Worship and Compassion

In my last article I wrote of being ‘affected by the Gospel’, by that I mean that the Gospel has impacted us in such a way that it causes us to see the world differently and to act differently.
I became a Christian in 1965 and for most of that time I have been deeply involved in the life of the church. To this day I find myself surprised by the lack of compassion and empathy amongst Christians. I don’t know how you can separate worship from compassion, if we are connecting with God on a deeper level, if we are saying that we desire to honor him and to serve him, how can we at the same time distain the weak, broken, poor and needy.
I have seen and heard it over and over again, people explaining away the need to be compassionate towards those who have gotten themselves in a mess. We seem to believe if the ‘bad choices’ someone has made has led them to their present condition that we are absolved of any responsibility to give care or help to such a person.
I don’t see anywhere in the life and example of Jesus that could possibly lead one to that conclusion. Jesus said to ‘give to anyone who asks of you expecting nothing in return’ (Luke 6) Why? Jesus answers the question this way, ‘But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.’
I’m not talking about ‘enabling’ here, I’m talking about empathy, identifying with the brokenness of others, remembering ‘but there by the grace of God go I’. Which we often give lip service to, but secretly don’t identify with.
The fact is Jesus never places qualifiers on those who are the recipients of his kindness, he never sought out the most deserving. Think of the ‘women at the well’, a serial adulterer, a Samaritan, as undeserving and unclean as one could get in that culture and time. Yet Jesus much to her surprise initiates a dialogue with her, setting an example for you and me.

I have I have heard countless diatribes over the years comparing modern America to Sodom and Gomorrah, well maybe that’s true. Here is what the Bible says the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was,

" 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49

As we approach this season of overindulgence and unbridled consumerism, I would hope that those who worship Jesus, will keep our eyes open to those around us who are poor and needy and I pray our hearts ache for and identify with them and that as an act of worship we will extend ourselves, at the very least by coming aside organizations that have as their mission a call to serve the least of the least. Yet at the same time not turning away from our own personal expressions compassion which bring honor and glory to God.