Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Jan. 31, 1985, edition 1 / Page 7
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■ By Mrs. Bessie Wilbon INTRODUCTION A famous eye surgeon was walking down the street of a large city when he noticed a man sitting on the walk at the buSy intersection. The man held a cup and some pencils, and' there was a sign indicatjrig that he was blind. The surgeon stepped, went oVer to the man, and intrbduCed himself. “Maybe you can be cured,” he said. “I’d like to examine your eyes.” The man was startled, but he submitted to the examination. H‘1’U need to run some more tests,” the surgeon said, *T>ut I'm happy to say it looks like your blindness can be cured. Cart you Come to my office tomorrow?” • • -* The man seemed shocked at first and then said, “No 1 woh't come.” ~ "But, man, ” argued the surgeon, "just think. You’ll be able to see. And don’t' worry about the cost. It won’t cost you anything.,r * “No,” came the final answer, “1 feel safer the wav 1 amr’ The blessings of sight are so great that few of us ever thihk of preferring blindness. But what of spiritual blindness? We don’t have to look far to find persons who prefer the "security of their spiritual darkness to the tremendous blessings offered by truth. In fact, most of us don’t have to look any farther than into“our own hearts. LESSON BACKGROUND Last week’s lesson dealt with the bitter controversy J&us carried on with the religious leaders at the time ol the feast of Tabernacles. The Jews were so antagonistic that they sought to stone Him. Several days after this, Jesus met the blind man in'our text today. The Pharisees questioned the blind man who explairied'what happened. Some of the Pharisees tried to make a big thing of the fact that Jesus worked the miracle on the Sabbath! They said this Proved that He was not God. ' " Those Pharisees who refused to1 believe that a miracle had oCCufed called the man’s parents, if they denied that hettras their son or that he had not been blind from hirth, thao would prove fraud. The parents were intimidated by the .religious leaders, but they still acknowledged that he wqs their son'who had been blind but Was now able to see. It is obvious, however, that they feared being expelled from the synoguP, and did not want to get involved any further. And so they skid, "He is of age; ask him.’’: Todays lesson begins at this point. A Second time they called back the man who had been born blind, and said to him, “Promise before God that you will tell the truth! We know tlifit this man who cured you is k sinner.” “1 do not know if he is a sinner or not,” the man replied. “One thing 1 do know; 1 was blind and now 1 see.” “What did hp do to you?” they asked. "’How did be cure you of ybtfr blindness?” “1 Have already told you,” he answered, "and you would notlisten. Why do you want to hear it again? Maybe you , too,would flketo be his disciples?” ’They insuitedhim'and said,' “You are that fellow’s disciple; but we are Mdses’ disciple. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for that fellow, however, we do ftof evert know where he comes from.” The man ahswered, “What a strange thing that is! You do riot know where ntcomes from, but he Cured me of my blindness. We know that God does not listen to siriners;he does listen to people who respect him and do what he wants them to do. Since the beginning of the world nobody has ever heard or anyone giving sight to a blind person'. Unless this mkn came from God, he would not be able to d6 this thing.” They answered; “You were born and brought up in sin - and ydu are tryingTo teach us?” And they expelled him froih the synagogue (John 9:24-34). The man, unlettered beggar though he ffas, would not be bullied. He first acknowledged, perhaps with a touch of irony; that he was no theologian and therefore as not qualified to pass on whether Jesus wad a sinner or not. In any event, that was riot the real issue. The real issue was what had happened to him, and in that area he was an expert. Better than' anyone else,' he knew that he had been blind alf his life and ndw he could see. We would do well'to fallow this man's example when our faith is under attack. We may sometimes feel threatened by the cleVer and scholarly arguments against our faith by sophisticated unbelievers. When such an attack occurs, we should avoid the areas where we are ignorant and instead affirm the things we know for certain. Better than anyone else in the world, we know what our Lofd has done for us. Not only was the man not Intimidated by their efforts, he even assumed the offensive. He reminded them that he had already gone over the details of the healing, but they did not hear - that is, they had not listened. He followed this with a thrust that was tinged with sarcasm: Will you be his disciples? • This simple and unlearned beggar saw what they were up' to, and, unlike his parents, refused to cringe before