Believing Without Seeing
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"Believing without Seeing" by John Fitzgerald
* * * * * * *
Believing without Seeing
by John Fitzgerald
John 20:19-31
Spring is the season which we witness God’s glorious creation unfold. With the first rays of nourishing sunlight planet earth bursts forth into a glorious array of green and growing things. The warmth and rain of April lifts each heart and encourages every spirit.
The Native Americans took on a right attitude toward divine handiwork. Perhaps it is because American Indians lived closer to the earth than we do they had such a reverence for Creator and Creation. Here these words as written by Chief Seattle in 1854 which describe the holiness present in every living species:
Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man. The perfumed flowerers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family. The reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father. The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors. The rivers carry our canoes and feed our children. We are part of the earth and the earth is part of us.
It requires a faith that moves beyond the physical realm to appreciate insights articulated by Chief Seattle in this proclamation. In the physical universe human beings are given five senses for understanding: hearing, seeing,touching, tasting, and smelling. Jesus like Chief Seattle tested his audience to have an appreciation for faith that is not restricted by sensory input. In the New Testament, our Lord said to his audience, “Do you have spiritual ears to hear and spiritual eyes to see the work of My Father?”
Spiritual eyes and Spiritual ears are given to those who understand the Great Spirit moving and breathing in all of life. It is something hard to grasp because of it not being visible and subject to the five human senses. Our desire is for a faith easy to obtain because of it being apparent to the human eye and ear.
In our scripture reading, Thomas is a perfect representative of those who want faith in every detail spelled out so they can see it ant touch it. The Bible says Thomas would not believe that Jesus rose from the dead until he touched his wounds and eye-witnessed his physical body. Thomas refused to have faith until his physical senses were satisfied.
Many of us are like Thomas in that we refuse to believe Jesus is alive because of our inability in seeing his physical body. Scripture teaches that God is Spirit. The Spirit made manifest in Jesus will not be made subject to human limitations of five senses. The Great Spirit which Chief Seattle knew is alive and present in all of creation since the beginning of time. Will we have spiritual eyes and spiritual ears to see and listen?
I want to close with a poem of mine written a number of years ago.
Life in the Spirit
There is a Life that moves through and in this flesh and blood.
It is within me, but yet not subject to me.
I can talk about it, but yet not define it
I can deny it, ignore it, turn away from it, but yet it remains.
It has been present in the past. It is here with us in this moment. It shall remain in the future.
Death cannot stop this Life. Death is but a door to a more fuller participation in this Life.
Evil cannot conquer this Life. In the end evil always self destructs.
It is Life in the Spirit of God.
--John Fitzgerald
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
*****************************************
StoryShare, April 12, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Believing without Seeing" by John Fitzgerald
* * * * * * *
Believing without Seeing
by John Fitzgerald
John 20:19-31
Spring is the season which we witness God’s glorious creation unfold. With the first rays of nourishing sunlight planet earth bursts forth into a glorious array of green and growing things. The warmth and rain of April lifts each heart and encourages every spirit.
The Native Americans took on a right attitude toward divine handiwork. Perhaps it is because American Indians lived closer to the earth than we do they had such a reverence for Creator and Creation. Here these words as written by Chief Seattle in 1854 which describe the holiness present in every living species:
Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man. The perfumed flowerers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family. The reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father. The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors. The rivers carry our canoes and feed our children. We are part of the earth and the earth is part of us.
It requires a faith that moves beyond the physical realm to appreciate insights articulated by Chief Seattle in this proclamation. In the physical universe human beings are given five senses for understanding: hearing, seeing,touching, tasting, and smelling. Jesus like Chief Seattle tested his audience to have an appreciation for faith that is not restricted by sensory input. In the New Testament, our Lord said to his audience, “Do you have spiritual ears to hear and spiritual eyes to see the work of My Father?”
Spiritual eyes and Spiritual ears are given to those who understand the Great Spirit moving and breathing in all of life. It is something hard to grasp because of it not being visible and subject to the five human senses. Our desire is for a faith easy to obtain because of it being apparent to the human eye and ear.
In our scripture reading, Thomas is a perfect representative of those who want faith in every detail spelled out so they can see it ant touch it. The Bible says Thomas would not believe that Jesus rose from the dead until he touched his wounds and eye-witnessed his physical body. Thomas refused to have faith until his physical senses were satisfied.
Many of us are like Thomas in that we refuse to believe Jesus is alive because of our inability in seeing his physical body. Scripture teaches that God is Spirit. The Spirit made manifest in Jesus will not be made subject to human limitations of five senses. The Great Spirit which Chief Seattle knew is alive and present in all of creation since the beginning of time. Will we have spiritual eyes and spiritual ears to see and listen?
I want to close with a poem of mine written a number of years ago.
Life in the Spirit
There is a Life that moves through and in this flesh and blood.
It is within me, but yet not subject to me.
I can talk about it, but yet not define it
I can deny it, ignore it, turn away from it, but yet it remains.
It has been present in the past. It is here with us in this moment. It shall remain in the future.
Death cannot stop this Life. Death is but a door to a more fuller participation in this Life.
Evil cannot conquer this Life. In the end evil always self destructs.
It is Life in the Spirit of God.
--John Fitzgerald
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
*****************************************
StoryShare, April 12, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
