When I was used to go to summer camp as a kid, we would have teams compete in a relay race that involved a blindfold and a baseball bat. In the race, we would take turns being blindfolded, and then we would walk up to the baseball bat, stand it up, put our forehead down on the tip of it, and spin around ten times. After spinning, we would then have to run in a straight line to tag-in the next runner so that the relay could continue. As you can imagine, there was a lot of confusion. A lot of people went the wrong way, tripped over obstacles, and took a long time to get where they were going. Being blindfolded would have been enough to make it difficult, but to dizziness made it even more confusing and challenging. It hard to get where you want to go in that condition.
Most of us like to believe that we see the world pretty clearly, and that we are able to get ourselves where we want to go. According to Jesus, however, without him we are walking in darkness. We are blinded and confused, just like a kid who has put on a blindfold and spun around a baseball bat. We are making mistakes about the things around us because we cannot see them. We are injuring ourselves because we are tripping over obstacles. We are wandering around, looking for the right path. We are lost in the darkness, and on our own we cannot find our way.
But Jesus presents himself as the light of the world. He invites us to follow him out of darkness. This Sunday we will experience Jesus’ invitation to follow him, and we will be presented with all the challenges and benefits that go along with this invitation.
Dan
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