them. With each exchange, he seemed to be more sure of . himself, and step by step his faith in Christ grew. The theme of light is a prominent one in the Uospel of Johh. Physical light is a positive thing. Darkness, which is nothing more than the absense of light, cannot exist wherever there is light. Yet the mere existence of light does not mean that it Automatically benefits man. For Man > to realize the blessings of light, he must have eyesdapabie ’4 of seeing and he must be willing to open his eyes and use , them. ' ' In their efforts to silence the man bom blind, the religious authorities used against him the strbngest weapon they had short of physical violence. By easting him out of the Synagogue they hoped to accomplish two things: First, they hoped to isolate him from others so that he would not intact them with his heresy. Second, they hoped that he would be So intimidated that he would submit to them. Jfixcommunicatton would cut him off socially from his family and his friends. But the man’s r proved in the end to be not a disaster but a mg. He had not been rejected; he remained in the .the Chances are good that he would have been 4]HW|jP'to forget about Jestts, ' loni l*. Henry .Talented actress ol Sharon Y. Harrison .Enjoys reading Ashiy D. Harden .“Miss Upward Bound" • ■ -- I Lorraine D. Hall .Latin Club member Feelings Pang Of “Excitement” As Annual Cotillion Ball Draws Qoser As the days windblown, the 41 young ladies who makeup the de butantes of the i98pffpjv^igma Theta’s Annual Cotillion BaUare no doubt feeling pangs of excitement. Cotillion Coordinators, Roye E. Buck and Dorothy P. Johnson, have planned for the event carefully. The final details for the March 23rd affair are being analyzed and, of course, the young ladies are looking into several shops for just the right gown. Each member of the Delta Sig ma Theta Charlotte Alumnae Chapter takes pride in presenting the Cotillion. This year the event will be held at 9 p.m., March 23, at the Park Center. ^ The sorority is led by an il lustrious group of women. Officers include Elaine T. Brown, president; Daisy Spears Stroud, vice presi dent; Madge Hopkins, recording se cretary; Michel Vaughn, corres ponding secretary; Toni Freeman, financial secretary; and Kay Cun ningham, treasurer. Other officers include June Smith as historian; Linda Brown, journa list; Eunice Gist, chaplain; Nata lie Holmes, custodian; Doris John son, parliamentarian; Rogerline Lee, sergeant at arms; and E. Virginia Shadd, chairman of mem ladies along with the other members of the sorority are working hard to improve the community as a whole. The Cotillion is just one function the ladies sponsor to im prove the self-actualization of youth. This week, five more Delta De ..butantes are featured. They, are Regina D. Hairston, Lorraine Denise Hall, Ashly Dena Harden, '—-1 Regina D. Hairston .Honor student Sharon Yvette Harrison, and Toni Lavon Henry. Ms. Hairston is the daughter of Helen Hairston and the late Regin ald D. Hairston. Her hobbies in clude music and sports She is a member of West Charlotte High School’s marching band, concert band, a member of the Order of the Lion, Ambassadors, the Spanish Club, and the track team. She is also a member of the An nual Staff, a member of Junior Achievement and a Student Council Representative Her personal accomplishments include being elected as council representative, receiving the “Out standing Student Award,” the Track ■ Award, beiag included in the Na tional Junior Honor Society and the Order of the Lion. Presbyterian Hospital Sets State Record For Hospital Births Presbyterian Hospital delivered more babies in 1984 than any other hospital in the state. Breaking its 1982 record of 4,787 births, Presbyterian delivered 4,830 babies last year (247 more than in 1983), edging past Winston-Salem’s Forsyth Memorial Hospital’s 4,791 total and topping Fayetteville’s Cape Fear Valley Medical Center’s 4,350 births. Forsyth held the 1983 record. “Our family-centered maternity program is very popular with families,” says Presbyterian Presi dent Byron L. Bullard. “We believe it’s because we combine the latest in technology with a wide range of op tions helping the entire family feel a part of this special experience.” A new early discharge program, for example, allows the new mother to return home within four hours of giving birth if she and the baby are well and arrangements have been made with both her physician and Non-Custodial There is genuine trauma involved for a woman when she has to give up custody of Her children after divorce. A six-week workshop for “Non-Custodlal Mothers: Coping as a Non-Custodlal" begins February 7 (Thursday) from 8:30-8:30 p.m. at the WomanReach Center. Terry Healy will facilitate this timely workshop. For more information and to register call a WomanReach peer counselor Monday-Saturday KM p.m. at 334-3814. Ah women are welcome at WomanReach, where all services