Eyes closed

As part of our 2 Peter study, there was a reference to the Old Testament story of Balaam (Numbers 22: 21-30). There is much more to Balaam's story than these few verses, but these were the ones referenced. The Balaam story intrigues me, and I feel sure there must be some wonderful Midrash to explain the story beyond what was recorded while Balaam rode his donkey. Oddly enough, I noticed a similarity with the sermon which focused on Luke's writings of the Walk to Emmaus. As part of each reading, the main characters were oblivious and could not see another character until their eyes were allowed to see. Finally, when they are allowed to see, they realized they had been in the presence of something holy, and had no idea how it escaped them before.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, we think we can see the obvious. We can see our hands, we can touch our desks, and we can read the text. Sometimes, like Midrash, we think we can even read between the lines and fill in your thoughts. We can see what needs to be done around the church, we can evaluate charts and graphs, we can picture the next event, but until our eyes are opened with your power, we are simply walking with blinders. Help us to realize that until we stop relying on our rational vision and until we lose sight of our own interests, that we will find it hard to realize that we are not seeing the whole picture. When it is in your time, please open our eyes to the attendance of something holy, and we will wonder how we could have missed it all along. Amen