February 15, 2026

Indianola Presbyterian Church

"That God’s Works Might Be Revealed"
Sermon by Rev. Trip Porch

February 15, 2026                                                                                                                                       Based on John 9:1-41

There are some questions that have the air of being faithful, that sound spiritual, but are actually, when you consider them more deeply, quite cruel. The disciples ask one of them at the very beginning of this story.
They’re walking, and they see a man who has been blind since birth, and instead of seeing a person, they treat him as an object lesson, a theological puzzle. “Rabbi, who sinned? This man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

It is a question rooted in their own misguided assumptions. An assumption that human suffering must have a cause. An assumption that disability must be a punishment. An assumption that something has gone wrong, and someone must be to blame. And what’s even more painful is that the disciples are not alone in this. The Pharisees make the same mistake.
Even this man’s own community, his neighbors, folks who have seen him his entire life. Everyone seems to think they know who this man is, but it’s just the small box they’ve put him in. Oh him? He’s the blind guy.
The beggar. The problem. The object lesson. The cautionary tale. But no one seems to know his name.

John never tells us what it is.

What they see is his disability, and they stop there. What a sad, incomplete reality for this man to experience at the hands of his community. To be limited and judged again and again because of something he has no control over.

But then Jesus, as he always does, goes against the trend. He does something quietly radical. Before he heals him, before he does anything miraculous at all, Jesus reframes the entire conversation.

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus says. “He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” Jesus refuses the human instinct to blame altogether. Jesus will not allow disability to be treated as punishment. He will not allow suffering to be reduced to a moral failure. He will not let this man’s life be flattened into a single, simple explanation.

Instead, Jesus says: Look again. There is more here than you think. God is already at work, not in spite of this man’s life, but in it and through it. To me, that line, “he is this way that God’s works might be revealed in him,” sits at the very center of this story, asking us to slow down and listen.

Because what if disability is not something to be fixed before God can show up? What if our differences are not deficits? What if the presence of people who move through the world differently is not a problem for the kingdom of God, but a revelation of it?

After the healing, things actually get a little worse for this man. At least socially. He can see now, but without his disability, suddenly no one recognizes him. His neighbors argue about whether he is even the same person.
The Pharisees interrogate him. They bring him in for questioning twice. They even drag his parents in.

His community does not celebrate his healing. They scrutinize it. And yet, there is another miracle in the story. Maybe even more so than the healing of his sight. Somewhere along the way, this unnamed man who spent his life overlooked and passed by…This person who everyone only knew as a blind beggar…
This person silenced by his community…Finds his voice.

Little by little, you see him straighten his back. You see him stand taller. He finds his voice and begins to question and even preach to the Pharisees themselves. Eventually, they can’t take it anymore. They cast him out.

And it is there, outside the temple, outside the institution, outside the system that had no place for him,
that Jesus finds him again. And when Jesus asks, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The man says, “Who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe.” Jesus says, “You have seen him.” And the man believes.

This story is not just about a man receiving sight. It is about everyone else revealing their blindness. The disciples are blind to their assumptions. The Pharisees are blind to God’s possibilities. The neighbors are blind to the fullness of the man in front of them.

And maybe, if we are honest, that’s where we’ve been too. Not intentionally. But quietly. Subtly. Because the truth is, truly welcoming difference is not easy.

When I was growing up, my home church had several kids on the autism spectrum. And our church did something beautiful. They welcomed them. Included them. Made space for them. They weren’t pushed aside. They weren’t excluded. They were part of us. But when those kids got older and it was time for confirmation, things got more complicated. There were real conversations about what to do.  Could they participate in the same confirmation class? Should there be something separate?

Ultimately, the church decided they would join with everyone else. And it was beautiful. But it was also hard. Because those students had different needs. Class didn’t always go as planned. There were disruptions. Moments of frustration. Moments when the other students didn’t get through all the material.

It was messier. Less efficient. Less predictable.

And I remember realizing, even then, that inclusion comes with trade offs. Welcoming difference requires patience. It requires flexibility. It requires empathy. It requires letting go of control. And sometimes, people avoid it precisely for that reason. It is easier to build a world that only works for people who fit neatly into it. It is easier to value efficiency over belonging. But the kingdom of heaven has never been efficient.

It is expansive. It is disruptive. It stretches us. Because every time someone new is fully welcomed, our understanding of God expands too.

