Remote Compassion

by ricks 25. November 2009 10:17
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Compassion moves us into the world. When Jesus told His followers to "Go and make disciples", they had a mindset of intersecting with the world. The typical Christian mindset today is to tell the world to "come" to us.

Mark 8:1-10 tells the story of Jesus feeding thousands of people through the miracle of transforming loaves of bread and a few fish into food for all those people. I notice that this happened in a remote place (verse 3) and because Jesus had compassion (verse 2). It's hard to know people's needs if you do not intersect with their world and "go" to them.

As you meet people this week, try to discern their need.  And if you have a heart of compassion, act on it.

If you see a need, let me know by clicking on comment.

 

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Generosity

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Comments

11/24/2009 5:38:58 PM #

I see the need for people to belong someplace. And not just a social club or sports team, but a part of a community. A community where someone can invest in others, but also be invested in. I often think the Acts model of community. Yes it was a church that was fundamentally about following Jesus, having their needs met, and meeting the needs of others in their community. To the early church, you could not separate these. There was no gospel apart from meeting the physical needs of individuals. They went hand in hand. The gospel message is about hope eternal life, but it's also about hope for existential life in the midst of present circumstances. All too often, we (the church) fragment the 'spiritual' aspects of church life with the 'physical' aspects of peoples needs. Don't people need Jesus like they need water? Yet the attention of us as individuals seems to focus on 'what the church can do for me?' rather than 'what can I do for the church?' To bring the discussion back full-circle, Are we creating a place for others to belong, or do we allow church community to become merely internalized?

TNH United States |

11/25/2009 12:37:59 PM #

Totally agree -- your comments touch on the shift outward that is so hard for us to make. Our time constraints and routines, our way of doing church -- these things seem to hold us back from being generous toward those around us; from extending hope and help and relationship to others. Leith Anderson talks about our relationships like a Lego block -- it only has so many nubs on it. So we need to intentionally make some room for others; for new relationships; for helping others to belong and find hope. When that happens, the generous heart of God is definintely working through us.

ricks United States |

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