Cultivating Compassion

sermon by Carrie Eikler

1 Kings 17:17-24 and Luke 7:11-17

June 9 2013

 

In the movie Dan in Real Life, funny man Steve Carrel is a widower and father of 3 girls.  He writes a syndicated advice column called Dan in Real Life and seems to have the perfect advice for everyone’s problems but his own.  Not least of these is his 14 year old daughter’s rush to maturity in dress, attitude, and relationships.  On a weekend on the Rhode Island Coast with aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents, Dan discovers his daugther’s boyfriend has snuck all the way up from New Jersey to be with her. Dan puts the love sick boy in a car to head home in spite of the young man’s profession of love for Dan’s daughter.  In his frustration  Dan says “ you are too young to feel love”

to which the boy says “Love isn’t a feeling, Mr. Burns.  It’s an ability”
Dan scoffs at the immaturity of this young man.  But then, later, comes to use this wisdom in his own defense.

 

Love isn’t a feeling.  It’s an ability.

 

It seems to me that

much that has to do with the life of faith--

if not life in general—

are less feelings

than abilities.

 

Compassion, for one.

 

Compassion, as Dan’s young friend might also say,

isn’t a feeling.

Compassion is an ability.

 

Actually I should correct myself,  compassion is a feeling,

but the sort of feeling that isn’t satisfied if it

stays tucked up nice and cozy in your soul

with a nice blanket and a cup of tea

 Compassion is an ability that requires so much

of ourselves…all of ourselves.

Compassion tries our mental state, and physical energy, our time,

our emotions.

Compassion is an ability we want in others and hope for in ourselves.

At the heart of Jesus’ ministry is this very ability.

Not the individual abilities to raise the dead, or turn water into wine

or a little bit of bread into a whole feast.

 

Rather the miracle stories, like the one we read today point to

the power of Christ’s compassion above all else.

And I have to say that this gives me hope.

 Because God knows I can’t perform miracles.

None of us can.

 

But we can practice compassion.

We can hone this innate ability to care for one another,

feel for one another

and while we may

not raise the dead or heal the sick as Jesus did,

we will impart the loving presence of Christ,

which will bring healing in its own, mysterious way.

 In fact, I think so much about the Christian walk

is less about being part of some club,

or saying you believe the right things,

but more a commitment to hone and practice

the divine abilities placed within us.

 

Christianity is a practice
And compassion is one of the most important practices

we take on when we choose to follow Christ.

 In Hebrew, the word compassion and womb has

the same root.  In some way, we can say

that compassion is womb love.

It is seeing another as a sibling, one that was

shaped and formed and grown and birthed

from the same womb.

The German write Dorothee Soelle emphasizes this idea by

telling a story of a rabbi who

asked his students how do you to recognize the moment

hen night ends an day begins

 “Is it when, from a great distance, you can tell a dog from a sheep?” one student asked.

No. said the rabbi.

“Is it when rom a great distance, you can tell a date palm from a fig tree?  another asked.

No.  said the rabbi.

“Then when is it?” the students asked.

The rabbi replied, “It is when you look into the face of any human creature and see your brother or your sister there.  Until then, night is still with us.”

 When we look into the face of any human creature and not see

            a homeless man, a mother on welfare, an immigrant
             someone living with AIDS, a conservative, a liberal

             a peacenik, a solider, a homosexual, a redneck

But when we see a brother or sister.  Or a daughter or son,

            we have begun cultivating the art of compassion.

 

But as you can guess, this isn’t easy.  I mean, if I were to look how brothers
love each other, we’d be putting everybody in

time out, forcing apologies out of everyone, and sending the world to their rooms.

But with practice and awareness and

bringing our consciousness to Christ’s compassion
that innate ability can rise within us.

