Nadia, I’ve been reading your words for a while now. I’m not a Christian and I want to hear what you have to say. I find both realness and real comfort in your posts, regardless of my own lack of belief in a god. You are a gift.
Wow, Carolyn, that strikes me as a deep deep comment. There's something moving around in there, I think.
One thing I love about the church I'm part of is that we say we really welcome believers, seekers, and doubters. I'm all three, all the time, at the same time. Do you know that great story of the dad who desperately wants Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son? The dad cries out in his misery, "Lord I believe! Help my unbelief!" I understand that.
Ditto..."words, at best, are pointers"...the spirit in me recognizes/senses/is at one with, the spirit in you...words:thoughts/beliefs, can't possibly capture or explain...
Shit woman … (I love using that ‘bad’ word first, cause it just was what was there first … me, the Southern Baptist preacher’s son who never ‘came as I was’ …) … a tear is always waiting to get in that duct when I read your words … specifically when you spoke ‘Jesus went and found him’ … unbelievable he’s that way for real … that’s enough for me! … well … ‘damn, shit, he’ll’ … now it’s enough …
Nadia, I always appreciate the way you anchor your sermons and your interpretation of the text in our lives here and now. Thank you.
From the end of my sermon yesterday: The man Jesus healed was more than just a man born blind. He had a name. And the church, thank God, has remembered his name even though it wasn’t recorded in the Gospel of John where his story is told. His name was Celidonius which means “little swallow.” According to the tradition of the Eastern Church, Celidonius stayed with Jesus and became a disciple after he was given his sight. Years later he is said to have established the first Christian church at Nimes in Gaul and he is remembered in both the Roman and Eastern Churches as Saint Celidonius.
Love that StJohn info’s words , as well as (always) Nadia’s take! Our head pastor preached about same passage and two kids choirs highlighted What would Jesus See (say) riffing from the saying WWJDo.
Today in stormy MI, was able to see/say much appreciated words in a simple transaction I might otherwise have missed. And now these extras on yesterday’s passage I never noticed were Lenten.!!
I love that you called out the line "Jesus found him." I think that's my favorite line in the Bible. "Found" implies some degree of searching. I imagine Jesus hearing about the difficulty the man was having, dropping everything and searching through crowded streets for him. I don't think I've ever felt really "lost", being the sort of boring, more or less rule following, conflict-averse straight white cisgender guy I am. (How dull.) But I don't think I've ever felt particularly "found" either. So just the idea that Jesus cared individually about this guy, not as an object for demonstrating his power but as a whole human who's getting rejected just because he was the recipient of grace, is strong stuff for me. I think it takes a leap of faith to believe that God cares about us individual ordinary people as much as the more interesting people.
Nadia-…your… sermons are art form as you say. You have such a gift of getting to the heart, the soul, the meaning for us. You make a difference in lives. Carry on… do what you do! Thank you for this beauty!
As the parent of a child born blind, thanks the super rare genetic lottery won by the "coming together" of her parents, I've come to cringe when this story in John is squeezed for a preacher's juice. No preacher bends themselves into pretzels to find a "teachable moment" in good parts of stoning, ya know? No hate. Love your heart & brain. Just a painful wknd in Lent for me.
I can only imagine. A very well known and highly regarded Lutheran preaching professor is blind. He put the fear of God into an entire generation of preachers to not say stupid shit when preaching these texts. I’m so grateful for that.
I loved all of it, but the beginning — aging is indeed not for sissies— and the ending — I’ll never hear psalm 23 quite the same way again — clearly spoke volumes to me today. Thanks also to those us living through an era with no resemblance to civics class.
Nadia, thank you for that beautiful sermon. Since we read the same Gospel passage in the Catholic Church yesterday, one additional detail from the text struck me. Jesus says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned…,” yet the Pharisees reject the man who had been healed, saying, “You were born entirely in sins.”
That resonates strongly with what you said: people often fail to see the real person in front of them and instead see what they had already decided in their minds. It is also a lesson for those who witness someone’s change — we must look with truly open eyes and hearts. Otherwise we risk ending up like those Pharisees.
Nadia, I love hearing your sermons so much. Yours is an altogether different take on the story of the blind man from the message that my own Presbyterian pastor drew from it yesterday, and hearing it relate to change and loss is an especially poignant message for me as I approach my 80th birthday in a few months. I recite the 23rd Psalm to myself each night before my prayers, and now the word "all" is one that I will certainly emphasize. Thank you for YOU.
