August 25: Looking and Seeing
Having trouble viewing this message? View it in your browser. http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=cu_DWX5ZLj1B7kBYn0MhSg August 25, 2011 Looking and Seeing Excerpt from Exodus 2: 23 - 25 http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=_U0dqaPP50yblkuVOq6ySg “The people of Israel, groaning in their slavery, cried out for help and from the depths of their slavery their cry came up to God. God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God saw the people of Israel and God knew …” Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson Is there a difference between looking and seeing? Or between seeing and really seeing? Here, as the Exodus story begins, we read that God “saw.” The Hebrew word is ra’ah. It does not refer to a look or a glance. It means to begin to move toward another with kindness or sympathy. God really saw the suffering slaves in Egypt. He moved toward them. In a novel I was reading recently a woman who had been a waitress for fifty years, which is an awful long time to be on your feet like that, was asked about her memories of a particular customer, a naval officer. She says, “He actually saw me, if I can put it like that.” The implication was that few of her customers, few of the other high-ranking officers where she worked, did actually see her. She was not seen by the others as a person. There’s seeing and there’s really seeing. There’s eye contact and there is moving toward another with kindness or sympathy. Often privilege and power, rank or status, as well as plain-old self-centeredness, keep people from really seeing or really hearing another person. How remarkable, then, that our God and God’s power is not like that at all. Our God sees, really sees, the suffering and the lowly. Our God’s power is not manifest as distance or not getting involved or sending orders. Our God enters in, moves toward us, in kindness and sympathy. God doesn’t just look, God sees. Prayer God, forgive me for the many times when I only look but do not see. Grant me grace today to really see and to move toward another person in kindness. Amen. Anthony Robinson 2011 About the Author Anthony B. Robinson, a United Church of Christ minister, is a speaker, teacher and writer. His newest book is Stewardship for Vital Congregations, published by The Pilgrim Press. Read his weekly reflections on the current lectionary texts at www.anthonybrobinson.com/ by clicking on Weekly Reading. http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=E9vgUOsUH3pge1oK3ZvPIQ http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=vpniCobE0Kx6SzLpjiUD0w http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=6WJYlgu4oLybKoKP_q52vw The Daily Devotional is now on Facebook. Become a fan! http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=_yHQGgyCCUNLPKDQ69Oz0w Sign up to receive Daily Devotionals http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=Z3gro1ep54JlLUlU0_yLIA More items written by the UCC Writer’s Group http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=crw57mNyyfVdZyBXBeZ8hg http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=Jrfdysxi6-2-XryfQHT52A Facebook Fan Page http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=iR78gThy-W6Fhr9dBi7fbQ Forward to a Friend http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=FM2SFaaQja98IDwLS_-A8Q Signup for the Daily Devotional http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=x0MCN43RhZ9gGi4fwRgwew Writers Group http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=uANiUfnTrNuIDR-QZV3_pg The Stillspeaking Daily Devotional is a free service and is supported by your gifts to Our Church’s Wider Mission. Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America,adapted. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=tFjm2K4hLdQh8Pco0H1G6A Unsubscribe or edit your settings http://act.ucc.org/site/CO?i=ExjwwKbFxFicoY9CzkoRQ9lvhrlS3muO&cid=1072www.anthonybrobinson.com/ by clicking on Weekly Reading. http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=E9vgUOsUH3pge1oK3ZvPIQ http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=vpniCobE0Kx6SzLpjiUD0w http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=6WJYlgu4oLybKoKP_q52vw The Daily Devotional is now on Facebook. Become a fan! http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=_yHQGgyCCUNLPKDQ69Oz0w Sign up to receive Daily Devotionals http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=Z3gro1ep54JlLUlU0_yLIA More items written by the UCC Writer’s Group http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=crw57mNyyfVdZyBXBeZ8hg http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=Jrfdysxi6-2-XryfQHT52A Facebook Fan Page http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=iR78gThy-W6Fhr9dBi7fbQ Forward to a Friend http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=FM2SFaaQja98IDwLS_-A8Q Signup for the Daily Devotional http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=x0MCN43RhZ9gGi4fwRgwew Writers Group http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=uANiUfnTrNuIDR-QZV3_pg The Stillspeaking Daily Devotional is a free service and is supported by your gifts to Our Church’s Wider Mission. Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America,adapted. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=tFjm2K4hLdQh8Pco0H1G6A Unsubscribe or edit your settings http://act.ucc.org/site/CO?i=ExjwwKbFxFicoY9CzkoRQ9lvhrlS3muO&cid=1072
