Over the last two weeks, the team at Nazarene Compassionate Ministries has struggled to process yet another death of a black man in the United States at the hands of those who took an oath to protect and serve him. The murder of George Floyd reminded us again that, as much as we want to believe otherwise, we are not all treated or seen equally in the United States, and this is not a new reality.
When churches evaluate the needs of those around us, we often ask if we are making a difference. This is a question that has been asked many times at Winamac Church of the Nazarene (WNC), where I serve as pastor.
These days it seems like the world is made up of divisive opinions. Social media, once a place where pictures of dinners and dogs reigned, has now become a labyrinth of opposing (and confusing) views, statistics, memes, name-calling, and arguments.
Health experts may point out the negative effects of social media usage on our attention spans or mental well-being. But personally, it seems to me that the words and thoughts flung easily from keyboards have the power to be the most dangerous—especially when we forget we are talking to and about real people.
We face a world full of inequalities, a world that needs to know the true purpose of God's kingdom. God has delegated this mission to the church. In this way, compassion becomes a way of life for everyone who knows God.
Compassion is related to two biblical principles inherent in every believer: giving and love.
It’s hard to imagine the trees that used to surround Paradise, California, giving weight to the city’s name. Patches of growth still exist, but much of the remaining forest stands as dark, burned pillars, marked with spray paint so they can be removed. Behind the Paradise Church of the Nazarene, several properties are visible: monochromatic patches of debris, colored the rusty brown color the Camp Fire left behind.
If you’re reading this article, then the chances are that your life was transformed by a Middle Eastern refugee—a child refugee. A child refugee wrapped in swaddling clothes and carried across a desert by his mother. That first Christmas—a story of hope, deliverance, and God’s redemption—is also a story of persecution, displacement, and a dangerous crossing. It is the story of a family filled with fear, fleeing their home in search of safety.