are free, a United Way Agency. , WomanReach facilities are han- ' dirapped accessible. ' ,-—-- -.r the baby’s. Families also may select the birthing room, wnere m a home style setting labor, delivery and bon ding all take place in one room. Before delivery, Presbyterian of fers tours for expectant parents. For big brothers and sisters, the hospital conducts special sibling tours, in cluding a peek at Mom’s room, a visit to the nursery, and learning about caring for the new baby. For high-risk newborns, two physicians specializing in newborn care and teams of skilled nurses staff a neonatal intensive care unit around the clock. . All of these, and other maternity services will be enhanced and ex panded this fall when a *12.5 million three-story addition to Presbyterian is completed. All labor and delivery services will be consolidated on the sixth floor unit, offering 12 home style birthing rooms and an expand ed neonatal unit with 16 bassinets. The scheduled opening Is October, 1985. \h£ws.. / THE CHARLOTTE POST Drs. Jerty A. Jones and Clarence O. EUi» v. Specialize In r Gastroenterology & Internal Medicine vvCJ about our new ! I, Medicare Digcount Program By Appointment ^ 2021 East 7th St. Mon-Wed-Fri 9-5:30 pan. Charlotte, N.G Tues-Thur 9-8pon. Sat 9-12 372-9884 Ms. Hall loves to ice skate and dance. As a senior at West Char lotte High School, she is a member of the marching band, Latin Club, JA and FBLA and the NAACP At her church she sings on the choir. She was elected to the student council at West Charlotte and has also received awards in ice skating. She is the daughter of George Hall and Fannie Berry Ms. Harden, a Myers Park se nior is the daughter of David and Mary Harden of Moateith Drive. She lists becoming a Christian as an important aspect of her life. She is ' Miss Upward Bound” and a mem ber of her church choir, usher board and missionary group. She is a member of the Ambassadors club, and the band at school. Ms. Harden's hobbies include singing, dancing, all sports, reading and cooking. A senior at Independence, Ms. Harrison enjoys her participation in both the Spanish and English Clubs She has been accepted- into the Center for Leadership Development Academic Medical Internship pro gram and Close-Up. Reading and dancing are among her favorite pastimes and she is the daughter of Johnny and Lezzie Harrison. Ms. Henry is the last young lady we will feature this week The daughter of Theodore E. Henry and Peggy KTTfenry, Ms. Henry is interested in modeling, traveling and acting. At South Mecklenburg High School she is a member of the Drama Club and the Paw Club. She received the Outstanding Art Award in the ninth grade Next week five more lovely young participants of the 21st annual Delta Cotillion Balll will be featured. i"——— Preparir^ For SAT One of the most important pieces of information on any student’s college application is his or her score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Therefore, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Office, of Continuing Education and Extension will offer a three-day review session, "Preparing for the SAT." March 2, 9 and 16. Both the verbal and mathematical sections of the SAT will be analyzed, and students will practice taking each part of the test. Verbal prepa ration will include work with anto nyms, analogies, sentence comple tion, and reading comprehension. Mathematical preparation will con sist of 12 hours of intensive practice designed to make the student aware of the degree of difficulty and the amount of calculation required in this section of the SAT Instructors for the review session are Dr. Evelyn Davis of the UNCC Counseling Center and Dr Thom Clark, both of the UNCC College of Education and Allied Professions. Registration cost is $80, which co vers all materials including the textbook. The session meets from 8:30 a m. until 4 p.m. each day. Both high school seniors and juniors are en couraged to attend Upcoming SAT testing dates are March 23, May 4, and June 1 Early registration is encouraged due to high interest For further information, contact Betty Walter or Ken Burrows at the Continuing Education Office (7041 597-4447 from 8:30 a m to 5 p m. weekdays. THE CHARLOTTE POST rKEY THIS MONTH’S SPECIAL Roofs & Furnaces GetTneJump QnUncle Sam. By now, most people know about the tax advantages of an IRA. But you may not know about the big difference it can make when you’re making all your IRA deposits as early in the year as possible. For example, if you deposit $2000 in an IRA in early January instead of waiting until you file your tax return the next year, and keep doing that for the next 20 years,you’ll come out with over $16,000* more interest For all the details, come see us.The time to start is now.The place is right in your neighborhood fBwtBM
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 31, 1985, edition 1
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