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DATE |
CHURCH |
SUBJECT |
PREACHER |
BIBLE
REF. |
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26.08.07 |
All Saints Church |
A God who weeps:
in this last sermon in the series we look at another reason – He is
a God who weeps.
Jesus shows us what God was like. That is the principle of the
incarnation. And we see that: Firstly, Jesus was moved with
compassion over the hungry (and needy) |
Rev. Tony Higton |
Luke 19:41-44 |
|
Why do we do evangelism? Why do we carry out mission? It is
because we have a God who loves and wants all human beings to
love him. It is also because we have a God who communicates. He
speaks to us through Jesus, through the Bible, through creation,
through conscience and in other ways. This God also identifies.
He came to be one of us, sharing the pain, suffering, stress and
temptations of the world in order to save us through dying on
the cross. He also rescues us from condemnation and eternal
death.
However, in this last sermon in the series we look at another
reason – He is a God who weeps.
Jesus shows us what God was like. That is the principle of the
incarnation. And we see that:
Firstly, Jesus was moved with compassion over the hungry (and
needy)
Matthew tells us that Jesus called his disciples to him and
said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already
been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want
to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
(Matt 15:32)
Jesus showed practical, down-to-earth compassion for those in
need:
-
the poor: if you travel and see poverty face to face your
heart goes out the poor.
-
the lonely: our local councils tell us that there are many
lonely people in the parish. Our hearts should go out to
them, and not just at Christmas time.
-
the weak: how many people are there locally who right now
feel they can’t cope?
-
the vulnerable: there will be many local people bowed down
with anxiety and fear.
-
the downcast: depression is so prevalent in our society.
Our hearts should go out to all those people, especially those
who do not have the strength a personal faith can bring.
Secondly, Jesus was moved with compassion over the sick
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on
them and healed their sick …. Jesus had compassion on [the two
blind men] and touched their eyes. Immediately they received
their sight and followed him.” (Matt 14:14; 20:34)
There is, of course, a great deal of physical sickness out there
in our parish. Some of it is very serious or terminal. How I
wish people would ask me to visit people in hospital rather than
wait until after the patients’ death. I sometimes think they
feel that a visit from the Rector is the kiss of death! But let
me reassure you: most people I visit in hospital survive the
visit!!
-
Then there is emotional sickness:
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the black cloud of depression and despair,
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the constant tension of anxiety and fear,
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the vicious circle of addiction,
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the utter hopelessness of suicidal feelings
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Finally, there is mental sickness.
Yet God loves all these folk, infinitely and eternally. He is
moved with compassion. And we are his instruments to bring love,
grace, forgiveness, healing and hope.
Thirdly, Jesus was moved with compassion over the
spiritually-deprived
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they
were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then
he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the
workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send
out workers into his harvest field."” (Matt 9:36-38)
“My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and
to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then
the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!
They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages,
even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the
sower and the reaper may be glad together.” (John 4:34-36)
There are many people out there who do not enjoy the blessings
we do. By God’s grace, we know Jesus as the Good Shepherd. He is
at the heart of our lives. We know he loves us, forgives us,
helps us and gives us a hope for the future, in this life and
the next. We can come together on a Sunday morning and enjoy the
beautiful worship, the encouraging fellowship, the wonder of
Holy Communion and the sense of the presence of God. We don’t
deserve those blessings. We are not better than these folk. It
is all by the grace of God.
But, like Jesus, our hearts should go out to those who are, as
Jesus put it: “without God and without hope in the world.”
They need to know the Good Shepherd. Some are ready for the
Gospel (“ripe for harvest”). God wants to send out workers to
bring them in.
Fourthly, Jesus was moved with compassion over the
spiritually-careless
“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what
would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The
days will come upon you when your enemies will build an
embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every
side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children
within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another,
because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
(Luke 19:41-44)
Jesus could have been critical of them. They should have pursued
the truth. Instead they were rejecting him, the Messiah. They
deserved judgment. But Jesus wept over them. Far from
condemning them, he “shalom” (peace, health, wholeness,
salvation) for them.
If you have been to Jerusalem and you come over the brow of the
Mount of Olives from the East, all Jerusalem, including Temple
Mount, will spread out before you. Then you will see, on the
slopes, a beautiful little chapel which marks the spot where
Jesus wept over the city.
Jesus was often moved with compassion at human need and he wept
over human failing and suffering. And Jesus shows us what God is
like.
Are we:
-
moved with compassion over the hungry?
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moved with compassion over the sick?
-
moved with compassion over the spiritually-deprived?
-
moved with compassion over the spiritually-careless?
Pray for God’s heart: the heart of Jesus for those outside.
God is a God who seeks people throughout the world. The church
is called to do the same. |
Do
We Believe in 3 Gods?
