Dear Circle of Hope,

So often in our world today we are divided and people are seen as other. We think of people as us and them, either in or out. We see this being played out not only in current conflicts around the world but even here in our own country and community. At the heart of this type of thinking comes division and difference and the result is suffering, mistreatment, alienation and people being ostracised from community. In doing this we ignore the important foundational idea that we, every person on this planet, is made in the image of God, created and loved by God. They are us and we are them.

And so out of our faith conviction we respond with compassion when we see other humans in need. We engage in passionate justice. We enact far-reaching generosity. We give resources to help others because we realise that we are bound up together. We make the world a better place when we work together to bring healing, restoration and transformation to people in this world. People, like you and I.

Our faith calls us to have a greater vision of humanity. To realise that we live in a global neighbourhood. That we are created by God in order to flourish and we as human beings flourish in community. We can make a difference in this world and in so doing we can find joy. One of the fundamental secrets of joy in life is moving beyond our own self-focus. Neuroscientist Richard Davidson, who is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain, has discovered that there is a circuit in our brains devoted entirely to generosity. That’s why we feel good when we help others, when we are helped by others and even when we witness someone being helped. This circuit responds to generosity and so we can harness this innate God-given response of engaging in generosity and in so doing we can find joy. The late archbishop Desmond Tutu said that: “ultimately our greatest joy is when we seek to do good for others.” We are wired to be compassionate.

So maybe it shouldn’t surprise us when we consider the teachings of the great teacher Jesus Christ and discover that he says the greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbour as ourselves. This is our mission as a community of faith. Our great calling. Loving God and loving our neighbour. And so as we engage in compassionate acts of generosity, we engage in loving our neighbours. For they are us and we are them.

In the world we live in today we need to be reminded of our shared humanity. We are all human brothers and sisters. We are all part of the same world and we all need to be reminded of our value, dignity and that we are loved by God. As a result we are led to action to seek justice and that all may be free of suffering.

May we seek to explore love, kindness, compassion and generosity in our lives, remembering that as we look at other people in our community, in our country and around the globe…they are us and we are them.

Thank you for being part of our Circle of Hope.

Grace and peace, 

Phil