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Greg Smith

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Open Hearts, Open Eyes, New Beginnings (#2306)

2026/03/15 By Greg

Today I preached my second sermon as the Interim Senior Minister of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in downtown Fort Worth, Texas (you can learn more about this new role here).

Entrance to the Community Eye Clinic at First Christian Church (photo by Greg Smith)

Sermon

My message, “Open Hearts, Open Eyes, New Beginnings” is based on 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and John 9:1-41.

You can watch the sermon below or read the manuscript.

Excerpt

I have much to learn when it comes to all that happens here on our church campus. Every time I am here, I see new things.

When I arrived on Wednesday, Peck greeted me and asked if anyone had shown me the Community Eye Clinic yet. When I said, “no”, he walked me over and introduced me to the co-directors, Dr. Deakins and Dr. Terrell.

They showed me around. I saw how space within the walls of First Christian Church has been transformed into a welcoming, state-of-the-art eye clinic. I met many of the people who make the clinic possible and who provide care for those in need in our community. And I saw a few of the first patients arriving to get help with their vision.

It was a lot to take in all at once. As we finished the tour, it became clear to me that I was observing holy work.

Day in and day out, people come here seeking to see more clearly. Given our relationship with the Community Eye Clinic just steps away, today’s Gospel reading feels particularly relevant.

We encounter a lengthy story about a man born blind whose sight is restored. In many ways, this is a story about vision. It teaches us about what it means to see and gives us an opportunity to learn what it means to miss what is right in front of us.

The Old Testament reading from 1 Samuel, however, is a little tougher.  It feels like an entirely different kind of story.

The prophet Samuel is sent to Bethlehem to anoint a new king. It is a subversive act since there is still a king on the throne. Even so, he carries out the mission.

Jesse lines up his sons, one by one, with each showing clear promise. Samuel knows the cultural norms and therefore assumes the eldest will be chosen by God.

But God disrupts Samuel’s assumptions with a line that echoes through the centuries: Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature . . . for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”[1]

And then, only then, the youngest son is called in from the fields. This shepherd boy was such an unlikely candidate that his own father hadn’t invited him to be part of the lineup.

Meet David. The unlikely one. The overlooked one. The youngest one.  And, the one whose heart God had already seen.

In both of today’s readings, something surprising happens around the theme of sight. In John’s Gospel, the one who cannot see ends up seeing most clearly while the religious authorities who think they see quite well end up being the ones who are blind. In 1 Samuel, the prophet who assumes he knows what a king should look like learns that God sees differently.

This reveals a simple but powerful truth: God sees our open hearts. God can open our eyes. And God knows what is possible.

Those truths matter for every congregation, but they are especially powerful for us here and now. During the initial weeks of this transitional time that we call interim ministry, they speak directly to us and our situation.

After all, interim seasons are, by their nature, times of new beginnings. Interim time begins with slowing down and reflecting. Interim time continues as folks struggle together with important questions that defy easy answers.

Questions like: What has God been doing among us? Who are we now? How is God preparing us for what comes next?

These are not the sort of questions you should try to answer on your own. Even together, answering will take time. To answer these and other interim questions we must explore them together with open hearts and open eyes.

This brings me back to the clinic and to Jenn and Jennifer . . . I should mention that I quickly came to know the clinic’s co-directors on a first name basis.  While they showed me around, we realized something interesting. We know many of the same people serving in charitable medicine and have even served some of the same patients.[2]

Maybe this is possible because we share a particular way of seeing the world. Our eyes have been trained to notice people living on the margins – the same people that many have trained their eyes not to see . . .


[1] I Samuel 16:7, RSV

[2] When I led the Mansfield Mission Center’s Linda Nix Clinic, my team referred multiple patients to the Community Eye Clinic.

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Greg Smith

Greg is a follower of the Way of Jesus who strives to make the world a better place for all people. Currently, he serves as Chief Executive Officer of White Rock Center of Hope in Dallas and as Interim Senior Minister of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Fort Worth. He has served eleven congregations, taught religion to undergraduates for eight years, and helped three organizations provide quality healthcare to underserved populations. (Read More)

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