The Compassionate Life

I want to preach on a verse from 1 John chapter 3 and verse 17 and there's a reason for this

1 John 3 · chapter mention

and that is for those of you who are not aware of this we are preaching a set of sermons

under the generic title of the good life and within that we're preaching to a number of

themes and today the theme is the good life living compassionately in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 17

1 John 3 · chapter mention

we read these words if anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need

but has no pity on them how can the love of God be in that person

yesterday my newspaper arrived and in the weekend supplement they had invited comment from a number

of people who are called Generation Z trigger warning if you're from Generation Z you might

not identify with this but the question they were asked was what would be your relatively modest

quote relatively modest dreams for your life in the future bear in mind that not one of these

young people at the time earned more than 28,000 pounds per annum

the journalist concluded that basically all these people with a salary range between 18 and 28,000

pounds basically they all had the same I quote modest dreams let me tell you what they are firstly

they wanted a big house with a big garden they wanted good schools some of them said they would like to

educate their children to come privately they wanted help with housekeeping and child care

they wanted extra sports tuition or academic tuition for their children membership of a gym

holidays and possibly a second home

trying to think to myself as a child in the 1950s

whether if you had randomly taken a selection of people other than the aristocracy

whether anybody would have held any of those aspirations

remember in the 1950s not many people had aspiration for instance to be homeowners

this seems to me

to be a lie seems to be holding up a dream in front of people which for many of them will be unattainable

and if that's the good life then a lot of people are going to feel very let down

what you will note about all those aspirations is that virtually all of them in any primary way has anything to do with anyone else

it's all about me and about my future family

contrast this with the reading that Suzanne has just read

where Jesus opens the scroll of Isaiah

I imagine the people in the synagogue that day

looked at each other and said oh here we go again

and he read from that scroll

these are what you might call

the aspirations

of the kingdom of God

that the poor

will have good news preached to them

that prisoners will be set free

and that people who are blind

and indeed

have any illness will be healed

and those who feel oppressed

will be set free

can you see

the contrast between those two sets of aspirations

one entirely focused on me and my people

and the other

involves everybody else

and the outcomes

in their lives

I remember reading

Jonathan Sachs'

outstanding book on morality

Jonathan Sachs was the chief rabbi

and one of the things he said

which made me think

when I read it

he said this

that

morality

morality

can only begin

where we see the needs of others around us

and not just our own needs

not just talking about community there

he's talking about the philosophical idea

of morality

when I saw the topic

that

I was down to preach about today

if I'm being honest

my heart

skipped a beat

I thought to myself

so

I'm going to stand up

and talk about compassion

to a bunch of people

who probably get it

I don't think at the end of this

you're going to do

what they did to Jesus

and became furious

and started

you know

being mean to him

I hope you're not

compassion

no

compassion

is an important part

of being

a disciple

of Jesus Christ

and

occasionally

we see

acts of compassion

going on

in the wider world

people who

selflessly

give themselves

to care for the sick

in war zones

etc. etc.

look after their neighbours

etc. etc.

