Worship that is only designed for our comfort and entertainment isn't worship at all. When we do the true work of worship and prayer together, it somehow opens up new windows into the heart of God. We find ourselves standing with our feet wet in a vast ocean before us. That ocean is the compassion and love of God. And we find that it is way too big for just each of us, for our own church, denomination, culture, race, or country. It doesn't just extend to Christians, but to people of all religions, and even to those who have no religion. In fact it is often those who we tend to think are at the margins of the water who are really the ones engulfed in the ocean. And those of us who ignore or look down upon those who we think could not possibly be anywhere near the water, are really the ones who are standing high and dry on the shore, stranded on an island of our own religious ideas and notions.
I hope that you are able to listen to the following audio clip about a boy named Betito. It is from the book Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. It is by Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries. Listen to this clip with this passage in the background.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:9-21 (NLT)
Listen to the story of Betito as told by Father Boyle.
No comments:
Post a Comment