 

Tex Sample, a storyteller and seminary professor, told a story at the beginning of one of our Sunday School sessions.  (If I could replicate his southern accent it would make it all the better…)

He talked about a young man dying of AIDs in a hospital
When it was clear this man was going to die soon,
the hospital staff rushed to find a pastor or chaplain who
would pray for the man.
When they found a visiting pastor, the pastor would not
come into the room, but stood outside the room
and shouted a prayer asking God’s forgiveness for this man’s terrible sins.
And he turned on his heel and left the hospital
The staff were beside themselves and tried to find someone who could be
pastor to the man.
They found a theological student who was doing an internship
and when they told her she went to the room as quickly as she could
She rushed in through the door, went over to the man
and sat down on the bed next to him.
She stayed with him the last hours of his life.
He did die that night.
Later someone asked her,  “What did you do?”
She answered
We prayed.  I read the Bible.  We sang songs.
But mostly, mostly I just told him how much God loved him.

 

Compassion is the ability to show people
that God loves them.
Whether through word, or action, or
Songs or touch.
Marching in the streets or sitting beside someone who is dying.

 

But the tricky thing about compassion is that
there is no formula for giving it.

It’s not: one part patience, three parts humility, and two parts courage.

 

Because everyone we meet, every situation we face
has context. There is a relationship.
How we enter into compassionate relationship with a dying man
is different than how we struggle to find compassion
     for the pastor who showed him none
How you practice compassion with a family member
is different than how you practice compassion to the checkout girl at Kroger.

Compassion, like any other art, or discipline, or ability

needs preparation in order to bloom into its fullest potential

I have appreciated a gift that Cindy Lewellen gave me

CDs of guided meditations by Sharon Salzburg.

Salzburg spends a lot of time on compassion,

which she calls lovingkindness.

I don’t know if it is because so much of my life in these past few years

have been living “outwardly”—

raising children, pastoring a congregation, parenting groups, volunteer projects

but I have been thankful to have times to

have someone guide me in going internally.

 

Because I know as much as I may talk about compassion,

even compassion as an ability,

it isn’t something that just happens.

Compassion and lovingkindess has to be

cultivated, and grown, and remembered

and strengthened within.

 

So I would like to spend a few minutes

and guide you in a meditation that you can

take with you to help you cultivate

compassion as a daily practice.

 

I will try the  I can invoke the soothing presence of

Sharon Salzburg in this lovingkindness meditation

 

Lovingkindness meditation

sit comfortably

close your eyes

in this practice we don’t pay attention to the feeling of the breath

as you might in other types of meditation

but instead we allow certain phrases to emerge from the heart

which are the object of concentration

 

These phrases are hopes we have for the betterment of our own lives

Traditional phrases are things like,

may I be safe, be happy, be healthy, live with ease

I will be using these four phrases as I speak,

but you can substitute them for any you feel is appropriate

 

The phrases are meant to be big enough or general enough that its like a

gift we can offer ourselves not just today

and ultimately offer to all of life, the boundlessness of life

 

May I be safe, be happy, be healthy, live with ease

Take a moment and let one or multiple phrases rise within you

that have meaning 

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Gather all your attention behind each phrase at a time

And, if you haven’t begun to already, focus them on yourself

Say your phrases silently one at a time

May I be safe, be happy, be healthy live with ease, whatever you choose

 

(silence)

 

Then think of a friend, first friend that comes to mind

Bring them here

get an image of them
say their name to yourself,

get a feeling for their presence and offer your phrases of lovingkindness to them

the things you wish for yourself

May you be safe, be happy, be healthy, live with ease

whatever your phrases are

(long silence)

 

 

Think of someone you know who is not doing so well right now

Someone who is frightened or lonely or ill.  Bring that person here.

Offer your phrases of lovingkindess to them (silence)

 

And then someone you barely know

checkout person, dry cleaner, attendant at a gas station 

you may not know them, but try to recall a face. 

Offer your phrases to them.

 Be safe, be happy, be healthy, live with ease.

(long silence)

 

Then all things everywhre, all people creatures, systems,

known and unknown near and far. 

May all things be safe, be happy, be healthy, live with ease

 

When you feel ready, you can open your eyes and relax

 

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Take this spirit of LovingKindness into your practice of being a Christian this week

See if it can help you uncover your innate ability of compassion, as Luke 6:36 invites us

be compassionate, as your Father in Heaven is compassionate.

 

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