Who Might We Notice This Week?

This weekend, Allison’s family will gather for a reunion on the lake. There will be more than sixty of us together, which means there will be food, laughter, stories, kids running around, people trying to remember who brought what. Family reunions are a beautiful kind of chaos.

They are a gift because they remind us that we belong to one another. They give us time to reconnect with aunts, uncles, cousins, and generations of people who have helped shape the story of our lives.

But this year will also carry some tenderness.

It will be our first family reunion without Allison’s mom, Carolyn. She was the oldest of six children, and now only four of those siblings remain. So even as we gather with joy, we will also feel the ache of absence. There will be laughter around the table, but there will also be an empty space that love remembers.

That is one of the holy tensions of life. Joy and grief often sit closer together than we expect.

This Sunday, while I am away, we will hear the familiar story of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10. The Good Samaritan reminds us that being a neighbor is not only about who lives near us. It is about who we notice. Who we make room for. Who we refuse to pass by.

So maybe the question for us this week is simple:

Who might God be inviting us to notice?

Because the people we encounter in our ordinary, everyday living may be carrying more than we know. The person at the grocery store, the neighbor across the street, the coworker, the server at the restaurant, the person sitting near us in worship, or even someone in our own family may be heartbroken, grieving, lonely, anxious, or hurting. And most of the time, we may never know the full story.

But we can still choose not to pass by.

We can offer a smile.

We can speak a word of kindness.

We can say thank you.

We can encourage someone.

We can pause long enough to let another person know they are seen.

These may feel like small things, but small acts of mercy can become holy moments. A simple kindness may be the very thing someone needs to remember they are not invisible. They are not alone. They are beloved by God.

This week, may we pay attention. May we move through our ordinary days with open eyes and tender hearts. May we notice the neighbor right in front of us. And may the love of Jesus be made known through the mercy we show.

With Gratitude,

Rev. Rodney Whitfield
Senior Pastor
Aldersgate UMC