Dear Trinity Family & Friends,

We are now four weeks deep into the holy season of Lent, celebrated across the globe and in so many different branches of the great Christian faith “tree”! Let’s pause for just a moment to thank God for what He has done in your life in the past, how He may be working in your life in this very moment, and for the undiscovered blessings He has in store for you in the future.

Our “Signs and Wonders” series continues in this fifth week, with an encounter between Jesus and a blind man. Jesus and His disciples are very familiar with the village of Bethsaida, as some of the disciples live there (John 1:44), and they may have been expecting to come home for a bit of rest. However Jesus’ reputation has preceded him, and so friends of the blind man bring him to the Healer. Christ pulls the man from the village, spits saliva on his eyes, and touches the man with his hands. On the first try, the man remarks that he can now see - but people look like walking trees to him! Jesus touches him again, and on the second touch the man’s sight is fully restored.

So far in our series, we have seen Jesus as the feeder of huge crowds and the victor over death. Here the Lord takes time and attention that was given to enormous crowds, and focuses on just one man who needs his touch - twice! A few questions for us to consider:

1. I’m convinced that we all know someone who has a physical condition which creates a barrier for them to participate in communal gatherings - like church! What practical steps can we take to help them feel more connected?
2. In this passage, Jesus pointedly removes the recipient from the village setting. How do you experience Jesus differently when you are in public (the “village”) compared to when you are alone or with fewer people (the “wilderness”)?
3. In Mark 8:26, Jesus tells the healed man not to go back into the village. Often after we have received God’s grace and help to set our path straight, our first step is back in the more comfortable and familiar direction! How can we encourage others to step instead in a new direction, rather than falling back into old habits?

I hope you will be joining us this Sunday, March 17, at either the traditional 9 am service or the contemporary 10:30 am service, or joining us on one of the livestreams. My prayer is that our worship will be pleasing to God and inspirational to all who participate.

In Christ,

Pastor Dale