A Pastor’s Thoughts: Following Jesus Takes Guts

By Pastors Carolyn and Bruce Gillette —

Recently, one of us (Carolyn) spent some time volunteering at Lions Camp Badger in Spencer— a camp for individuals with diverse abilities. One of our church’s ruling elders, Pat Gillule, is the camp director; one of our deacons, Leah Gillule, was on camp staff for the summer; and several of our church members and friends went to the camp to volunteer in a variety of ways. What a joy!

Meanwhile, one of us (Bruce) took care of pastoral needs at the church— calling church members, doing administrative work, making pastoral calls, and preparing for Sunday worship. What a joy to do the pastoral work, too!

What have you been busy with this summer?  Work? Summer relaxation? Family? Service?

We can think about each week in terms of “tasks accomplished,” but there is another way we can reflect on what we’ve been doing: How have we shown compassion?

Compassion is something that is easy to see at the camp. Each week, counselors and staff were patient and focused on making it a great camp experience for the campers. Compassion is something we can see in churches, too, as pastors and church members help each other as friends in Christ.

Compassion happens in families when we seek to lift each other up. It happens when we think not only about self-care but about “other-care.” It happened in Newark Valley when there was flooding, and neighbors helped each other.

For Christians, living a life of compassion is not an option. It’s the way of Jesus, who showed compassion to the people around Him: “When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

“When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.” (Matthew 14:14)

The Greek word for compassion that’s used in the stories of Jesus is splagchnizomai (σπλαγχνίζομαι). It’s a rich word that means so much more than thinking kind thoughts. It relates to the gut, the bowels, the internal organs, and it describes that deep, gut-level feeling of having empathy or feeling the suffering of others.

The most important thing is that it’s not just sympathy. Compassion, for followers of Jesus, leads to action. It leads to providing what other people need. When Jesus had compassion on the crowds, he fed them and healed them.

We live in a society right now where compassion is really needed. We see hatred and condemnation of people who are different from us. We see a willingness to let hungry people be hungry, to let hurting people struggle on their own, to let veterans be homeless, and to let vulnerable people go without medical care.

So, it’s literally true that following Jesus takes “guts.” When we think about having guts to do something, we think about living bravely, differently. It also means, specifically, showing the compassion, the gut-level empathy that leads to action, of Jesus.

Do you get an annual physical exam? The summer and early fall are great times to do an annual “compassion check-up.” The question is more than: “How have we felt sorry for someone?” Rather, it’s: “How have we felt their suffering in our guts enough that we do something about it”— just as Jesus had compassion on a hungry crowd and called His disciples to give them food.

When have you focused on understanding someone who has a very different life from yours, such as an immigrant or someone with special needs? When have you gone the extra mile to help a neighbor or an enemy?   

When have you prayed for healing in a relationship you have with someone? When have you not only pitied someone (like the children in Gaza who are being starved to death) but also called your leaders in Congress to demand a compassionate response from the government?

In this hurting world, may God give us the “guts,” the compassion— to bring healing, harmony, and hope. Thank you for the ways you live this out.

The Gillettes have been serving as pastors for the First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego since December 2018.