Thank you, Nadia. God is constant. God never changes. I needed that encouragement My husband and I are going through changes. I am 56 and feel like my body is turning against me. Keeping active and healthy is more challenging than 10 years ago. My husband is showing signs of dementia. Sometimes I am not sure who it is I am dealing with. Navigating this changing journey of our lives sometimes leaves me exhausted, lost, always questioning what the next right thing to do should be, and grieving. Most of the time he is the man I married and I am cherishing the time I have with him. I try not to live in what is coming even though I know having dealt with other family members with dementia. Refocusing on God, asking for His strength, guidance, and provisions helps me keep moving forward.
What is it about the 90s that caused such a kerfluffle?
I had a "free" trip to the ICU at a local hospital after a routine surgery went horribly, horribly wrong.
And if you've even been in an ICU. There is no sugar coating it.
Where I woke up to a male nurse hovering over me, and announcing, matter-of-factly, that I had stopped breathing, followed by a few seconds of sheer panic on my part. Before I realized, he was standing over me, telling me I had stopped breathing, which meant...I was breathing again.
I'll tell you, that's like "coming in like a wrecking ball" to whatever priority set you had before that. Things that may have been important aren't important any longer, and things that should have been important become important. Most people don't die as you see on TV and in the movies. That is one of the things that screws us up mentally.
Like what could have happened to me; you don't wake up one day. That's it, that's all, no flair, no bling, no heralds with trumpets, no pomp and circumstance...just...just.
Nadia thank you for your words and the amazing sermon. What really touched me is that when a loss happens it feels like all the loses are relived. I fell sometimes like I am the only person who feels that. Sometimes it is overwhelming. Changes are not easy I struggle with do ai really want to be the person I was before the change? And then I can become controlling because I want to control the change. God is with me and has been with me All the days even when I wasn’t aware of it so thank you for your insight you humor and most of all you!
Nadia, I’ve been reading your words for a while now. I’m not a Christian and I want to hear what you have to say. I find both realness and real comfort in your posts, regardless of my own lack of belief in a god. You are a gift.
Thank you. What a lovely thing to hear.
Wow, Carolyn, that strikes me as a deep deep comment. There's something moving around in there, I think.
One thing I love about the church I'm part of is that we say we really welcome believers, seekers, and doubters. I'm all three, all the time, at the same time. Do you know that great story of the dad who desperately wants Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son? The dad cries out in his misery, "Lord I believe! Help my unbelief!" I understand that.
I think you, too, must be a gift.
Bob, your words resonate with me: believer, seeker, and doubter. I’m one too.
Ditto..."words, at best, are pointers"...the spirit in me recognizes/senses/is at one with, the spirit in you...words:thoughts/beliefs, can't possibly capture or explain...
Shit woman … (I love using that ‘bad’ word first, cause it just was what was there first … me, the Southern Baptist preacher’s son who never ‘came as I was’ …) … a tear is always waiting to get in that duct when I read your words … specifically when you spoke ‘Jesus went and found him’ … unbelievable he’s that way for real … that’s enough for me! … well … ‘damn, shit, he’ll’ … now it’s enough …
My dad was a preacher of sorts too, and I have been a hellion from the get go. Free will is a glorious, horrible gift!
Nadia, I always appreciate the way you anchor your sermons and your interpretation of the text in our lives here and now. Thank you.
From the end of my sermon yesterday: The man Jesus healed was more than just a man born blind. He had a name. And the church, thank God, has remembered his name even though it wasn’t recorded in the Gospel of John where his story is told. His name was Celidonius which means “little swallow.” According to the tradition of the Eastern Church, Celidonius stayed with Jesus and became a disciple after he was given his sight. Years later he is said to have established the first Christian church at Nimes in Gaul and he is remembered in both the Roman and Eastern Churches as Saint Celidonius.
Love that StJohn info’s words , as well as (always) Nadia’s take! Our head pastor preached about same passage and two kids choirs highlighted What would Jesus See (say) riffing from the saying WWJDo.
Today in stormy MI, was able to see/say much appreciated words in a simple transaction I might otherwise have missed. And now these extras on yesterday’s passage I never noticed were Lenten.!!
Grateful God calls us by name. In all our seasons. Thank you for this Nadia.
