12 Steps to a Compassionate Life

FCCB 8/7/11

Romans 10:5-15

We give you thanks, O God of Sacred Stories, for the witness of Holy Scripture. Through it you nurture our imaginations, touch our feelings, increase our awareness and challenge our assumptions. Bless, we pray, our hearing of your word this day. Speak to each of us, speak to all of us. And grant that by the power of your Spirit we may be hearers and doers of your word. Amen.

12 Steps to a Compassionate Life

Last Sunday after my niece had opened all of her gifts at her bridal shower… my sisters and I were chatting together when one of them looked admiringly at her feet during a lull in the conversation… and announced that she’d just had her first ever pedicure. Girl talk! Seems her daughter felt it was about time she indulged herself… and she was showing off her beautiful feet.
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“As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”… For the apostle Paul… it’s not polished toenails that make feet beautiful… but the way those feet embody the compassion that Jesus lived.

As disciples of Jesus Christ… trying to live as HIS hands and feet and heart and mind… we’re called to daily proclaim the gospel… keeping in mind Francis of Assisi’s advice… to use words only when absolutely necessary.
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Recently I’ve been reading a book by the religion historian, Karen Armstrong titled: “12 Steps to a Compassionate Life.” The book came out of her project to gather together religious leaders and great thinkers from around the world to create what she calls a Charter for Compassion (www.charterforcompassion.org) … It’s her goal to offer guidance and support to those who are committed to making the world a better place.

Armstrong opens by saying… “One of the chief tasks of our time must surely be to build a global community in which all peoples can live together in mutual respect; yet religion, which should be making a major contribution, is seen as part of the problem.

All faiths insist that compassion is the test of true spirituality and that it brings us into relation(ship) with the transcendence we call God, Brahman, Nirvana, or Dao. Each has formulated its own version of what is sometimes called the Golden Rule... Further they all insist that you cannot confine your benevolence to your own group; you must have concern for everybody – even your enemies…”(Armstrong; pg. 4)

She goes on to say… “…it has become imperative to apply the Golden Rule globally, ensuring that all peoples are treated as we would wish to be treated ourselves. If our religious and ethical traditions fail to address this challenge, they will fail the test of our time…” (Armstrong; pg. 5)

Well… after following the news for the last few weeks… nationally and internationally… listening to stories of wars and famine… of entrenched polarity and economic instability… and the widening gap between those who have and those who don’t… I think these words are especially timely.
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As Christians we acknowledge that Jesus is our Lord every time we re-affirm the promises of our baptism… or gather around this table to share a simple meal.

But along with confessing that Jesus is our Lord with our lips… we need to follow in the same direction as His beautiful footsteps… and apply the rule of His life to our own lives. Living faithfully is more than the rote repetition of a particular set of words… Living faithfully means deciding to live by them every day.

Beautiful are the feet that strive to live out His values and stay focused on the vision of God’s Good Life… for everyone… that He gave His life to reveal…

Beautiful are the feet that daily try to be like Him… the embodiment of compassion… the Golden Rule with a human face… using words only when absolutely necessary.

Compassion is more than just being kind to people we happen to meet… It’s love that’s actively looking for areas of suffering around us… and trying to do something about it.

Compassion is more than treating others with respect… it involves a willingness to open our hearts and minds enough to “make a place for the other”… to get to know them better… even our enemies… open to letting OUR opinions and attitudes be transformed by THEIR needs and experiences.
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I could go on and on about each of the 12 steps to a compassionate life… but that would eventually bore you with too much information. I’m sure that much of what I’ve read… and have become so enthused about… will show up in my messages over the next few weeks.

And sometime this Fall I hope to start a monthly discussion group to study the book in more depth… as well as examine the particular spiritual practice that it recommends.

Now I am not for a minute implying that we are somehow compassion-deficient and in need of a series of special instructions to remedy this ungodly condition… because as far as I’m concerned… week after week this church is filled with beautiful feet. As one responder to our Ministry Assessment survey wrote… “We live up to our name!”…as Grace at the Crossroads.

Week after week we gather together to strengthen and encourage one another to risk living a compassionate life… not only for our own salvation… for our own sense of wholeness and well-being… but for everyone’s sake… for the sake of all of God’s creation.

This congregation is full of beautiful feet that have brought good news to countless others over the years… and I suspect will continue to do so for many more generations to come. But even beautiful feet find it refreshing to indulge in a pedicure every once in a while… especially considering the burdens that are placed on them every day.

Even beautiful feet need time to be renewed… and sometimes re-directed whenever we get distracted by our me-first automatic response to any threat… real or imagined… or succumb to the temptation to hatred and bitterness.

The Golden Rule is a method to be put into daily practice… to intentionally do at least one act of kindness every day…
…to refrain from that remark or gesture that dismisses or demeans another person…
…to make every effort to change negative thought patterns…
…and to nightly look back on our day to see how we’ve done… and resolve to do better tomorrow…
… Empathy… forgiveness… and concern for everybody… even for ourselves… is what being compassionate looks like.
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Armstrong’s concluding words are a reminder that… “the attempt to become a compassionate human being is a lifelong project… Nearly every day we will fail… but we cannot give up…”(Armstrong; pg. 192)

“…You will have to work at.. (it)… continuously for the rest of your life… learning more about compassion (from other traditions and belief systems)… surveying your world anew (to see where there is suffering to tend to)… struggling with self-hatred and discouragement…”

“…Never mind loving your enemies…” she writes “…sometimes loving our nearest and dearest selflessly and patiently will be a struggle!…” (Armstrong; pg. 192)

“… Compassion is possible…” she concludes… and “…even if we achieve only a fraction of this enlightenment and leave the world marginally better because we have lived in it… our lives will have been worthwhile. There is no more to be said. We know what we have to do. This is the end of the book… but our work is just beginning.” (Armstrong; pg. 193)
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“As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”… who go into each week in peace… to love and serve our God through loving and serving all of God’s creation. Amen.