As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who was blind from birth.
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After he said this, he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smeared the mud on the man’s eyes. 7 Jesus said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (this word means sent). So the man went away and washed. When he returned, he could see. – John 9:1, 6-7
Growing up, I spent plenty of time with my hands in the dirt. Whether it was helping my dad tend the soil of our vegetable garden or making mud pies with friends, I enjoyed a childhood of running around barefoot in the summer and getting dirty.
Adolescence wasn’t much cleaner. My friends and I spent hours playing basketball on a neighbor’s gravel driveway. By the end of the day, we all ended up looking like a real-life version of the Peanuts character Pigpen! And my favorite memories of high school cross-country practice include ‘mud runs’ – 5 or 6 miles along the Little Calumet River after it had overrun its banks. Imagine 20 high school kids covered head-to-toe in mud. Thankfully, our coach was always glad to hose us off in his back yard!
As an adult, I still appreciate the soil. A few years back, I was rafting down the New River. We were between rapids, letting the current take us downriver, enjoying the beauty of God’s amazing creation. The guide told us that soil samples from the bed of the New River share such similar qualities with that of the Nile River bed that scientists believe they may have once shared a closer connection. I’m not sure if his geology is accurate. I don’t need to know. The idea itself invited me to a deeper appreciation of the interconnectedness of God’s creation. That was enough. I was, and remain, in awe.
Jesus makes a variety of “I am” statements in John’s Gospel. These are meant to proclaim his identity as the Great I AM. It is no coincidental phrase. And when he discovers a man born blind, what does he do? He gets his hands in the dirt! According to Jesus, healing can be a messy business.
This past Sunday, Rev. Nathan Stucky invited us to consider how God’s stories and soil stories – our stories – are intertwined. In an age of great scientific knowledge, we can easily be drawn to separate the things of the earth from the things of heaven. Soil is the realm of messy things and among the heavens dwell the holy things. Perhaps Rev. Stucky is correct – messy things can be holy, and holy things can be messy.
So, when life seems to be a little messy, look for the holy presence. When you feel you are in the presence of the holy, don’t be too surprised if it’s a little messy. And remember to get your hands dirty from time to time!
-Pastor Ken