I love that you called out the line "Jesus found him." I think that's my favorite line in the Bible. "Found" implies some degree of searching. I imagine Jesus hearing about the difficulty the man was having, dropping everything and searching through crowded streets for him. I don't think I've ever felt really "lost", being the sort of boring, more or less rule following, conflict-averse straight white cisgender guy I am. (How dull.) But I don't think I've ever felt particularly "found" either. So just the idea that Jesus cared individually about this guy, not as an object for demonstrating his power but as a whole human who's getting rejected just because he was the recipient of grace, is strong stuff for me. I think it takes a leap of faith to believe that God cares about us individual ordinary people as much as the more interesting people.
Nadia-…your… sermons are art form as you say. You have such a gift of getting to the heart, the soul, the meaning for us. You make a difference in lives. Carry on… do what you do! Thank you for this beauty!
As the parent of a child born blind, thanks the super rare genetic lottery won by the "coming together" of her parents, I've come to cringe when this story in John is squeezed for a preacher's juice. No preacher bends themselves into pretzels to find a "teachable moment" in good parts of stoning, ya know? No hate. Love your heart & brain. Just a painful wknd in Lent for me.
I can only imagine. A very well known and highly regarded Lutheran preaching professor is blind. He put the fear of God into an entire generation of preachers to not say stupid shit when preaching these texts. I’m so grateful for that.
I loved all of it, but the beginning — aging is indeed not for sissies— and the ending — I’ll never hear psalm 23 quite the same way again — clearly spoke volumes to me today. Thanks also to those us living through an era with no resemblance to civics class.
Nadia, thank you for that beautiful sermon. Since we read the same Gospel passage in the Catholic Church yesterday, one additional detail from the text struck me. Jesus says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned…,” yet the Pharisees reject the man who had been healed, saying, “You were born entirely in sins.”
That resonates strongly with what you said: people often fail to see the real person in front of them and instead see what they had already decided in their minds. It is also a lesson for those who witness someone’s change — we must look with truly open eyes and hearts. Otherwise we risk ending up like those Pharisees.
This was unbelievably powerful. Thank you for your humor, brilliance and reassurance that we are known by our name as we are, today and always.
Nadia, I love hearing your sermons so much. Yours is an altogether different take on the story of the blind man from the message that my own Presbyterian pastor drew from it yesterday, and hearing it relate to change and loss is an especially poignant message for me as I approach my 80th birthday in a few months. I recite the 23rd Psalm to myself each night before my prayers, and now the word "all" is one that I will certainly emphasize. Thank you for YOU.
Thank you, Nadia. God is constant. God never changes. I needed that encouragement My husband and I are going through changes. I am 56 and feel like my body is turning against me. Keeping active and healthy is more challenging than 10 years ago. My husband is showing signs of dementia. Sometimes I am not sure who it is I am dealing with. Navigating this changing journey of our lives sometimes leaves me exhausted, lost, always questioning what the next right thing to do should be, and grieving. Most of the time he is the man I married and I am cherishing the time I have with him. I try not to live in what is coming even though I know having dealt with other family members with dementia. Refocusing on God, asking for His strength, guidance, and provisions helps me keep moving forward.
Thank you. The other day you couldn't find words and now this. 😊 beautiful words. ✌🏽❤️
My moment of change happened in 1996.
What is it about the 90s that caused such a kerfluffle?
I had a "free" trip to the ICU at a local hospital after a routine surgery went horribly, horribly wrong.
And if you've even been in an ICU. There is no sugar coating it.
Where I woke up to a male nurse hovering over me, and announcing, matter-of-factly, that I had stopped breathing, followed by a few seconds of sheer panic on my part. Before I realized, he was standing over me, telling me I had stopped breathing, which meant...I was breathing again.
I'll tell you, that's like "coming in like a wrecking ball" to whatever priority set you had before that. Things that may have been important aren't important any longer, and things that should have been important become important. Most people don't die as you see on TV and in the movies. That is one of the things that screws us up mentally.
Like what could have happened to me; you don't wake up one day. That's it, that's all, no flair, no bling, no heralds with trumpets, no pomp and circumstance...just...just.
ab uno disce omnes,
Thank you Nadia for your words of support and wisdom. We can all appreciate your words today with the constant tsunami of really bad news.
Nadia thank you for your words and the amazing sermon. What really touched me is that when a loss happens it feels like all the loses are relived. I fell sometimes like I am the only person who feels that. Sometimes it is overwhelming. Changes are not easy I struggle with do ai really want to be the person I was before the change? And then I can become controlling because I want to control the change. God is with me and has been with me All the days even when I wasn’t aware of it so thank you for your insight you humor and most of all you!