Come Then, Lord Jesus

The whole creation groans, and wait to hear that voice,

That shall restore her comeliness, and make her wastes rejoice.

Come, Lord, and wipe away the curse, the sin, the stain;

And make this blighted world of ours, your own fair world again.

Come then, Lord Jesus, come; Come then, Lord Jesus;

Come then, Lord Jesus, come, Come, come.

From the hymn Come Then, Lord Jesus | Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

This hymn is one that gives words to my feelings of the past few days. I think we can agree that killing another innocent human is a very wrong act, regardless of whether or not this person is living in a manner that we believe to be correct. What I find shocking is the idea that this is not a thought widely held  – even in the Church.

I am not saying that we should disregard we believe to be true. I am not saying that God has not given us a rule and standard to live by. In other words, don’t hear what I’m not saying (quoting one of my former pastors.) Instead, hear what I am saying: We as Christians should be compassionate. This should not be a thoughts-only compassion, but a real, live, tangible, noticeable way of life that sets us apart from the world.

Instead, I feel too often that the Christian community seems to be the exact opposite of compassionate. We don’t support government programs that help so many children and families achieve good health, because we believe they are entitlement programs. We don’t embrace immigrants because of their religious background or their immigration status. We even lack compassion towards one another when someone has different opinions about how to educate their children,  whether a woman chooses to work or stay home with her children (or do both), or even in things as petty as whether someone chooses to consume organically-produced or conventional food items. Even prior to the events of this past Sunday, I have become fatigued with lack of love and compassion found in our world, found in both Christians and non-Christians alike.

I am tired. Tired of the head-in-the-sand, hardened, apathetic attitudes that seem to be distinguishing characteristics of our culture. And, even if complete apathy has been avoided, what are we actually doing to make this world better? How are we actively bringing about God’s kingdom? How are we engaging with our friends and neighbors to show God’s love? How are we caring for our planet, so as to be good stewards of what we’ve been given?

In spite of my often frustrated feelings, there is hope (or rather, a Hope), and this is something that I need to remember daily. I am someone who is empathetic to the point of being almost daily exhausted by what I find in this world. The brokenness of this world is hard to handle. You may not think a dietitian – particularly one working in a retail setting – would see this in their daily work, but I absolutely do. I’ve seen firsthand how Iowa’s Medicaid privatization is crippling the ability of families to care for their children experiencing mental health concerns. I teach nutrition classes for juvenile delinquents who have little knowledge of how to prepare healthy meals or feed themselves well. I overhear conversations at the pharmacy with older adults who aren’t able to access their diabetes management supplies – all because of insurance issues and unnecessary red tape.

While I know that there are many factors involved in these issues and that there are valid points on both sides of the political fence as to how to address them, I still cannot help but feel that some compassion would help. I know the day of real and true compassion will not come until Jesus comes back, but I also think his Church can step it up a little in the meantime.

And so, in the midst of trying to live a life of compassion, I echo the refrain: Come then, Lord Jesus, come.