The people in John 9 are full of questions. They want to know: How come this man was born blind? Whose sin caused it? Then, how did he get his sight back? How did this other man – who certainly must not be from God because He performed a healing on the Sabbath – how did he restore the blind man’s sight? If this man was born blind, how can he now see? How did all of this happen?

But they don’t seem very interested in the answers. At least not the answers provided by the man himself – the man who was born blind and whose sight is restored by Jesus.

Every step of the way, the people in today’s gospel – the disciples, friends and neighbors, religious leaders – are preoccupied with their own ideas of how the world – and their God – works. And this man’s story and experience does not fit the mold.

We want to put God in a box – to put parameters around where and how and through whom God works. Our efforts to keep God contained mean rejecting some of the people – and some of the parts of us – that God so loves. And our efforts to keep God contained means that we fail to see the breadth and depth and height of God’s love for us and for this world.

This week, I pray that God opens our eyes as Jesus did for the man born blind. I pray that God opens our eyes to reveal God’s love at work in places and people we don’t expect. I pray that God gives us the courage to question our foregone conclusions. I pray that God gives us the curiosity to learn to listen deeply to the experiences and the stories of others. I pray that God helps us reimagine where or how we gather in order to include people who see differently – or don’t see at all.

With the help of God, we will see God’s love bringing hope and healing all around us. May it be so.