So maybe the question for us is not, “Are we blind?” Maybe the deeper question is: How are we blind?

Who are we missing? Who have we overlooked because they did not fit our expectations? Where might Jesus be standing right now, just outside our field of vision, inviting us to see more?

Because Jesus is always moving toward the margins. Always expanding the circle. Always revealing God’s work in places we were not looking. People who are differently abled do not exist to be objectified. They are not lessons to be used. They are not problems to be solved. They are beloved children of God. Bearers of wisdom in their own right.
Teachers who know more about resilience, creativity, patience, and interdependence than most. The kingdom of heaven is broader, richer, and more beautiful because of their presence. And perhaps the deepest healing this story offers is not to the man born blind, but to everyone else. Healing from the lie that some people matter less. Healing from the fear of difference. Healing from the illusion that we already see clearly.

Because the truth is, God’s works are being revealed all around us. In bodies that move differently. In minds that think differently. In lives that refuse to fit our categories. The question is not whether God is at work.

The question is:
How might Jesus be expanding our sight even now?

Who might help us see the kingdom more fully, if only we were willing to look again?

May God give us the courage to see.
May God give us the humility to learn.
And may God open our eyes to the beautiful, diverse tapestry of humanity,
where God’s works are still being revealed.

Amen.

WE GATHER IN AWE AND PRAISE

PRELUDE                                                     “Prelude on Picardy”                              arr. Barbara B. Kinyon

                                                                               The Sanctuary Bells                                                         

INTROIT                            "O Worship the Lord"                                      Robert McCutchan

WELCOME                                                                    Rev. Trip Porch

One: This is the day that the Lord has made

All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

*CALL TO WORSHIP                                                                   

One: We gather as people who long to see clearly,

All: To see ourselves, each other, and God with new eyes.

One: We come seeking the One who fully sees us,

All: Who looks at us with love, who calls us beloved, who opens our eyes.

One: We’ve come ready to be changed,

All: Ready to see the kingdom of God in its fullness, in all its beautiful diversity.

One: So let us worship the God who gives sight to the blind,

All: And who reveals truth through the voices we've been missing.

One: Come, let us worship God together.

*HYMN 649                                   “Amazing Grace”                                                        AMAZING GRACE

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION                                                           Karen Crockett

Gracious God, we confess that we do not always see as you see. We look at people and make assumptions. We categorize and label instead of truly listening. We decide who has something to teach us and who doesn't. Often based on nothing more than whether they look or think or move through the world like we do.

Forgive us, God, for the people we have failed to see. Forgive us for the voices we have not heard. Forgive us for building communities that leave people out and calling it faithfulness.

Give us new sight. Help us to see every person as you see them: beloved, whole, gifted, essential. Help us to see your kingdom in its fullness, expansive enough to include us all. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

*ASSURANCE OF PARDON                                                          Rev. Trip Porch

*Response of pardon 583            “Gloria, Gloria” 2 times                                   GLORIA (TAIZE)

*PASSING OF THE PEACE                                                                  

One:   The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,

All:      And also with you.

WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD

ANTHEM             "We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace”           arr. William Appling                     

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE                                                                  Marie Boozer

MUSICAL RESPONSE 175              “Seek Ye First”                                                               LAFERTY

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION                                                                 

Scripture      John 9: 1-41   Abbreviated

SERMON                                                                               Rev. Trip Porch

 *HYMN 302                 “When Hands Reach Out and Fingers Trace”                   O WALY WALY

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE  followed by the Lord’s Prayer

Time of Offering   online giving is available at  www. indianolapres.org/give 

OFFERTORY                               “Chrysanthemums”                                                       Dora Pejacevic

*OFFERTORY RESPONSE 607       “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow”        OLD HUNDREDTH  

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION 

Bless these gifts, God. Use them to create a church where everyone is seen and valued. Use them to break down barriers that keep people out. Use them to amplify voices that have been silenced. Use them to build your expansive, diverse, and beautiful kingdom here. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

*HYMN 314                                      “Christ, Be Our light”                                             CHRIST, BE OUR LIGHT

TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING

CHARGE & BENEDICTION

CHORAL RESPONSE        "The Lord Bless You and Keep You"                           James D. Wetzel

POSTLUDE                              “This Little Light of Mine”                               arr. Randall Hartsell

Acknowledgments: Unless otherwise indicated, all texts and music are printed and broadcast under OneLicense.net license #A-702452