READINGS 1 Samuel 16:1-13 John 9:1-41 “But the Lord said to Samuel “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him: for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16: 7 “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” John 9:25

Reader 1: Look around. We see familiar faces, old and young, men and women. But we find it hard to imagine what lies inside. Reader 2: Each of us is often tempted to see only externals – judging our friends by appearances, believing shallow stereotypes, not allowing others the complexity we know to be true of ourselves.

Reader 1: In so many ways we choose blindness over sight. In God, we find a new way of seeing. Reader 2: In God, we see the potential of those who are overlooked, those who have all but disappeared on the edges of our vision.

Reader 1: In North India, for centuries Dalit people, the lowest caste of India, have been all but invisible. Men, women and children are excluded from the opportunities that land, wealth and education provide. Reader 2: Our Uniting Church partner, the Church of North India, have their eyes wide open to the potential of children in the Amritsar Diocese and beyond, providing education opportunities that help students leave behind the poverty that enslaves their families.

Reader 1: Today we stand in solidarity with our partners who see beyond the limitations of here and now to the possibilities of the future.

Let us pray. God of endless vision Give us new sight. Take from our eyes the assumptions that blind us. Help us see clearly. Show us the frailty beneath the swagger, The strength within the weakness, The hope behind the sorrow, The light within the darkness. God of healing and redemption, Give us vision for the work of our brothers and sisters in North India, That we might commit to stand beside them. As they stand beside those who have long been invisible As they give the gift of knowledge and open up new worlds to children Might we too know the joy of seeing the world anew Amen.