Yesterday was one of those Sundays. You know the ones. When you hear a message at church that is so fresh and honest, so right on that it changes your life, or at least your view on life.
Our preacher knew it. He started his message saying he felt like the Lord was really up to something. And He was.
I don't know about you, but I seriously felt like I was going to puke when I was watching that video. (Of course, I am pregnant and had just eaten a yucky breakfast, but I don't think that had anything to do with it.) In fact, I kind of felt like I was going to puke through the whole sermon. Like someone had punched me in the stomach.
I know the reason I felt like that is because I knew the Holy Spirit was convicting me with the Truth coming out of my pastor's mouth.
The main two passages of scripture that he used were Luke 10:25-37 (the parable of the Good Samaritan) and 1 Timothy 6:6-10,17-19.
Our pastor asked us to look at the story of the Good Samaritan with new eyes. To see the Samaritan's radical compassion. The Samaritan was walking along the road and noticed a man who'd been robbed, who was beaten and broken. A man who had been over-looked by a priest and a temple helper, both of whom had passed by without lending a helping hand. How many times am I the priest or the temple helper? Far too many.
The Samaritan not only noticed the man, he sacrificed time out of his busy schedule to pay attention to the man, bandage his wounds, put him on his own donkey, and take him to an inn. He didn't leave the man there alone, either. He stayed with him overnight. And THEN, he paid two days' wages to the inn keeper and asked him to look after the man until he (the Samaritan) returned.
Now that is radical compassion.
The second passage of scripture was very convicting for me.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs...Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
1 Timothy 6:6-10,17-19
Godliness with contentment is great gain. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Do good, be rich in good deeds, and be generous and willing to share.
Pastor Bart left us with two questions. What does radical compassion look like in your life? How are you to use the resources that God has given you?
He also encouraged us to approach Christmas differently this year.
What does radical compassion look like for me? That question was spinning in my mind throughout the sermon. It still is.
What can I do? How can I live a life of radical compassion? Should I sell all of my possessions and move into a homeless shelter to spread the Gospel? Or maybe I should move to Africa? Is it possible to live a life of radical compassion without selling all my stuff or moving? Not because I don't want to. Honestly. I'm just curious. Is it possible? If so, what can I do on a more local scale that would make an impact for the Kingdom?
I think I felt like I was going to puke because I knew that I was sitting there, and I had not had an earnest conversation with the Lord in at least a month. I have let my exhaustion and fatigue due to pregnancy become an excuse. An excuse to lay in bed and watch mindless television instead of reading my Bible or spending time in prayer. I let the pregnancy blahs (not to be confused with the blues) steal my time with the Lord. It's shameful. And sad.
The good news is that yesterday's sermon was a kick in the rear, and I have a fresh view and an eager desire to see how the Lord wants me to live a life of radical compassion.
Can I be honest here? I often feel like my kids and husband hold me back from any sort of radical compassion that I like to believe I would be living out if it weren't for them. I'm not blaming them, but let's be honest - you can't take toddlers to a food pantry or a homeless shelter. The local charities that I am interested in simply do not provide childcare. Of course, now I'm wondering if serving at a local charity qualifies as radical compassion. Is it really radical to sort food at a food pantry? Or to serve food to the homeless?
My head is spinning. I do realize that we can't all sell our possessions and move to Africa in the name of evangelism. There is plenty of work to be done, right here in our own backyards. Jesus did not tell every person to sell their possessions. He told one man to sell all of his possessions, because possessions were what that man cared about most. They were standing in the way of his faith.
Do my possessions stand in the way of my faith? Does my lifestyle? What could, or should, I change to be able to more freely live for Jesus?
These are the questions I have. What does radical compassion look like for me, and how am I to use my resources?
And then, as my three year old started throwing one of those drooling, screaming fits before we got out the door of the church, I started thinking. Maybe for me, having radical compassion is simply loving my kids, who can be pretty unlovable. A lot of the time.
This reminded me of a word I learned in Greek. I was always struck by it. In the new testament when Jesus had compassion on people, the word splocknizo (probably a bad transliteration) was used. It meant he felt it in the pit of his stomach. Good post...definitely makes you think!
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