Happy Sabbath, church family!
Imagine you're on your way to the shops. You've got a few things to do, perhaps you're running a little late, and you're thinking about what needs to get done that day. As you walk through the car park, you notice an elderly man sitting by himself. His shoes are worn out, and he looks like he could use a little help. Would you stop? Would you know what to say? Or would you carry on, hoping someone else might come along?
Recently, I came across a story in the news about an 18-year-old named Jordan Hope who found himself in a situation just like this. He was heading to the bank when he noticed an elderly man outside a pharmacy in Arizona. The man's shoes were in poor condition, so Jordan did something rather unexpected. He took off his own shoes and gave them to the man, and what started as a simple act of kindness turned into something much more meaningful. “I just felt like God told me to go over there, turn around and just give him some new slides. So, I took off my own shoes. I gave them to him, and I just felt like I brought maybe a peace in his life”, he reported in an interview.
Jordan felt compelled to turn around and drive back to check on the man and discovered in conversation that he had recently lost his wife. Suddenly, this wasn't just a story about someone who needed a new pair of shoes, but about a man who had lost someone he loved and was facing life without her. Jordan bought him a treat, helped arrange lunch, and spent time talking with the man.
He didn't just give him something he physically needed, he gave him something we all need from time to time, someone who was willing to stop and care. I wonder how many people had walked past that man before Jordan came along. How many had noticed him but continued with their day? And how many of us have done the same thing ourselves?
It reminds me of the story about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. A man lay injured beside the road. Others passed by, but one traveller stopped, approached him, and cared for him. Jesus concluded the story with a simple instruction: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).
How often do we imagine that making a difference requires something extraordinary? We might think we need more time, more money, more confidence, or a special opportunity to serve God. Yet oftentimes, the opportunity is right in front of us.
It might be the person sitting alone at church whom we could invite to join us. The friend who keeps saying they're fine, but perhaps needs someone to ask again. The family carrying a burden we know nothing about. Or the stranger who needs a little patience when we are already having a difficult day ourselves.
We rarely know the full story behind another person's circumstances. We may never discover what someone is carrying, what they have lost, or how much a simple act of kindness might mean to them. But we don't need to know everything to show compassion.
As a church family, we are called not only to speak about the love of Jesus but to make that love visible in the world.
This Sabbath, I invite you to consider one simple question: Who might God be inviting you to notice?
May we be a church that doesn't simply walk past the needs around us, but reflects the love of Jesus in the small, ordinary moments of everyday life.
Blessings and prayer, Malin Andersen Mariner
