Spiritual Cataracts
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
Jesus said: I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom.
Opening Prayer
Eternal God, you have led us like a good shepherd through our days and years. Continue to open our eyes to your presence in our lives so that we may not find life empty or lacking in purpose. Fill us with your life-giving Spirit, that we may continue to serve you and glorify your name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Open My Eyes That I May See"
The author and composer of this hymn, Clara Scott, lived from 1841 until her death in 1897. For much of her life, she taught music in the Ladies' Seminary in Lyons, Iowa. She wrote many pieces of music both for voice and for instruments, including "The Royal Anthem Book," which was the first collection of Christian anthems published by a woman in this country. This particular hymn was inspired by the words of the Psalmist in the 119th Psalm, verse 18, which uses the phrase, "Open my eyes."
Scripture Reading
Matthew 6:19-24
Meditation
One of the annoying problems that many of us face as we get older is the problem of cataracts that form on our eyes. A pamphlet from a doctor's office says this about cataracts: "A cataract is a clouding over of the lens of the eye. This filminess causes a loss of transparency, and obstructs the passage of light into the eye. The result is distorted vision. If left unattended, the cloudiness may become so heavy that no light can get through the eye, and vision is lost altogether."
Those words about cataracts are very much like the words Jesus once spoke about the "eye." He said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light ... but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness." Jesus is talking here not only about our physical ability to see, but also about our whole perspective and outlook on life. It makes a great difference whether we see the glass of water on the table as half full or half empty. The poet put it this way: "Two men looked out through prison bars. One saw mud and the other saw stars!"
As we grow older, there is the danger not only of physical cataracts that distort our vision, but also of spiritual cataracts that cloud our judgment and warp our perspective on all of life. One of those spiritual cataracts we need to be wary about is prejudice. Prejudice can be a terrible thing in the human heart! Just to lump people into groups is blind, unfair, and often very cruel. To think, for example, that all musicians are alike, or all women are alike, or all Southerners are alike is just plain wrong. To think that all teachers, or all African-Americans, or all people with red hair are exactly alike is foolishness. At best, lumping people into narrow categories like that is stereotyping, and, at worst, it can be heartbreakingly cruel. Prejudice in any form is a fundamental denial of the Bible's message that God loves each and every one of us in exactly the same way.
A second spiritual cataract that afflicts many people is closed-mindedness. One of the consequences of a physical cataract is the loss of peripheral vision. A person begins to see in only one direction. The same thing can happen spiritually when people close their minds to new thoughts, new ways of doing things, or new possibilities in their lives. It is like the old saying, "Don't confuse me with the facts ... my mind is already made up!" Someone has pointed out that closed-mindedness is one of the most common sins of church people. He says that the Seven Last Words of the Church are: "We Never Did It That Way Before."
Yet another spiritual cataract we need to avoid is jealousy and resentment. When we carry a grudge or a resentment in our hearts against someone, it can cloud our judgment, distort our vision, and eventually cause us to become spiritually blind. Do you recall Shakespeare's famous play, Othello? Othello loved the beautiful Desdemona and she loved him, but Iago planted the seed of jealousy in Othello's mind. That jealousy eventually drove Othello to a blind rage in which he smothered Desdemona to death.
Perhaps you can think of other spiritual cataracts that can destroy our spiritual lives: disappointment, fear, hatred, and selfishness could all be added to the list of enemies of the human spirit. But let us rejoice that in Jesus Christ, God is ready and willing to remove our spiritual cataracts, so that the light of God's love can get through to our hearts.
Closing Prayer
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit Divine!
Jesus said: I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom.
Opening Prayer
Eternal God, you have led us like a good shepherd through our days and years. Continue to open our eyes to your presence in our lives so that we may not find life empty or lacking in purpose. Fill us with your life-giving Spirit, that we may continue to serve you and glorify your name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Open My Eyes That I May See"
The author and composer of this hymn, Clara Scott, lived from 1841 until her death in 1897. For much of her life, she taught music in the Ladies' Seminary in Lyons, Iowa. She wrote many pieces of music both for voice and for instruments, including "The Royal Anthem Book," which was the first collection of Christian anthems published by a woman in this country. This particular hymn was inspired by the words of the Psalmist in the 119th Psalm, verse 18, which uses the phrase, "Open my eyes."
Scripture Reading
Matthew 6:19-24
Meditation
One of the annoying problems that many of us face as we get older is the problem of cataracts that form on our eyes. A pamphlet from a doctor's office says this about cataracts: "A cataract is a clouding over of the lens of the eye. This filminess causes a loss of transparency, and obstructs the passage of light into the eye. The result is distorted vision. If left unattended, the cloudiness may become so heavy that no light can get through the eye, and vision is lost altogether."
Those words about cataracts are very much like the words Jesus once spoke about the "eye." He said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light ... but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness." Jesus is talking here not only about our physical ability to see, but also about our whole perspective and outlook on life. It makes a great difference whether we see the glass of water on the table as half full or half empty. The poet put it this way: "Two men looked out through prison bars. One saw mud and the other saw stars!"
As we grow older, there is the danger not only of physical cataracts that distort our vision, but also of spiritual cataracts that cloud our judgment and warp our perspective on all of life. One of those spiritual cataracts we need to be wary about is prejudice. Prejudice can be a terrible thing in the human heart! Just to lump people into groups is blind, unfair, and often very cruel. To think, for example, that all musicians are alike, or all women are alike, or all Southerners are alike is just plain wrong. To think that all teachers, or all African-Americans, or all people with red hair are exactly alike is foolishness. At best, lumping people into narrow categories like that is stereotyping, and, at worst, it can be heartbreakingly cruel. Prejudice in any form is a fundamental denial of the Bible's message that God loves each and every one of us in exactly the same way.
A second spiritual cataract that afflicts many people is closed-mindedness. One of the consequences of a physical cataract is the loss of peripheral vision. A person begins to see in only one direction. The same thing can happen spiritually when people close their minds to new thoughts, new ways of doing things, or new possibilities in their lives. It is like the old saying, "Don't confuse me with the facts ... my mind is already made up!" Someone has pointed out that closed-mindedness is one of the most common sins of church people. He says that the Seven Last Words of the Church are: "We Never Did It That Way Before."
Yet another spiritual cataract we need to avoid is jealousy and resentment. When we carry a grudge or a resentment in our hearts against someone, it can cloud our judgment, distort our vision, and eventually cause us to become spiritually blind. Do you recall Shakespeare's famous play, Othello? Othello loved the beautiful Desdemona and she loved him, but Iago planted the seed of jealousy in Othello's mind. That jealousy eventually drove Othello to a blind rage in which he smothered Desdemona to death.
Perhaps you can think of other spiritual cataracts that can destroy our spiritual lives: disappointment, fear, hatred, and selfishness could all be added to the list of enemies of the human spirit. But let us rejoice that in Jesus Christ, God is ready and willing to remove our spiritual cataracts, so that the light of God's love can get through to our hearts.
Closing Prayer
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit Divine!
