← The Wake-Up Call
The Wake-Up Call
Jesus Showed Compassion; We Can Too
00:21:09
In this episode, Dan Wilt reflects on the significance of Fridays as a time for rest and community engagement. He emphasizes the importance of being attentive to the spiritual movements around us, whether in our neighborhoods or personal interactions. The episode delves into the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, highlighting themes of compassion and forgiveness. Dan discusses how Jesus' actions in this story serve as a profound lesson in embodying compassion, encouraging listeners to enter into others' suffering and offer forgiveness, just as Jesus did. Dan also introduces the concept of discipleship bands, small groups that foster deep, confessional community relationships. He shares personal experiences and encourages listeners to seek out or form such groups to experience the power of compassion and support. The episode concludes with a call to action, urging listeners to look for opportunities to show compassion in their daily lives, whether through simple acts o...
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Transcript5 lines
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Good morning Sower nation. Today is Friday, June 12th, in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm Dan Wilt and this is your wake up call. It's Friday. I don't know about you, but I tend to like Fridays because they're a bit of a deep breath before the weekend. Often on Saturdays there's grocery shopping and there are errands to be done. And I see people in our community around here, some who are following Jesus, others who are not at present people at different places in their faith or non faith journey. And I go into weekends with the deep breath knowing I'll get some rest in it and also with eyes wide open that the Father might be doing some things in people's lives around me with whether it's my neighbors or in the garage or wherever I am. And I want to be attentive to what his spirit is wanting to do in partnership with me. And that's true for you as well. So we have a good day and a good weekend ahead of us. Wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Let's pray our prayer of consecration as we begin this today's meeting with Jesus. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, today's entry is titled Jesus showed Compassion and we can too. And our text is from John 8, 9, 11. Hear the word of the Lord. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left. With the woman still standing there, Jesus straightened up and asked her, woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? No one. No one, sir, she said, then neither do I condemn you. Jesus declared, go now and leave your life of sin. The word of the Lord. Consider this the discipleship Bandmates were having a hard and honest conversation over coffee as one of them confessed a sin in his life and the shame that came with it. The other leaned over and said, in the name of Jesus, you are forgiven. I'll talk about bands in a moment. But I love this opening story today because this is a true story that in some form is repeated over and over and over again across thousands and thousands of bands. If you're like me, the story about Jesus and the woman caught in adultery is one of your favorite stories in the New Testament. Who would make this up. What an amazing moment this must have been for everyone watching. It has all the drama we would hope for in a Jesus story and a powerful ending that has the crowd cheering for the woman and for Jesus. The word compassion literally means with passion or to suffer with someone. It's from the Latin passio, meaning to suffer. Jesus, in this powerful scene, is willing to be identified with the woman who has sinned. As we study all the things that Jesus did and taught, we see in this passage a profound lesson in embodied compassion. Jesus is teaching his disciples and the crowd a kingdom lesson through what is called enactment. He is the message of the Kingdom of God. The Luke 4 pronouncement of good news in this moment. Let's sit with the story again for a minute. A woman is being accused of adultery after being caught in the act. She's dragged before Jesus and the crowd. He is teaching there is no way out for her. She did it. They caught her. They caught him too. Meaning the guy. It only stands to reason, but he is surprisingly absent. Jesus kneels down physically near her. I imagine, and my imagination goes here between her and the stones the people are about to throw as the accused woman trembles at her impending death by stoning. After he writes in the sand and tells the crowd that the one who has never sinned should cast the first stone, the older ones begin to leave. Then the rest of the accusers leave. The woman and Jesus are left alone in the middle. Standing there, perhaps with the listening crowd still around them in solidarity with the woman caught in adultery, Jesus declares that she is not condemned by anyone, neither her accusers nor him. Jesus is on her side. He has entered squarely into her suffering and released her from fear and judgment. Well, followers of Jesus are called to embody compassion. We recognize that we are broken and that everyone deserves a second, a third, a fourth chance. So we enter another's pain. We show compassion as we would like, compassion shown to us and reveal the nature of the kingdom of God as we do. Compassion is a power filled demonstration that the kingdom of God is here. Yeah, so good. Let me just add a note here referencing bands as I did in the opening story. If you're in a band, you know the power of the compassion of someone looking you in the eye, leaning in and saying, you're forgiven. You know the power of that confessional community moment where someone represents Jesus to you in that moment and calls you forward in your life and journey of faith, just like he did with the woman at the well. And if you're in different kinds of relationships, where that dynamic is in play. That's fantastic. If you're not yet, I'd encourage you with all my heart to go to discipleshipbands.com discipleshipbands.com and watch some of the videos, read through what's there. Because in my estimation, not only has my own band and banded relationship saved my life along. Along the journey, truly in so many ways with me through thick and through thin and through great joy and tremendous sorrow and suffering, but I have watched that same dynamic happen with our other thousands of bands in our extended relationship network. So I'd encourage you to go there and to see if there might be a band for you to begin in your place and your time. And if you're already in a band, you understand all of this. But I would just say it is one way, among the many ways that we can be the compassion of Jesus. I think out in my neighborhood right now, which you can't see through the window, but there are many people