With the introduction of daylight saving time earlier this week, our bodies have likely adjusted from losing an hour’s sleep this past weekend. Overall,  the later sunsets are probably a welcome bonus.

Light later into the night was not always a positive thing. During battles in France, the cover of darkness protected the troops. Any light removed that safety and was an immediate threat to the troops. Napoleon Bonaparte’s soldiers attracted enemy fire when they lit lamps to read military combat messages. To combat the attacks, Charles Barbier devised  “night writing” for the military field officers to “read” by feeling the surface.

Years later, an eleven-year-old youngster named Louis Braille had a self-inflicted injury in which he lost his eyesight. In 1824, he took Barbier’s “night writing” concept to another level by creating a raised six-dot pattern representing different sequences to reflect French alphabet letters. Today, the Braille system, honoring its founder, is available in many languages. The matrix of dots is read from left to right with both hands, the symbols represent numbers, letters, and punctuation.

Thanks to the Braille system, many visually impaired people no longer remain in the darkness. Instead, they can see the light through the raised word.

This Sunday, March 19, the light of the world brings sight to a blind man. The day’s Gospel message tells us Jesus heals the man; though he was blind, he now sees. We invite you to come out of the darkness so that you may believe. Join us for worship at 8:00 AM(spoken liturgy), 10:15 AM (traditional liturgy), and 6:00 (Taize liturgy).

Blessings,

Pastor Marc