Lord, Have Mercy!

"There's a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea;

There's a kindness in His justice, which is more than liberty.

There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good;

There is mercy with the Saviour -- there is healing in His blood." So wrote Frederick Faber.

Lord, have mercy! Have mercy on me, a sinner! Blessed are those who show mercy to others! Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!

What's it mean? MERCY is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace!

A crowd has gathered on the hill of Calvary outside Jerusalem. They're there to witness a crucifixion. At the edge of the crowd stands a group of women; one of the women is Mary. Her son, Jesus, is one of the men being put to death. What were her thoughts? What were her feelings at this moment?

Mary remembered how blessed she was when the angel announced to her that she would have a baby. Mary recalled the joy she felt when the babe first moved in her womb. Mary remembered the hardship of going to Bethlehem and the pain of childbirth. Mary recalled the feeling of motherly love when she first held the baby Jesus in her arms. Mary remembered the wonder of seeing her boy grow up, start to school, working with Joseph in the carpenter's shop, and join the synagogue as a man.

Mary also remembered the many heartaches! Her son had been severely criticized; He had been rejected. He had been deeply hurt. And Mary had felt all his pain. Now, seeing her son on the cross, Mary could hardly bear to watch. They had humiliated him; they had shamed him by hanging him naked before the crowd; they had driven nails through his hands and feet -- pierced his side with a sword. Her son was dying a most agonizing death. Lord, have mercy! Have compassion!

MERCY! The Old Testament word for "mercy" is the same word used to describe the "relationship between a mother and the child in her womb." Mercy is the feeling that a mother has for her child. Mercy is that compassionate bond that exists between mother and child. Mercy is that love that a mother has for her child, a love that nothing can break; a mother will love and care for her child no matter what that child does! Mercy!

MERCY is that inward feeling that a mother and father have for their child; an inward feeling that is expressed in outward and visible ways!

God is merciful! Our heavenly Father gives us life, breathes into each of us His own Divine Spirit. God deeply loves us, for we are His children. God blesses us, even when we don't deserve it. God cares for us, even when we care nothing for Him.

God welcomes us home, even after we have rejected Him and rebelled against Him. Jesus Christ, like his Father, showed mercy to those around him. Jesus treated people like sisters and brothers. He had compassion for the outcasts, the down-and-out. Jesus forgave Judas for betraying him; forgave Pilate for wrongly sentencing him to death; forgave those who beat him; forgave those who nailed him to the cross.

Blessed are all those who, like Christ, show mercy to the people they meet every day, who regard every person as a brother or sister for we all have the same heavenly Father, who have a caring spirit for those on the fringes of our society, who show compassion by giving a hand-up rather than a hand-out, who hear the cry of the needy and try to meet their needs.

Blessed are we when we treat others in the same loving, caring, merciful way that God has treated us! Blessed are we when we show mercy to others in the same way that Christ has shown mercy to us!

Lord, have mercy on us sinners! May we have mercy on others!

Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist minister who lives in Jackson. Opinions expressed are those of the author.