In plain sight

Have you ever driven the same streets, oblivious to the changes that are taking place, until one day you notice a building seemingly appear out of thin air? It happened to me yesterday as I was driving home from softball practice. I was following the same route I drive every day when picking my daughter up from Pre-K, and I saw two churches I knew existed, however, I never saw – really saw – their houses of worship until yesterday afternoon.

My Wednesday mornings can be like that too. I gather with pastors from the city for prayer and then we eat together at McDonalds and share ideas and thoughts for how we can be united in ministry in Lancaster City. On my way, I often walk in past people I know from WSRM, but sometimes I struggle to SEE them – really SEE them – because of how my SEEING them would interfere with my morning agenda. If I SEE them, I might have to be obedient and actually do what I am going there to talk about doing (OUCH).

The part that hurts the most is that I remember when I was invisible too.

Anyway, I reread the following essay that was posted on ‘The Purpose Driven Life website on March 30th, 2oo6. It was written by John Fischer and I originally read it on Larry James’ Urban Daily weblog. I pray that the Lord would open the eyes of my heart to see Him and His ... every time I go by.

-Rick Rutter, Outreach Ministries Director

The following essay was posted on The Purpose Driven Life website on March 30, 2006. Written by John Fischer, I found it on Larry James Urban daily Weblog. Who are you missing on your daily trek’s through town?
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“In plain sight, yet invisible at the same time.” This statement struck me from a newsletter I received on behalf of an inner city worker. It was how one person described a time when she was at a low point of homelessness in her life. “Out of sight, out of mind” was one thing, she said, but to be “in plain sight, yet invisible at the same time” was the worst.

This has to strike a cord in all of us. Our societies are so fragmented now that there can exist a great divide separating us from the people we encounter every day. Here in southern California, just to drive from one place to another you can pass through districts of enormous racial, social, and economic disparity. I can’t imagine it is much different in any other city. In such an environment, I can feel the temptation to make whole people groups invisible to me so I don’t have to deal with what scares me or what I don’t understand about them. But if my purpose is to serve, I don’t get to write anyone off. Part of serving is seeing. And part of seeing is becoming sensitive to the invisible people who are in plain sight.

It appears that Jesus was always drawing a crowd made up primarily of invisible folks. It was a lame, blind, leprous, and insane group of left-behinds that seemed to gather around him wherever he went – people who if society had some place to put them so they would be out of the way it would. But since they can’t be put away anywhere, they become invisible. But not to Jesus.

Making people invisible is also a way we can avoid being called into service. “If I make eye contact with that guy, he might ask something of me.” Well of course he will! (I know what I’m talking about here, because I’m always trying to get off the hook.) And if I don’t have money to give him, I have something. Perhaps it starts with seeing him, and then I might discover what to do. Peter once healed a lame man begging by the road, because he didn’t have any money to give him. Imagine that! Well I don’t have any money, but I can heal you and completely turn your life around from here on out!

No one is invisible to Jesus. And if you and I have Jesus, we have something to give. For starters, we have the gift of seeing someone, and for someone who has been invisible in plain sight for a long time, that is an incredible gift in and of itself.