My wife suggested this one. I told her that no one was invisible b/c I can see them. But I really knew what she meant. We always eat our Egg McMuffins at McDonalds every Sunday morning at 7 AM. The one we eat at is especially clean and has great managers. They hire one man to do nothing but clean, mop, pick up trash, etc. He looks to be a very simple fellow although he might be the boss like in the TV show “undercover boss”. But he is there every week, so I don’t think he is the boss! My wife called him one of the “invisible people” that we seldom take notice of. AI: “”Invisible people” can include mentally challenged adults, disadvantaged, unwed mothers on welfare, runaway teens, ex offenders, uneducated and unskilled people, illegal immigrants who clean hotels or do menial jobs, residents in inner city projects, elderly, child orphans or foster children, homeless people or anyone who experiences a sense of being ignored or separated from society as a whole. It can include just ordinary people doing all the little jobs that make life easier for us, people that we take for granted. We might say “thank you” but that’s about it, or we might even tip a little. But often we just get our service from them and ignore them.

Jesus was good at not ignoring the invisible people. The woman at the well. Would you pay much attention to a woman who had been divorced 5 times, was living with someone not her husband, and who was a foreigner that many looked down on in society? Jesus did. He would not even “snuff out a smoldering wick or break a bruised reed”. He would try to bring out the best in everyone. He would draw out what little faith someone had. He would give hope to those struggling with life. We don’t know how that woman at the well ended up, but he gave her hope of a better life if she would accept the living water Jesus had to offer.

Jesus stopped to heal the blind men who were following him, even though they were crying out, making a disturbance. He talked with a sinful woman who anointed his feet at Simon the Pharisee’s house. Simon was appalled that Jesus would even let this sinful woman touch his feet. He laid his hands on and blessed the little children who were brought to him by their parents, even when his disciples were rebuking them for bringing the children. He stopped to heal the woman with the 12 year bleeding issue. He did not rebuke her for secretly touching his garment but praised her faith instead. Jesus took note of the demon possessed man who had been living in the tombs and cast the demon Legion out of him. The whole town nearby ignored this man and just hoped that he would stay in the tombs area. Jesus ate with the tax collector Matthew and his “sinner friends” even though he was criticized greatly for doing so. Jesus stopped to talk to the Syrophoenician woman even though his disciples were begging him to send her away b/c she was crying out loud, annoying them. He then challenged and drew out her faith and case the demon out of her daughter.

So the lesson today is for us to pay attention to the “invisible people” that we see every day. Not just pay attention to them, but seek them out. “To visit the widows and orphans is pure and undefiled religion” according to James 1:28. There are plenty of widows out there who might not need financial help but who would love to have some one come visit and talk to them. Each one has a story to tell. Go to some place like the House of the Harvest here in Huntsville on Saturday morning and you will find plenty of invisible people. Many of them speak Spanish and are delighted when I give them breakfast with a little Spanish conversation. Go offer to help someone who fosters children. They often have many challenges. Think through your own daily experiences and identify those invisible people in your life. Stop and take time to talk to them and help them if possible.

Remember, the invisible people are all very visible to God so don’t ignore them.