Good News Vibrations
03-08-2016
By LSTC Student Ang Remmers
“As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.” John 9:1-7
When I sit in chapel, very often I won’t be wearing my shoes. My hearing aids will hopefully have fresh batteries, and I will be in a good position to see the lips of those speaking to fill in the blanks of what I am unable to hear. It will be a very rare day (if ever) that I will hear every word that’s spoken or sung in chapel. Hearing and understanding every word isn’t my goal either. Your body speaks in ways that your mouth finds difficult. The body can clench up when the words are hard to say. The crescendo in the preacher’s voice tells me he is about to get to his point. I can feel the vibrations from the floor as I hear the preacher call the assembly to action. When the congregation confesses their faith, the vibrations surround my whole body immersing me into the body of the saints. When the scripture readings are read, I feel the vibrations in my chest warming my heart to call of Christ.
My experience is different than those of the hearing community. God’s works have not been revealed by hearing but by the sense of touch and the sense of sight. I will never be able to hear like the average person, nor do I want to. The man who was born blind in the above passage was perceived to be on the outskirts of society unable to see what his community could see. Fortunately for the man who was born blind and myself, God is revealed in many different ways and senses. Removal of one sense does not diminish the experience of God. In the next service I challenge you to take off your shoes and try to feel what God is saying to you.
Ang Remmers is a first year M.Div Student at LSTC. She is hard of hearing and is an active member of the LGBTQIA community.