but we also see

the terrible ability

of people

to be

absolutely

abysmal

to each other

I'm in the middle

of reading

Isabel Hardman's

majestic history

of the NHS

and she

reminds us

of that time

when AIDS

first became

a disease

that people

needed to

take notice

of

and she

chapters there

the appalling

behaviour

that the

general public

at large

out of fear

manifested

towards people

who had AIDS

they demanded

for instance

that the children

of anybody

who had AIDS

should be

banned from

schooling

they would

throw red paint

on cars

and write

pervert

imagining

that all

AIDS

was the

kind of

sole

domain

of gay

people

it was not

our finest

hour

and then

the people

who had been

infected with

AIDS

through

contaminated

blood

products

this happened

in the 1980s

it took

till

2019

19

for there

to be

an inquiry

as to

why

this

might

be

and

the only

reason

there was

an inquiry

was it

was a

political

compromise

because

Theresa May

needed the

votes of

the

democratic

unionists

in

Northern

Ireland

and they

were very

keen

on having

an inquiry

for those

who'd been

infected

with blood

products

3,000

people

died

as a result

they were

hemophiliacs

and received

contaminated

blood

products

I want

to talk

to you

about

compassion

and I

wonder

if

you're the

kind of

person

who thinks

that

compassion

is a

kind of

synonym

for love

I would

imagine

why don't

we do it

if you

think

it is

a synonym

for love

would you

put your

hand up

nobody

does

come on

some of

you must

I'm sure

yes it is

I mean

broadly

speaking

it is

but the

problem

is

it's

where the

limitations

of language

kick in

now

Michael

Bourne

who was

the

Bishop

of

Chester

told of

a time

when he

went to

South Korea

to preach

and to

teach

and his

South Koreans

not up to

teaching

and preaching

so he

had to

work

with a

simultaneous

translator

and without

thinking

he stood

up one

day

and said

to the

gathered

assembly

my wife

and I

are tickled

to death

to be

here

the translator

looked at

him

and said

something

in Korean

and the

whole of

the party

assembled

took a

great

gasp

of air

turned out

that what

the translator

had said

is my

wife was

itching

and I

scratched

her

too

she

nearly

died

it's

when you

begin to

see

that language

is limited

you remember

all that

stuff in the

book of

Revelation

that weird

language

the vision

that John

has of the

risen Christ

and the

throne of

heaven

why is it

so weird

because it's

difficult to

find words

to describe

the infinite

and the

trouble with

compassion

the trouble

with the

word love

in English

is that we

have one

word for

love

the ancient

Greeks

as many of

you know

had four

words for

love

there was

the word

that Jesus

used the

most

agape

that is

a word

for love

that is

more to

do with

setting my

will to

want the

best for

another

person

than what

I feel

in my

heart

my emotions

then there

is the

word

storge

storge

is a

word

that means

it's kind

of family

love

I guess

then there

is philia

which means

family

relationships

and then

the one

you've all

been waiting

for

eros

which means

sexual

love

four words

which we

translate

with one

word

and we

wonder why

in our

culture

today

there is

such a

dystopian

understanding

of what

love

is

but let's

focus on

the bible

word

for

compassion

it's a

word that

you really

don't want

to attempt

until you've

got your

teeth in

the word

is

splach

nitsamai

when I

read our

text

I want

you to

read

exactly the

same

chapter and

verse

as it

was written

in the

authorised

version of

the bible

the word

pity

in the

niv

is replaced

by another

phrase

in the

av it

says this

the authorised

version

but whosoever

hath this

world's

good

and seeth

his brother

in need

and shutteth

up his

bowels of

compassion

from him

how dwelleth

the true

love of

God

within him

I mean

this sounds

like

you know

if you're

constipated

you might

not be

very loving

I don't

know if

that's true

but

why is

that word

used

well the

word

the verb

flexenio

means to

feel in

your bowels

and there's

a reason

why it's

translated

compassion

and it's

this

that Jewish

people thought

the seat

of the

emotions

was our

bowels

that's

understandable

have you

ever been

noticed

and felt

you've

got a bit

of a

dicky

tummy

don't

put your

hands

up

so when

we're

told that

Jesus

was moved

with

compassion

it means

that he

was moved

deeply

in our

culture

today

we probably

would say

that the

word

empathy

covers the

word

compassion

a bit

better

being

empathetic

is very

helpful

being

empathetic

incidentally

doesn't

mean that

you

construct

stuff

that's

not true

in order

to try

and identify

with another

person

I remember

meeting

Charles Bronson

in Milton

Kean's

prison

very difficult

for me

to feel

like somebody

has gone

and killed

a load

of people

couldn't

do that

yet he

wanted

my help

I think

some people

are naturally

more empathetic

and therefore

more compassionate

than others

for instance

what we know

is

if you're

the kind

of person

who is a

mimic

like you

go and

stay in

another

country

and you

come back

for a few

months

with the

accent

you're

more

likely

to be

an

empathetic

person

Brené Brown

I think

points out

that often

sympathy

is a

kind of

cheap

shot

and a lot

of people

who've gone

through a rough

time

particularly

bereaved

people

I mean

some bereaved

people have

told me

that some

of their

closest friends

will cross

the street

rather than

talk to them

in case

they said

something

stupid

how are

we

going to

embrace

compassion

in our

lives

and

Brené Brown

gave you

a kind

of definition

of empathy

it's

trying to

get inside

somebody's

situation

with them

but I

want to

say

that Jesus

gives another

twist to

empathy

his

compassion

is always

connected

to action

let me

say that

again

Jesus

compassion

is always

connected

to action

Matthew

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14

and verse

14

we're told

that Jesus

had compassion

and he

healed

a blind

man

in Mark

Mark 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

and verse

41

he had

compassion

on that

man

