Vision. It’s a word we might use when talking about an organisation or strategy, or maybe when talking about prophecies and dreams, or on a trip to Specsavers. But I think it is a useful word for us as followers of Jesus. We spoke about young men seeing visions at Pentecost as we recalled the prophecies of Joel. But I think the word ‘vision’ includes even more for us as Christians.

Think of the great hymn, ‘Be Thou My Vision.’ In the hymn, we ask God to be the sole lead and guide in our lives. We ask God to be in us and to take us onwards to where he is calling us next. We are saying that we are going to set our eyes to look at God and follow him. God will be where we are looking and trying to head to next.  I think of another Christian song by Jenn Johnson which says: ‘God I look to you. You’re where my help comes from. Give me vision to see things like you do.’ I find these words quite helpful when thinking about vision. Vision for Christians is about learning to see what God sees, and learning look at creation in the way he does. It sounds simple and nice (which it is) but this is also incredibly powerful.

Imagine how seeing in the same way as God would change how we view others as well as ourselves. For many around the world it would seem unimaginable to say ‘I love Putin.’ But do you know who does say ‘I love Putin? God does. God loves Putin, and though he hates to see Putin do the wrongdoing that he does, that does change how God loves him. It doesn’t change how God longs to see Putin come to him to receive the love of God which will then flow into his life and change it forever. To see like God means to see the loved child of God in every person, even people like Putin. To see everyone in this way leads us to yearn for the same love and goodness and peoples’ lives that God does, even if they can be an enemy. This is the power of receiving God’s vision.

Vision also helps us see ourselves better. So often we can put ourselves down, think we are rubbish or useless or that we don’t matter. But think of how God sees us. To God, we matter. We matter so much that he gave up his life in the most painful way on the cross to save us. God says, ‘You are my most precious child. I love you and I made you. I know you to the depths of your heart, better than you could know yourself. And I still and will always love you.’ Do you know that this is how God sees you? Imagine if you could love and value yourself in the way that God does. You would see the priceless worth that we have to God. This is the power of God’s vision for ourselves. It changes everything.

On Sun 2^nd June at Langham, we are using our Sunday service to discern and seek God’s vision for our church and parish. On our ‘Vision Sunday’ we are look to see how God see Langham church. By seeing how God sees us and has made us, we can figure out how to live our created calling from God. This is the vision we want to receive from God for Langham church, but also as individuals. Each Christian can seek God’s vision for themselves and their lives. And when we see things like God, just you wait, it will change everything.

‘Lord, give me vision to see things like you do.’

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