A certain young couple began attending services at a large suburban church.

The minister was a gifted speaker. He preached many powerful sermons. One Sunday the couple responded to his invitation to get right with God and join the church. The minister asked, “Which of my sermons convinced you to act?”

The two were silent for a moment.

Then they said, “Actually, none of your sermons, Reverend. It was the kindness shown to us by an elderly lady in the parking lot. Week after week she greeted us there and welcomed us into the service. The love of Jesus in that lady is what drew us in.”

St. Francis of Assisi once reportedly said, “Preach the gospel always. If necessary, use words.”

The quiet, compelling compassion of Jesus is a recurring theme in the New Testament. One day at the gates of Jericho, two blind men called out for Christ. The Bible says that the Lord was “moved with compassion” and touched their eyes.

On another occasion, Jesus saw the multitudes and “felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast.”

Compassion is a characteristic of deity. “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” The Bible declares that “the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

Personally experiencing the compassion of God in life typically moves one to want to show God’s compassion to others. Compassion of this sort goes beyond mere human kindness or humanitarianism. It is uniquely divine in its power and scope.

Certainly there is a wide range of need in our world today. Some folks need money. Some need love. Some need attention. Some live in our own neighborhoods. Others live in faraway lands.

Ten years ago, our family began to reach out in Jesus’ name with $24 a month to a little girl whom we had never met, living in Surakarta, Indonesia.

At that time, Sintia was just 7 years old. Today she is 17, doing well in school and considering a career in medicine. The well-established and reputable agency that’s served us, Compassion International, may be reached at (800) 336-7676 or visited at www.ci.org.

The compassion of Christ should be extended through us even to those with whom we may have differences, e.g. political, ideological or personal. First century Samaritans and Jews were neighbors, but not always very neighborly. When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan who stopped to help a robbery victim from Jerusalem, everyone present got the message, loud and clear.

Compassion is defined as the “deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it.” But can anyone be motivated to want to help an egregious wrongdoer?

In the 1989 Civil War film “Glory,” Col. Robert Gould Shaw orders that a man in his regiment be whipped for desertion, only to discover that the poor fellow was actually just out searching for decent footwear. The camera pans to the man’s rotted, bloody, oozing feet – and then to the face of Col. Shaw.

Suddenly compassion is there, in combination with retribution. The balance seems healthy and reassuring.

Still, it is often only by the power of God that one can effectively forgive an enemy, pray for those who are hurtful, and return good for evil. When we appreciate how God has forgiven us, we are freed to forgive others. We are empowered to reflect the same compassion of God that we see illustrated in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

As culture wars heat up, ethnic factions intensify and international conflicts grow, the challenge becomes greater than ever to look beyond the faults of others, to be gracious as God is gracious, and to communicate the compassion of Christ to all human beings everywhere.

A slightly edited version of an old Hasidic tale tells about a rabbi who one day asked his students, “How can we determine the hour of dawn – when the night ends and the day begins?” One student suggests, “When, from a distance, you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep?” “No,” the rabbi answers. “Is it when you can distinguish between a fig tree and a grapevine?” asks a second student. “No,” says the rabbi. “Please tell us the answer, then,” say the students. “It is,” says the wise teacher, “when you have enough light to view all beings with compassion, recognizing them as your human brothers and sisters. Until then the darkness is still with us.”

The Rev. Daryl E. Witmer is pastor of the Monson Community Church and founder and director of AIIA Institute, a Christian apologetics organization. The views expressed are his own. He may be reached at AIIAInstitute@aol.com. Voices is a weekly commentary by a panel of Maine columnists who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.