The Polarization Within: Compassion

Isaiah 11:6-9, NRSVue

6 The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Intro

This week we continue our Do Unto Others sermon series. Over the next several weeks, we will explore what it means to live in the purple space where we see the value in one another and learn to live together as we “cultivate kindness, compassion, humility, respect, and love for one another and for the good of all the world, no matter what.” Last week, we began with exploring the Golden Rule as we named our need to choose kindness for ourselves and for others. If we don’t lead with kindness, who will? This week we continue this journey together as we explore compassion.

Our text this morning, may seem a little familiar to you. This passage from Isaiah 11 is part of the lectionary reading for peace Sunday during Advent in year A of the Revised Common Lectionary. Yet looking at this portion of the text in new light will offer us insight into the prophetic word for us today.

The prophet Isaiah was speaking to a people who were surely faced with doom. The Assyrians were coming from the north to conquer them. In a situation that seemed hopeless, in a world that seemed like doom and defeat was inevitable, Isaiah speaks a word of hope. Isaiah promises at the end of the 10th chapter, that there would be a remnant of the people. At the beginning of the 11th chapter, Isaiah promises that “a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Then, in this section of our text, we hear the promise of God’s kingdom coming to fruition.

In God’s kingdom, we see predator and pray lying down with one another. Wolves lie with sheep; leopards lie with kids; calves and lions eat together; bears and cows graze with one another; the lions are eating straw alongside the ox; children are playing with asps. Nothing will be destroyed. Natural enemies are together co-existing in new ways. This is totally impossible without some kind of intervention. In other words, it is impossible except for God.

If we are honest, sometimes it feels like we find ourselves in this place of impossibility. As we named last week, political tensions are higher than ever. It seems more and more unlikely that one side will work with the other. And when we hear texts like this, it almost seems impossible. Enemies will not come together. War and violence will not stop. So many in our society are hurt and threatened. The poor seem to get poorer while the rich get richer. This looks nothing like Isaiah’s promise. Yet in order to move into this reality, we must trust God.

Human beings are complex, and we live in a complex world. As we named last week, our political realities seem to be more glaring than ever. We seem further apart and more like enemies than fellow Americans. But if we are honest with ourselves, we will name that sometimes there isn’t just conflict between us. There is also conflict within us. Humanity is inclined to desire to belong. We want something to belong to, especially in turbulent times. We often label ourselves with a political party or with a church or denomination. Yet when we cling to more general labels we fail to have compassion. Compassion is necessary in order to lift despair and to bridge the gap. The more that we know ourselves the more compassion we have for ourselves. The more compassion we have for ourselves, the more we are willing to work to know others and have compassion for the other. Compassion for the other is grounded on a deeper level of knowing and a deeper level of understanding.

The Oxford Dictionary defines etymology (e-t·it·mal·o·gy) as “the study of the origins of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.” If we look at the word “Compassion” we can understand it as coming from “passion with.” In light of this, one theologian frames compassion by writing: “When we have compassion for another person, we strive to see ‘with’ their eyes, hear ‘with’ their ears, understand ‘with’ their perspective.” Our passage from Isaiah models this for us in what has been coined God’s “Peaceable Kingdom.” In it, we see the sharing of time and food and space between those who would otherwise avoid each other. If we shift our thinking to see with the eyes of others, to hear with the ears of others, and to understand with the perspective of others, how might our own understanding shift? How might we see with compassion.

Even among the disciples, this kind of radical difference coming together is modeled. Jesus called disciples from all walks of life and brought them together to follow him and ultimately build the kingdom of God. As Adam Hamilton reminds us, “Jesus’ own disciples were radically different in their politics. There was a zealot and a tax collector. That would be like Jesus calling a die-hard Republican Trump supporter wearing his or her Make America Great Again hat, and calling a Joe Biden, never-Trump Democrat to both be among his twelve disciples.” And yet, I would imagine that in this very place we have people in both of those camps and in every place in between and beyond.

Yet before we can move into this arena, we must look within ourselves. Isaiah is not proclaiming his message to make people happy. Isaiah isn’t hoping his sermon is going to be well received by a congregation or by the hearers. Rather, prophets call us to do the work of shaping and pruning within ourselves so that we can be a kingdom people. And when we do this work, we offer ourselves up to God that we might become the servants of God. This work is hard. It is hard to offer ourselves up to God that we might be sent out to serve others. It is difficult work to realize that we might be called to be with and see with the eyes of someone very different from us. Yet, we must have compassion for ourselves that we will trust God.

We might feel that we are not good enough or strong enough. We might have failed in the past. Yet we do not do this work alone. Jesus didn’t call his disciples and expect perfection on day one. Even after years of being together, Peter still denied Jesus. After the crucifixion the disciples fled. By having compassion on ourselves, we realize that it is through God’s Spirit that we are enabled for the work of having compassion for others.

It doesn’t have to start with grand gestures either. We obviously aren’t able to share everything that we have with others. Yet if we share something simple like food or a goal or task, we can come together in new ways. Last fall, we were at a district leadership training. We were asked this question by the facilitator, “when was the last time you shared a meal with your neighbors?” Neighbors could be your next door neighbors, or it could be somebody who is very different than you. Yet when we come together and share in a meal, we have the opportunity to get to know someone on a deeper level. We begin to train ourselves to see things differently, to look at the world differently than we would other wise. So often in pastoral ministry, when I have had differences with people, I have found that sharing a cup of coffee or meal and conversation, we have found that we have a lot more in common than we have different from one another. And even when we believe differently theologically, we begin to realize more and more that we are all doing our best to follow after Jesus.

Similarly, when we are brought together for a common goal or task, we find ourselves working together better than we would in other areas. Just like with our war among the backpack program, community day, and with other United Methodist Congregations. Others, have expressed interest in coming alongside us in ministry. And when we have built relationships not just with denominations that are different than us, but with individuals we serve alongside in ministry, it begins to change the way we see the world. I still go home to my house and live my life, but I behave differently in navigating the world.

For example, I never knew that when homeless are trespassed from a property, police often take all of their belongings and throw them away. Because of this, many have lost birth certificates, social security cards, and even irreplaceable pictures of their family. This doesn’t include the loss of their shelter with tents and tarps that are taken away. While I certainly respect the right of property owners to trespass those who are living on their property without permission, I question whether the police in our community need to throw away their belongings. Hearings these stories, give me compassion in new ways for my brothers and sisters. This is possible only because God was at work in me moving me into deeper relationship with those who are different from me.

It is in this space, that we find the call of the church in this space. The church is not God’s kingdom, but we are intricately tied to God’s mission. When we serve our community, we shine the light of God’s kingdom on the world around us. The church grows more into God’s vision for her when we open ourselves up to God’s ways and move to love with compassion ourselves and others. But we cannot do this by ourselves. We cannot be stuck holding on to our traditions. Rather, we must open ourselves up to the ways that God is moving in new and different ways that God will usher in and through us compassion and peace for all.

For when we allow God to work in us in these ways, we begin to dwell in true love for God, for ourselves, and for one another. For kindness and compassion lead us to deep places of love. In these places we dwell in commonality and with care for people in new and different ways. So, this morning, I invite us to have compassion. Give compassion to ourselves. Open ourselves up to God’s ongoing work in our lives and in the life of the church. And to continue to choose kindness and compassion. For it is the only way forward into God’s vision of the future where war is no more, where enemies lie down together in all aspects of the world.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.