Compassionate Christianity

Philippians 1:7-8 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

What exactly is the “affection of Christ Jesus”? As we enter into Holy Week and turn our faces toward the cross, I find it hard to imagine the affection or compassion of Christ Jesus. This is not a simple phrase to swallow. This is not a phrase that is easily comprehended. In the light of the cross, this is not a simple phrase that can just flow off the tongue. As we will soon see and experience in our times of worship, the affection of Christ was costly and painful. It was deep and intense. It was life-giving to those who received it. It was not easy. I’m beginning to realize that to long for someone with the compassion of Christ is not simply missing someone-it’s being willing to give yourself for the sake of others. It’s a willingness to nail our desires, our wants, our very selves to a cross if it means that others will experience the life-giving richness of Christ Jesus. To long for someone, to have compassion for someone in the same way as Christ is a high order and a high call that is given to all of us. Dare we live it out and watch the Gospel of Christ shake the world.

Here’s the really tough thing. I can think about living with the compassion of Christ toward Beth. I can attempt to show Beth self-giving, life-giving, sacrificial love. I can comprehend attempting to show this love toward my family. On good days, I can think about demonstrating this love toward my close friends. But it’s difficult for me to think about this in connection to others outside of my circle. It’s really hard to think about this in connection to those people for whom I have a distaste. It’s even more difficult to think about this concern and compassion for those with whom I flat out disagree. In my spare time, I read a variety of Methodist-related blogs. I read the views and takes on the church by a wide variety of people, and sometimes I attempt to enter into the conversations that are started. Often, though, the conversations are not centered in self-giving love. They attempt to push their own opinions, taking a ground of moral superiority, attempting to make someone else who doesn’t agree with us look foolish. This is not conversation. This is arrogant conversation that does nothing but tear down the church and sharpen the lines that exist. These conversations don’t show the affection and compassion of Christ to our brothers and sisters. I’m not advocating for a ‘you believe what you want and I’ll believe what I want’ point of view. I’m advocating for compassion, for a willingness to hear others with whom we do not agree. I’m advocating for us to allow Christ to be present in our conversations. I’m advocating for a lifestyle that reflects to all with whom we come in contact the love of Christ, even if it means sacrificing what we think to be our rights or our correct opinions. I’m advocating that we show the world outside of the church that we inside of the church can long for each other with the affection of Christ. That would be truly, absolutely earthshaking.