Open Vision

​Poem by Jon Elvrum
Here we go again! Blessings.

Lord, I have read stories
of those who met you
Blind
no vision, perhaps blurred vision
seeing figures more like trees than men.
There are so many stories...

Lord, I have read stories
of those who encountered You
who were changed forever
from unclean to clean;
from once deaf to now hearing
from hemorrhaging to wholly restored
by Your holy restoration,

Lord, I have read stories.
I have wondered how one can read
all the stories
stories of forgiveness
of healing
of correction and re-direction
of penitence and remorse,
stories
so many stories,
stories
of sinners confronting their sin
through their encounter with You
sinners being changed
in a radical, life-altering moment.

There are so many stories
told with such passionste candor
such calm assurance sustained
by the kind of absolute certainty
which allows one to say
to the powerful skeptics of their day
"I only know that I was blind,
but now I see!"
Or, "I knew if I could touch
even the hem of His robe
that I would be healed."

There are so many stories...

With so many stories
stories from Scripture
with so many examples
examples from old to new history,
so many real life experiences about
miraculous healings,
of life and lives transformed;
with all we know, by what we have read,
what we have heard,from those we know or have known of...

How can we doubt any longer?
What "new" news are we awaiting?

If you still doubt all this,
all this gathered information,
if you still wonder what to do?
Then turn today
turn to the one who saves
to the only one who elected
to die for you
chose to offer himself as earnest payment
for all the sins
for all the evil and selfish acts
ever committed
even those particular and special ones
all those done
by you.

His gift has been freely given.
One time for all of time.
Take the time to put your heart into
a place of penitential preparation

Confess that you are a sinner

Say aloud, you are sorry for your sins,
sorry you have been so long away,
say that today, you want Him to come 
to make your life into a new life
a changed and corrected life

Declare all this in the name of the One
the One who is able
the only One who died to save you
the only One who lives to see that you
receive the gift He gave

Why do you hesitate?
Come to the water,  He said.
Drink all you will. Come to the water.

"Freely, freely, you have received,
Freely, freely give.
Go in His name
and because you beliehve,
others will know that He lives."
Chorus from a Christian song of praise.