The Compassionate God

Perhaps we could enter imaginatively into the face of God and more importantly into how God looks at us. It might not be easy to conjure up such an image; God’s face being hidden to us, but, what about his regard? How do we imagine him looking at us?

The passages that we’ve looking at for Sunday 5th June from 1 Kings (17:17-end) and from Luke (7:11-17) reveal to us that God looks with compassion on his children, especially those who suffer, mourn and who are the least and most vulnerable in society, as women were.

Elijah and Jesus are shown to have deep compassion on the two widows that they meet. They raise their sons from the dead; they act out of their very real compassion.

Compassion can be costly, compassion asks that we take responsibility for another’s suffering – not just saying a few kind words, but stepping into their world and changing it for them and with them.

Think of the Good Samaritan – how he could have crossed the road and stayed away, at a distance from the suffering of another; but he didn’t, he steps out of his way, into the story and journey of another.

Perhaps that is a good description of compassion, to step into the story of another and walk alongside them. Has anyone ever done that for you? Have you ever done that for another?

As Christians we are called to model the love of God and the love of God is revealed in the compassion of his Son. If we are to live in the light of God’s love we must learn to be people of compassion.

God is looking at you now – his face is radiant with love for you, with compassion for you, in all the many ways that you struggle and strive and suffer. What it is to have a God that looks at us with such a face, with such a care, with such compassion and love. What a church we would have, what a street, what a town what a borough, what a country, what a world if we could all learn to mimic the loving kindness and compassion of God.

May you know the blessing of God's radiant face looking at you with love and may you share that blessing with all your meet. Amen

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