September 28, 2025

Many come to church carrying the ache of being overlooked, misunderstood, or dismissed. They may have been judged for their past, ignored in the crowd, or simply felt invisible. Jesus sees the Samaritan woman at the well, dignifies her and restores her, inviting us to value every person. This week, we reimagine church as a people who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, notice, welcome, and dignify the unseen.

READ

John 4:4–10

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

REFLECT

1. When have you felt unseen, overlooked, or dismissed, either in church or in life? How did that affect your sense of belonging and self-worth?
2. Who are the people in your family, workplace, neighborhood, or church who may feel isolated?
3. What is the Holy Spirit inviting you to see today that you haven’t noticed before? How is God calling your heart to respond to someone who feels invisible?

RESPOND

1. Make a conscious effort to notice someone you have never noticed before. It could be a new neighbor, a quiet coworker, or someone sitting alone in worship. Greet them, listen to them, get to know them.
2. Take time to ask someone about their story without rushing to advice or judgment. Let them speak and receive their words fully, as Jesus received the Samaritan woman’s story.
3. Spend a few minutes each day inviting the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to those who feel unseen, and ask God to give you courage and wisdom to engage them with compassion.

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