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THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT March 15, 2026 Pastor Tom Steer Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto Divine Service Setting III (Pages 184-202) Lutheran Service Book OUR OPENING HYMN: 398 “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” Confession and Absolution Page 184 THE INTROIT Psalm 27, verses 4-6; antiphon Psalm 25:15 15My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 4One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. 15My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. THE KYRIE – (Lord Have Mercy) Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. THE SALUTATION: Pastor: The Lord be with you. Congregation: And with thy Spirit. Pastor: Let us pray. COLLECT PRAYER: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. OUR BIBLE READINGS: First Reading – Isaiah 42:14-21 Psalm 142; antiphon v. 5 Epistle Reading – Ephesians 5:8-14 Gospel Reading – John 9:1-41 THE APOSTLES’ CREED Page 192 HYMN OF THE DAY: 849 “Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness” THE SERMON – Jesus Christ is the light that shines in the darkness. His light reveals salvation, and a new life, both in this world, and for life eternal. That’s the Gospel message for today, written by the Apostle John. In the ancient world physical blindness was more common. In the modern world, spiritual blindness, caused by unbelief, has largely taken its place. Today, we live in a society where light is as close as the flip of a switch. And so, we often don’t think about how marvelous light in the darkness is. We only get a glimpse of it when we’re faced with a blackout, or we go camping, and our flashlight fails. The ancient world was without street lights, electricity, or batteries. The flame from a hand-held lamp like the one pictured in your service bulletin was often all that stood between you and total darkness. The lamp pictured in your bulletin, by the way, was excavated from a First Century house in Israel. A home might have 10 or more of them. The occupants of a Christian home in the late First and Second centuries would go from room to room at dusk, and as they lit their lamps, they would often sing a hymn. The hymn they’d most often sing is in the evening prayer setting of the Lutheran Service Book. It’s in the ‘Service of Light’ on page 244. We’re going to recite it together later in our service. It was called the Phos Hilarion or “Joyous Light.” Every night when the members of a Christian household lit their lamps, they would sing about Jesus, the Light of the World. Can you imagine how much richer our lives would be if we remembered Christ every time we turned on a light? The Apostle John began his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” We can think of these opening words of John’s Gospel, that, by the way, reflect the opening words of Genesis when God creates light, as we turn now to the Gospel passage for today – John, Chapter 9. The chapter is constructed in a series of scenes. First, Jesus and His disciples encounter a blind man – a man truly without light. The disciples ask a question, and they make a mistake that people still do today. They see misfortune in their own lives, or someone else’s, and they ask what they did. Whose fault is it? Like the friends of the Biblical Job, they believe that someone who meets with tragedy or difficulty has brought it on themselves. Jesus will hear none of this, and begins a spiritual teaching to dispel their own darkness. Christ says He is the Light of the World. And while the light shines, it is good to work. Jesus spits on some mud and smears it on the blind man’s eyes, and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam, which means “sent.” By the way, this pool was found exactly where the Bible says it was during an excavation in Jerusalem in 2004. So, the blind man follows Jesus’ instructions, and returns with his sight. How do people react? They ask, is this really the guy who was blind? Some say, ‘yes.’ Others insist ‘no,’ he only looks like him. But the blind man is adamant. He says, “I am the fellow who was blind.” The people pose a question – ‘how did you come to see?’ He replies, “The man, Jesus, made mud, and put it on my eyes … and now I see!” Our next scene is the formerly blind man, and the spiritually blind Pharisees – and their response to this miracle. Their reaction to this act of grace and compassion by Jesus is to criticize and condemn Him. They say, “What’s going on here. This man was cured of his blindness on a Sabbath, and that’s against the rules.” So, the Pharisees call Christ a sinner. Meanwhile, the blind man’s spiritual sight is getting clearer, and he says this man Jesus is a prophet. He’s overjoyed. But word is out. The Pharisees are looking for someone to blame. And if anyone goes along with this account of healing, they’re going to get thrown out of the synagogue, or worse. They interrogate him again. “How did he open your eyes?” Finally, the man responds with a touch of irony. “Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” The question enrages them. They falsely claim they’re disciples of Moses. They insist they don’t know where Jesus comes from. And at this point the formerly blind man says something astonishing. “Why, this is an amazing thing. You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.” Then he says something even more profound. “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” The man who was once blind now sees far more clearly than the Pharisees. So, they respond the only way they know how. They cast him out. But that isn’t the end of the account. Jesus hears about what’s happened. He seeks the man out. And when He finds him, He asks a question. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The answer. “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus replies, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” At that moment, the man’s sight becomes complete. He says, “Lord, I believe.” And he worships Jesus. That is the true miracle of this story. A blind man receives sight. A sinner receives faith. A man who once sat in darkness now worships the true Son of God. Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets foretold that when the Messiah came, the blind would see. Isaiah declared that the coming Servant of the Lord would open the eyes of the blind and bring prisoners out of darkness. So, when Jesus restores sight to this man, He is revealing who He truly is. He is the promised Messiah. He is the Light of the World. But this story is not only about one healed man. It’s also about us. Because the truth is, every one of us was born blind. Not physically, but spiritually blind. By nature, we cannot see our sin clearly. We can’t see God rightly. We cannot find our way to Him. Scripture says we once walked in darkness. But God has not left us in that darkness. Through His Son, He has brought us into the light. Through His Word and through Holy Baptism, He has opened our eyes. The early church fathers saw a connection between this miracle and Baptism. They noticed that Jesus used earthly elements. He used mud, and then He sent the man to wash in water. And through that washing, sight was given. In the same way, Christ uses simple water joined with His Word in our Baptism. And through this washing, He opens blind eyes. He delivers us from the dominion of darkness. He brings us into His marvelous light. That is why the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians (5:8), “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Once we were blind. But now we see our sin, and our need for mercy. And most importantly, we see our Saviour. We see the One who carried our sins to the cross. The One who rose from the grave. The One who calls us His own. And like the man in today’s Gospel, we receive the miracle of faith, and say, “Lord, I believe.” So today, give thanks. Because Christ has come into our darkness. He’s opened our eyes. He continues to shine His light through His Word. And one day that light will lead us into eternal life with Christ. Thanks be to God. Amen. PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH PHOS HILARON (Hymn of Light) Page 244 SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 SANCTUS (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195 THE LORD'S PRAYER Page 196 THE WORDS OF OUR LORD Page 197 AGNUS DAY (Lamb of God) Page 198 THE DISTRIBUTION NUNC DIMITTIS Page 199 POST COMMUNION COLLECT Page 201 SALUTATION AND BENEDICAMUS Page 201 THE BENEDICTION Page 202 OUR CLOSING HYMN: 919 “Abide, O Dearest Jesus”