prayer. Jesus I trust in You! United in prayer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jeanne! Yes, united in prayer. Bless you!

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  8. Thank you for this inspirational scripture and your prayers! Please pray for me and my family . (Was just laid off from work because of the virus scare)

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    Replies
    1. Praying for you and yours, Lynne! Praying for your financial well-being in this difficult time.

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