Learning to Lovewell: W5 - WED
Advocating: Giving Voice
Mark 12:41-44, NLT 41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
So often, the poor among us are also the invisible among us.
For 7 years, I brought a group of 30 college students to serve the houseless community in downtown Portland. As part of the journey, the ministry we partnered with would tell us how many of the houseless community feel unseen and invisible. We were told one of the most impactful things we could do as we served them, was to make eye contact, ask them their name, and call them by their name. For that brief moment, it would help them be seen and feel human again.
Jesus was always good and seeing those that society had stopped seeing; the lame man by the pool of Bethesda, the demon-possessed man hiding in the cliffs of Genessaret, the blind beggars sitting alongside the road, the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, and even the children who came running up to him. Many in society had stopped seeing these people altogether. It was easier to pretend they weren’t there than to have to deal with the discomfort of caring for them if they were there. But when stopped and took notice, he not only met their needs, he restored them to being human again.
We all have the opportunity to do that when we give voice to the voiceless and stand up for those that can’t stand up for themselves. We do it when we see the invisible among us.
After our mission experience in Portland, we’d always debrief to see what students learned and would take away from their time. A common response was, “I never realized how many houseless people there were in the city.” Here’s the thing, they houseless were always there, they just weren’t seeing them before. Now they saw them.
In Mark 12, Jesus simply sat and watched the collection box outside the temple. I don’t know if you’ve ever sat in a mall, or on a bench in a busy park, but people watching can be addicting. As Jesus watched, he noticed all the wealthy, who society always noticed, go to great lengths to make sure society continued to notice them. They’d drop large sums of money, coins, into the box. These drops would make lots of thunderous noise, much like the applause the wealthy wanted for their “sacrifice.”
But in the midst of the noise, an invisible, a widow, came up and very gently slid two small coins into that same box, hoping they didn’t make a sound. She hoped to sneak in, and sneak out, unseen; the way she was used to living.
Ahh, but Jesus saw her. He always does. And he not only acknowledges her, he gives her high praise saying that she gave more than anyone, because she gave out of what she didn’t have.
Jesus always gives voice to the voiceless, and he always sees those who feel invisible. He calls us to do the same.
Mark 12:41-44, NLT 41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
So often, the poor among us are also the invisible among us.
For 7 years, I brought a group of 30 college students to serve the houseless community in downtown Portland. As part of the journey, the ministry we partnered with would tell us how many of the houseless community feel unseen and invisible. We were told one of the most impactful things we could do as we served them, was to make eye contact, ask them their name, and call them by their name. For that brief moment, it would help them be seen and feel human again.
Jesus was always good and seeing those that society had stopped seeing; the lame man by the pool of Bethesda, the demon-possessed man hiding in the cliffs of Genessaret, the blind beggars sitting alongside the road, the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, and even the children who came running up to him. Many in society had stopped seeing these people altogether. It was easier to pretend they weren’t there than to have to deal with the discomfort of caring for them if they were there. But when stopped and took notice, he not only met their needs, he restored them to being human again.
We all have the opportunity to do that when we give voice to the voiceless and stand up for those that can’t stand up for themselves. We do it when we see the invisible among us.
After our mission experience in Portland, we’d always debrief to see what students learned and would take away from their time. A common response was, “I never realized how many houseless people there were in the city.” Here’s the thing, they houseless were always there, they just weren’t seeing them before. Now they saw them.
In Mark 12, Jesus simply sat and watched the collection box outside the temple. I don’t know if you’ve ever sat in a mall, or on a bench in a busy park, but people watching can be addicting. As Jesus watched, he noticed all the wealthy, who society always noticed, go to great lengths to make sure society continued to notice them. They’d drop large sums of money, coins, into the box. These drops would make lots of thunderous noise, much like the applause the wealthy wanted for their “sacrifice.”
But in the midst of the noise, an invisible, a widow, came up and very gently slid two small coins into that same box, hoping they didn’t make a sound. She hoped to sneak in, and sneak out, unseen; the way she was used to living.
Ahh, but Jesus saw her. He always does. And he not only acknowledges her, he gives her high praise saying that she gave more than anyone, because she gave out of what she didn’t have.
Jesus always gives voice to the voiceless, and he always sees those who feel invisible. He calls us to do the same.
- Who are some of the invisible people in your world, or those that have no voice, that need one?
- Can you think of some ways we can help see the unseen?
- How do you think taking time to see someone who feels unseen, or unheard, helps to restore a little of humanity in them?
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