and delivered

him from

evil

spirits

you remember

by filling

the herd

of pigs

with

the evil

spirits

that had

previously

been in

the man

in Mark

Mark 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

and verse

34

just before

the feeding

of the

5,000

Jesus

looks out

the crowd

has compassion

on them

and he

begins to

teach them

do you

get the

message

Jesus

compassion

compassion

is always

backed up

by action

so let me close

today

by giving you

three things

to think about

in relation

to compassion

compassion

the first

thing is

compassion

doesn't mean

that I never

have to speak

the truth

in love

to somebody

you don't

have to

throttle

back on

somebody

and something

that you think

is badly

wrong with

their life

to be

compassionate

and God

knows

you know

we have

had five

children

if we

had not

added a

little

corrective

therapy

occasionally

out of

love

not because

we hate

them

then even

more chaos

would have

reigned

in our

house

do you

remember

once there

was a rich

young man

who came

to Jesus

and this

young man

was very

wealthy

and he

said what

must I

do to

inherit

eternal

life

and Jesus

says to

him

go sell

all your

possessions

give to

the poor

and come

and follow

me

I don't

think that

was a

kind of

general

generic

point

about

wealth

though the

Bible

is clear

in its

message

that wealth

can be a

major

distraction

for us

in our

discipleship

we're told

that

this young

man

went away

sad

not

not

everybody

who met

Jesus

went away

with a

healing

or without

feeling

restored

or forgiven

some

people

just

couldn't

cope

with the

radical

nature

of the

message

Jesus

told this

man

there was

one thing

he lacked

I wonder

if you think

about your

life

what would

you say

to Jesus

would be the

one thing

you lack

you might

like to tell

him about

that

this morning

the second

thing

about

compassion

is

avoids

hasty

and

unfeeling

judgment

look

I know

this is a

hazard

of getting

older

one of the

hazards is

that there's a

lot in the

world that we

don't like

and neither

should we

and though

it's

important

occasionally

as part

of our

compassion

to level

with people

to speak

the truth

in love

getting to

hasty

and cruel

judgments

about others

is difficult

as a

French

philosopher

whose name

escapes me

one of the

things he

observes is

that if we

think about

people in

general

we're kind

of turned

off

we don't

you know

we think

it's not

we don't

like them

but when we

think about

the people

we know

or the people

we bump

into

to individuals

then we

can show

excessive

care and

love toward

them

but compassion

avoids hasty

and unfeeling

judgment

do we ever

talk about

benefit

cheats

do we ever

talk about

people who

and I put

my hand up

here

people who

drive through

our town

having removed

the baffles

from their

exhaust system

it sounds

like concord

arriving

I can be

hasty and

judgmental to

people who

do that

it all

seems so

pointless

to me

with apologies

for those

who have

taken the

baffles out

of their

exhaust pipes

and the

final thing

is

compassion

asks us

to do

something

I wonder

if this

week

you could

leave here

and think

about somebody

you know

who's going

for a hard

time at the

moment

and try

and think

yourself

into what

it's like

what you felt

like when

you've been

depressed

or you

felt over

angry

or you

felt let

down

or you

felt nobody

loves you

and try

and put

yourself

in their

situation

but then

do something

maybe you

could

do the

bake a

cake

and take

it round

to their

house

maybe you

could write

an email

to them

or write

a note

even better

maybe

or maybe

you could

pick up

a telephone

and make

a call

remember

what it

said in

the clip

compassion

is not

about the

application

of sticking

plaster

treatment

no

even if

the only

way you

can articulate

your

compassion

is to

say

I can't

imagine

what you

must be

feeling

right now

but I

want to

try and

be in

that with

you

to walk

with you

how are

we

going to

discover

the good

life

well

today's

theme

introduces

us to

something

really

important

the good

life

is not

just about

me

me

me

it's

about

we

we

we

going to

Jonathan

Sachs

that's

the place

where

morality

begins

but it's

also the

place

where

compassion

begins

doesn't

really

work that

well

if you're

not prepared

to act

on your

compassion

sflak

themia

feeling

in your

guts

I don't

think

we have

any idea

I know

how many

people

are here

this morning

maybe 50

of you

but even

if only

half of

you went

away and

did something

you think

about how

that would

improve

care quality

in our

community

I wonder

do we

get

compassion

do we

really want

to be

people

who

connect

with

others

or do

we just

want to be

like billiard

boards

that clash

against each

other and go

off in

different

directions

things

Jesus

had

compassion

on people

so he

healed

Jesus

had

compassion

on people

so he

delivered

people

from

demonic

influence

Jesus

had

compassion

on people

and so

he taught

them

friends

we need

to get

serious

about

learning

our

discipleship

in order

that the

light of

Christ

might shine

in us

and slowly

but surely

millimeter

by millimeter

our world

might begin

to change

why don't

we pray

our

gracious

father as

we come

to communion

we pray

that you

might show

us

what the

one thing

is that

we lack

in our

walk

with you

whether

it's a

bad

attitude

poor

behavior

addiction

to a

habit

what's

the one

thing

that we

would say

to Jesus

if he

were to

ask us

what is

the one

thing

you lack

and father

we want

to ask

that you

would send

your holy

spirit

deep into

the hidden

recesses of

our heart

that the

spirit may

shine his

light

and we

might see

the truth

about

ourselves

so we

pray

come

holy

spirit

set our

hearts on

fire

with love

for you

and for

the world

which you

loved

enough

to save

you would

spare us

from cheap

shot

elastoplast

attempts to

care

and stand

with those

who suffer

bring them

healing

bring them

insight

maybe even

bring them

deliverance

and we

pray these

things in

Jesus name

and the

people who

agreed said

together

amen

to

to

give them