Sometimes it is easy to feel like you are invisible, that no one notices you at all. That can be a lonely and desolating experience. At other times, we opt for invisibility, because those who notice us scrutinize us unfairly, or even cause us physical harm. The tension around how to be faithfully visible is at the heart of faith. Jesus told us, in what some see as a contradiction, to do some things secretly, and at the same time, to publicly let our light shine before others. How do we choose the right kind of faithful visibility? However we answer that, hiding is not an option. It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said, “To flee into invisibility is to deny the call. Any community of Jesus which wants to be invisible is no longer a community that follows Jesus.”
Sunday’s service at St. Mark’s will ask us how our faith may be visible when pressures around us favor our invisibility. Two Biblical stories press this matter. The call of Jeremiah to be a prophet is found in Jeremiah 1: 4-10, which will be read by Brenda Bailey Hughes. Jeremiah’s invisibility was, at least in part, self-imposed, for as he would say, “Ah, Lord GOD. I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” Still, he receives divine assurance: “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.” In Luke 4: 21-30, to be read by the Mooradian family, we see the continuation of last week’s Gospel lesson, where Jesus continues to develop the Jubilee theme in his sermon at his home town. He notes that the widow whom Elijah miraculously feeds, and the Syrian general, Namaan, whom Elisha heals of leprosy, were of a different ethnicity and religion. Noting that these two more invisible souls were recipients of divine favor were enough to put Jesus in the crowd’s crosshairs. In their minds, Jesus has joined the clan of invisible nobodies, for “No prophet is without honor except in their own hometown.”
Sunday’s sermon notes that all of us are called to move from the invisible to the visible, where we have something to say that can make a difference. The sermon is titled, “Invisible Nobodies: Does My Voice Matter?” We will be led musically by the Chancel Choir, accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, and directed by Gerry Sousa. We will have a moment for children, sing together, and celebrate Holy Communion.
To connect to our livestream worship Sunday morning, click the link on our website www.smumc.church. The service starts at 10:30am. Livestream starts at 10:25am.