We Could All Use a Little Mercy Now

          Mary Gauthier is a recovering alcoholic and a writer of songs.  Her voice has the gravelly earthiness you might expect from someone who has abused herself because of her life choices.  From her experiences, and in recovery, she has much wisdom to share.  Since she has been on the down and out, seamy side of life, she has great empathy for those who are still there.  She does not judge, and through her songs invites us to look at the beaten down with eyes of grace.

          One of my favorite songs she sings is “Mercy Now.”  She sings about her father and the unfairness he has experienced.  She sings about her brother and his demons.  In every verse she ponders the struggles of people, and society in general, as we try to make a way through this world.  And she concludes that “we all could use some mercy now.”

          I stumbled across a local TV broadcast of a nearby preaching service yesterday.  I stayed tuned just long enough to hear the preacher rant and rave against everything and everybody he didn’t agree with and consign them all to hell before I changed the channel.  It took him less than 2 minutes to condemn the world around him. 

I felt the need to apologize to all the non-Christians in the world for this particular preacher’s un-Christ-like demeanor.  I don’t doubt that there is judgment coming.  In some form or fashion, I believe God will set right what is wrong, and perhaps there is some pain and even punishment to come.  But what disturbed me most about this particular preacher was that he didn’t seem the least bit heartbroken about that possibility.  Perhaps he has forgotten what the scripture says, that God takes “no delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11).”

As I understand Jesus and his crucifixion, his death is to be understood as a mercy for sinners.  “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).”  And as Jesus says further, “Be ye merciful, as your Father in heaven is merciful (Luke 6:36).”  So, if God is merciful, understands our need for mercy, and is willing to offer it in such a costly way, it seems as if God’s messengers (and preachers) should also bathe their words in the waters of mercy as well.

As Mother Teresa has reportedly said, “Be kind, most people are having a hard time.”

We all could use a little mercy now.

                                                                             God’s Peace,

                                                                                   Mark