Compassion Gives Us a Fresh Start
This is our last installment of devotions focused on our themes from our Compassion Camp VBS. We hope that you have enjoyed journeying with our children and families as they have been learning how compassion can change the world.
Scripture (Illustrated Ministry paraphrase based on Leviticus 25)
Leviticus 25
The people of Isreal journeyed through the vast wilderness for many years. Finally, they arrive at Mt. Sinai where they rested. God gave instructions to their leader, Moses, for their life together in this new land. These were the things God said:
“In this land, we will practice Sabbath together. This will happen not only on the seventh day but in the seventh year. For six years, we will do our regular work and plant seeds; we’ll grow, prune, and harvest fruits. But, in the seventh year, we’ll let the land rest. Even the land needs peace and quiet. Everyone will be able to harvest and eat whatever the land gives us in that seventh year.
In the fiftieth year, we will celebrate Jubilee together. This will be like the sabbath every seven years, where we’ll let the land rest. It will be a fresh start for the whole community: the land and the people and everyone will go to their own homes and be together in joy. It is a holy time, and we will be fed and nourished by whatever the land gives us.
In this time, we will respond with justice by giving fresh starts. This means that we will be fair and honest to one another. We will take care of those who are sick, alone, old, or need help. We will welcome people who are from different countries and they will be like family. We will work for people’s freedom. We will all work together to help everyone rest and rejoice in God’s abundance. I will bless the land during this year so that you do not have to work the land. I promise we will all be fed and nourished by the land’s gifts.
Reflection
For the past five weeks, we have been learning about the different characteristics of compassion and how each can make a difference in the world. We started by focusing on seeing and welcoming those we meet. Then we focused on how compassion gives us courage. Once we have that courage, we are able to have compassion for ourselves. Once we know how to love ourselves, we are able to be present with the needs of other people. Which leads us to our final theme: Compassion gives us a fresh start. It takes all of the things we have learned this far in order for us to give ourselves, our neighbors, and our world a fresh start.
God talks about justice in our passage for today. What do you imagine when you hear the word justice? Courthouses? Police officers? Someone being punished for something the did that was wrong?
Do you imagine equal treatment for all people? Everyone gets the same amount of food and water? This is what God’s idea of justice looks like. Often, God’s ideas look very different from ours. God’s idea of justice looks more like all the ways we’ve talked about compassion: seeing and welcoming; being brave and honest; loving ourselves; being present with each other; seeing God’s abundance.
What does abundance mean? It means there’s enough for everyone. We can welcome all to the table. We can be brave and trust each other. We can be honest with our hearts. We can give and receive care. And we can do the work with God to care for all creation and give a fresh start.
This “fresh start” can look like so many things! It can look like everyone having everything they need, or us taking care of the environment around us, or all of God’s children being safe. What does a fresh start look like to you? If each of us our each of our churches or communities took one way to create a fresh start and put our plan into action, I wonder how we could change the world?
Reflection
Take a moment to reflect on each theme of compassion that we’ve discussed this month: seeing and welcoming, being brave, loving ourselves, being present with each other, creating fresh starts.
Which of these themes was the easiest for you to understand? Which was the hardest?
What are some ways you will continue to use and share compassion in your every day life?
What is one thing you can do this week to show compassion to someone else? Now…go do that thing!
Reverend Kristen Koger has served as the Pastor for Children and Families at FBC Decatur since June 2017. Kristen loves working with the youngest of God’s family as she helps them realize that they have some of the most important gifts to offer the family of God. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her dog Dietrich “Bonehoeffer,” cooking, knitting, and playing board games.