Skip to main content

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 


Comments

Post a Comment

Please be respectful when posting comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rugby

It has been just over three weeks now since we have arrived in Rugby and it feels like a world away from South London. If I was used to being in what is generally thought of and written about as a post-Christian secular world then Rugby looks and feels very different. There are a proliferation of churches across Rugby which are very active in working together for the good of the town. There seems to be a genuine Spirit of God's love working across Rugby in impressive ways that I'm not sure what century I am in! It is surprising to find a town that works so hard in regenerating and reinvigorating all that it is and it feels like an enormous privilege to be here.  Not that South London was any kind of spiritual desert! It was also a great privilege to work there and see how God can still be so central to people's lives in the 21st century. If the image we get from the newspapers and national media is that God is redundant in the modern age it seems that the reality is very ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Identity, belonging and holiness

Sermon for 2nd July Doubting Thomas - Ephesians 2:19-end, John 20:24-29 In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we see classic Pauline theology in action – Paul is explaining to the Ephesians (Gentiles) that they are fully accepted into the household of God and full members of it. The implication is that they are unsure about their place. Paul is clear that their tradition and history is rooted now not only in the Patriarchs, but also in the Apostles and with Jesus Christ as the corner stone. It is the Apostles in Jesus who invite them to full membership. No longer is holiness and worship centred on the Temple in Jerusalem but, rather, the individual believers are spiritual temples and the group of believers an ‘habitation of God’. Paul, as we know, had been fully committed to his identity as a God-fearing Jew; his life and ritual practice confirmed his sense of superior identity before God. He was saved because of his birth right and due to his strict adherence to the Law. Th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Women as Priests - Why the Big Deal??

Vocation as Participation Women priests at Coventry Cathedral celebrating each year of ordinations since 1994.  They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-end The church of England has been celebrating and marking 20 years of women’s priestly ministry. Today I went to a service of celebration at Coventry Cathedral.  When I was in the cathedral I thought again about why women’s priesth...
Post a Comment
Read more