He Saw Her

The Gospel this Sunday from Luke speaks of the ways that Jesus saw people and acted in response out of his love and compassion for them. In particular, the poor widow grieving her son's death was probably like other women of her time; invisible, insignificant, destined for complete poverty upon the death of her son. What would she do? No husband, no son, no man in her life which, at that time, gave her the only status and means for survival. The scripture speaks of the crowds, carrying the dead son on a bier through the town. Jesus was there. He knew the suffering this woman was going through and the inevitable hardships to come. Scripture says he "sees her" and the boy was restored to life, literally raised from the dead. This was not a case of pleading and begging on the part of this mother for her son's sake. Instead it was God who knew her, had compassion for her, saw her and sought to bless her through bringing her son back to life.

How often does Jesus "see" us and shower us with blessings that go unnoticed because we are insensitive to his holy, life giving touch?

How often do we act out of compassion for others without their asking? "Seeing" people and demonstrating mercy is an essential act of our faith. Do we have the eyes to "see"? Or are we so wrapped up in our own thoughts, needs and busy lives that we are blind to the obvious needs of others all around us?

Let's get down to the simple task of even "seeing" new persons who enter our congregations. Try visiting a church other than your own and notice how many people speak to you. In many congregations new people are invisible, not noticed, not greeted, not welcomed. What is it about Christian communities that don't "see", much less "see" like Jesus saw others? I have heard people say they don't want to approach the visitor in church because they might not want to be noticed. That is a remarkable notion in an age where there are far too many options of things to do on Sunday morning than join a bunch of strangers who sing dated music and respond to an unusual liturgy that requires awkward book juggling. Entering into the doors of a strange church in the 21st century to sit amongst people you do not know takes remarkable courage! The LEAST we can do is "see" and welcome them into our communities!

The good news is that this behavior can change. It takes awareness raising, modeling of new ways of doing things and helping people understand that "seeing" can truly transform a person's day, maybe even lead to new relationships, the building of community and a greater understanding of God. The missionary leader must be at the forefront of helping people understand that "seeing" is a spiritual act of compassion and caring. The missionary leader must teach our communities that this is surely what God would have us do. The missionary leader can create opportunities of engagement when the community is gathered. Once "seeing" becomes a reality with a number of people waking up to the importance and joy of doing this, it often becomes contagious!

Did you attend church today? If so, who did you "see" with the eyes of Jesus? If you are a missionary leader, how did you encourage others to do the same?