Reading about the merciful in the Sermon on the Mount connects me to Jesus’ later teachings about forgiveness. In the Lord’s prayer he taught his disciples to pray, ‘forgive us …. as we forgive others.” In forgiveness there is great mercy, but in order to receive something it must be given to you. A hard-hearted person struggles with forgiveness. You might hear them say things like, “I will never forgive so and so for such and such.” Or they might not be able to accept an apology without questioning something or critiquing something about it. Some people think that if they are not forgiven by a person on earth they will never receive forgiveness from Jesus. There are people who believe they are not worthy of forgiveness. Jesus teaches us by word and example that everyone is worthy of forgiveness and he teaches that true repentance will help us need it less and less in our lifetime.

I wonder too, about the relationship between mercy and justice in a biblical sense. In social justice ministry through the church there is always an element of mercy. But mercy doesn’t only mean giving stuff, it also includes an element of teaching those who are able to be taught, how to become sufficient in caring for themselves properly to the best of their ability. Mercy teaches how to reconcile relationships that have been broken. Jesus is known as being very merciful, and he taught his disciples by word and example about extending mercy. They witnessed him teaching people in the synagogue, on the streets, and even some who came to Jesus in the middle of the night so as not to be seen by other people. Jesus taught about and extended mercy from the beginning of his ministry through the end of his life. Patient, persistent, kind, compassionate, merciful people don’t always seem to receive the same from everyone, but God is faithful and will bring them into places and groups of people where they will find the merciful acts of encouragement, rest and acceptance.

In reading about the pure in heart seeing God. I think about the many times I’ve been taught to seek the face of Jesus in the people I encounter. No matter what age, or what the condition of their life is, seek the face of God in Jesus Christ. There is a time when Jesus had a conversation with other people who were asking him about seeing The Father and Jesus told them that because they had seen Jesus they had seen God. Christians do not claim to be God, but do claim that God’s Spirit lives in us. In the Gospel of John, Chapter 17, we read that Jesus prayed we would be one in him and he in us just as Jesus was in the Father and the Father in him. It might sound rather odd to people who are first hearing about this kind of relationship of being ‘in’ God and God being ‘in’ us. But there are many people who desire to live this way. Jesus says it is the Holy Spirit who unites us and I believe it is the Holy Spirit that helps us to be able to see God, to see Jesus, in other people in our midst. I know that we hope to see God in heaven some day, but remember – Jesus’ teaches are pure and true. If you have a difficult time seeing God in people you meet, perhaps you could welcome the Holy Spirit into your life. Then ask the Spirit to open the eyes of your heart and mind to be able to see and experience his presence on earth today.

Let us pray:

Lord, we confess that we are not always merciful towards ourselves and other people. Please forgive us and help us to become more and to be willing to receive more mercy in our generation. Help people to believe that there is nothing we can do to receive your mercy other than to ask for it. Then Lord God, please give us your Holy Spirit. Lord we need you and welcome your Spirit. Thank you for coming into us and for welcoming us into your family (your kingdom of heaven). Help us to recognize one another and to share the knowledge of your love and presence in this world with those who do not yet know you. Let our love be genuine, help us to love as you do, so our lives will help people to come to believe in you and welcome your Holy Spirit into their lives. Thank you for your love, your mercy, your Spirit. AMEN