Try Opening Your Eyes

Last updated on: January 29, 2019 at 9:09 am by Anne Kennedy

Try Opening Your Eyes 2019-01-29T09:09:35-04:00 Anne Kennedy

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is it already morning? Goodness, that came quickly. Did not intend to fall off the internet for the whole weekend. Happily for me, I don’t have too many regrets on account of getting to spend the loveliest weekend in South Carolina with the spouses of the clergy down there. They were having their annual retreat, and they invited me to come and chatter at them, which I did. They all said they had a good time, but I am pretty sure it was me they were talking about. The scenery was charming and the people even more so. Also, I got to a eat a perfect bowl of grits and shellfish, of which, if you don’t stop me, I will begin to weep over the memory—in a good way.

When I got home Matt and I tried to tape a podcast but we forgot to push the record button, which must mean we were more offensive than usual and God knew better. Sorry about that! Instead, how ‘bout an interview Karen Swallow Prior and I did about the Pelican Project, and also a new podcast I found that is light and funny and true, and the Pelican Links for the week, and finally the excellent sermon that I missed this Sunday, but have listened to twice—it is that helpful.

And most importantly, here is the tweet we made glorious fun of yesterday, while we were, in fact, not recording.

There is no way I will ever watch this movie, but that doesn’t stop my soul from glorying in the brilliance of this single tweet. This is even better than virtual church. I have heard cries that twitter must end because it is so abusive and awful (no argument there) but it is these little gems that redeem it so completely. Just Think! Out there, a whole lot of nice people are staggering through the doors on a Sunday morning (or evening or whenever) and, given that there is No Movie off limits to the mega-church lectionary machine, they are handed blindfolds as they come in. And the biblical literacy is so low, indeed non-existent, that no one tying it on, or no one in the brainstorming staff meeting before hand says, ‘Hey Guys, isn’t sight one of the central themes of scripture? Do you think there’s any chance, once we tweet this incredible unconventional experience out, the whole world will laugh at us?’ ‘Nah bruh,’ says the guy across that able, ‘it’s Bird Box. It’s awesome.’

As we said in our providentially lost podcast, if you go to a church where you put your hands in the air, the last thing you want is the guy next to you blindfolded. That’s a recipe for pain. Also, you know what’s really restricting? Tying on a blindfold so that you can’t use one of your major faculties. Hashtag Restricting. You know what is anxiety inducing? Not being able to see.

Indeed, I feel like this single tweet is the perfect icon of the church in the west right now, tying on blindfolds on purpose, trying to find its way along as if there weren’t sight delivering gifts like, oh, I don’t know, The Bible, or Two Thousand Years of Christians Smarter Than Me.

I mean, I know that spiritual sight is thing we need as we wander down the dark path of this mortal life, that of course we can’t see, that’s why we neeed Jesus, but the Point of physical sight is so that you will understand your need for Spiritual Sight. It’s like a, what’dya call it, Metaphor for a spiritual verity that none of us want or have the capacity to face. But the modern Christian likes to deliberately blind himself to the light of the Bible, tie on his blind, and listen to the rumblings of his tummy and his heart, which only ever makes him blinder. God gave you eyes to read the scripture so that they eyes of your heart would be enlightened. But whatever, tie that sucker on and wander around in the dark. #awesome.

One of the things I adored about this weekend was walking into the chapel and suddenly there, through a wide expanse of clear glass, was the water—muted, serene, calm. Trees formed a perfect frame around its vast expanse. Gray, somber light flooded in. And then we read the scripture aloud, so that that the inner ear, and the outer ear could hear, and spiritual light could fall and push away the troubled darkness of doubt and disbelief. It was conventional, ordinary, convicting, and perfect. Hashtag No Judgment Forsooth. May God have mercy on us all. Which I expect he will, at least for everyone who takes that foolish blindfold off and looks to the Light of the World.

Previous Post

January 25, 2019

7 Important Quotes

Next Post

January 30, 2019 The Self-Control Unicorn

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Children in Conversation culture watch Daily Devotions Demotivations with Anne faith alone for the grandparents GAFCON In conversation with children In the News Kitchen Notes Lambeth Learning Notes Life Going On Men are Human Notes from Home Pictures Reading the Bible Saturday Links Sermons Signs of the Apocalypse The Bad Word Association The Prayer of Jonah Travel Notes Uncategorized Witless Wednesdays Work and the Christian

Select a Month June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian group worships mainly on Saturday, not Sunday?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Orthodox Catholic Seventh-day Adventist Methodist

Books by This Author Books by Anne Kennedy

See All Titles »