who are carrying just quiet suffering. They will put on a good face, a smile when I talk to them on the street or at the grocery store or, you know, I mentioned grocery stores or at the restaurant or at the coffee shop or wherever I am. But deep down, there's a longing for someone to see them and to say, I see you in your pain, and I enter into it with you. Come passion. I enter into your suffering with you. And sometimes people just need a few kind words where we're not talking about ourselves, but we're just asking them questions. Hey, how are you today? And someone says, hey, I'm fine, thanks. You say, that's great to hear. Any challenges you're facing these days? Because I'm going through a few. I'm just curious what's got you kind of working hard these days? And then sometimes another question or two, and that might have been an imperfect question, but another question or two in instead of just going back to, well, here's how I am and here's how I'm doing, which is the selfie world we live in. We ask a question and then another question. And I always say that empathy begins with the second question. We ask one question, then we go another layer deeper. And I'm always amazed that two questions in three, someone begins to open up. And I can see there are pain points, there are areas where they just really need someone to say, I see you in this, and in some way to say, I get it, and I enter into it with you in this moment. And that might Lead to, may I pray for you? But it might not. Sometimes it's just being the compassion of Jesus in that moment. And as I've said over time, this everyday ministry and the power of the Spirit is cumulative. It's not just that everything needs to happen today and every day there needs to be fireworks and for some gift mixes and people in the world, that's their thing. Every day is all of this for us. We just want to begin to lean in and begin to expect that God has something to do through us in someone's life as we see the Father working in them. Sometimes it takes a few questions to begin to see what the Father is doing and for someone to even become tender. And then in that moment, the Father is doing something and we lean in and God's presence, our obedience, what the Father's doing meet. There is this beautiful convergence. And that's when discernment happens and understanding. We know what to say next. We begin to pray and we have a testimony, a story, and so do they. Compassion. So let's pray our prayer together and we'll move into our prompts and activation. Lord Jesus, compassion is something I see in your life in ministry. And I want it to be said of me that I'm a compassionate follow follower of your way. Give me opportunities today to show compassion and in doing so, to reveal your kingdom. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. Amen. Here are your journal prompts for today. When in your life has someone shown you compassion? They entered into your suffering with you. They leaned in. Maybe they stayed in it with you for a long, long season. Maybe. How did you feel when they stepped into your pain with you? And how did it reveal the kingdom more profoundly to you? There are prompts in today's activation. Today and this weekend, look for someone who needs compassion. They may be in front of you. They may be in the downtown area of your community. They might be on the other end of a text, or they may even be someone you don't know but have been following their story on the Internet. That's interesting. I have sometimes sent messages to people I don't know because I've been following their story and I just offer a word of compassion and encouragement sometimes because I like to write prayers. I'll write a prayer and that has always been deeply well received. So more options. Look for an opportunity to step out in an act of compassion toward them. Okay, well, we are ready to sing together. And our hymn for today is hymn number 32 in our great Redeemer's Praise. I am using large print because that is wise for me. So let's sing together. Let's turn our hearts toward Jesus and look full in his wonderful face. And I'm quoting another hymn as I'm singing a different one. So here we are. But let's sing How Great Thou Art together. And I want to encourage. I know JD and his dad aren't here singing those hymns the way we love them, but here's what we get to do together. I'd like to encourage you as I sing. Maybe harmonize with me. Or sing it full voice with me. Join me with everything you've got, wherever you are. Whether you're in your car at a red light, I love. People will look over at you and go, wow. They're really like, that's fantastic. They should see someone singing to Jesus with joy. But join me and enjoy these moments of worship we share together. So it's hymn number 32 in our great Redeemer's Praise. And this happened to be one of my grandfather's favorite hymns, so it warms my heart to worship with you with it today.
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O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars I hear the rolling thunder Thy power throughout the universe display Then sings my soul My savior God, to thee how great Thou art how great Thou art Then sings my soul My savior God to thee how great thou art how great Thou art when through the work and forest glades I wander and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze Then sings my soul My savior God, to thee how great Thou art how great Thou are Then sings my soul My savior God to thee how great Thou art how great Thou art and when I think that God his son not sparing sent him to die I scarce can take it
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in
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that on the cross my burden gladly bearing he bled and died to take away my sin Then sings my soul My savior God, to thee how great Thou art how great Thou are Then sings my soul My savior God, to thee how great Thou are how great Thou art When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home what joy shall fill my heart? Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim My God, how great Thou art Then sings my soul My savior God to thee how great Thou art how great Thou art Then sings my soul My savior God, to thee how great Thou art how great Thou art.
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Doesn't get much better than that. Friends, we are living in the story of the greatest love that could ever be imagined by any human being. And it is the love of the God who is love, who expressed that love to us in Jesus, to you and to me, and now that same spirit, the Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, that same great love is moving through you and through me into the world today with great, tremendous compassion. So bless you. Let's get our seeds together, and I will see you on the field, and I'll see you tomorrow. All right? For the awakening. I'm Dan.