If the Guinness Book of Records had been in existence back then, this event probably would have been in it.  “The World’s Largest Picnic with the smallest amount of food prepared.”  Add it up – 5,000 men (yes discrimination goes back a long way – women and children didn’t count.  But if there were 5,000 men, imagine what the total was.  Especially if the ratio is like that of most churches today!   It was huge! Perhaps 15-20,000.  And it comes right at the time when one was trying to get away by himself after hearing disturbing news. 

Our reading says now when Jesus heard this….  The, this, refers to the news that his cousin had been murdered.  Herod had just thrown a big party and while being impressed with a young dancer, he promised to give her anything she wanted.  (Be careful what promises you make!)  She wanted John the Baptist dead!  Herod obliged.

Jesus hears the news and wants to go off in a boat for some “alone time.”  But crowds followed him, and when Jesus came ashore, he saw a great crowd…he had compassion on them.  Isn’t it ironic that the one who needed compassion is the one who gave it?  The crowd may or may not have heard the news that Jesus heard, but they certainly did not reach out to him with compassion.  They came with all their needs and sought out Jesus.  What a lesson for us.  And I am aware that some of you who are hurting have taken this  to  heart,  and  you,  too,  have  given compassion when you need to be receiving it.  Thank you for letting Jesus live through you!

If there is one clear image of Jesus that seems to come through over and over again, it is that he is a person of deep compassion.  It is so deep seated in him that even when he himself is hurting, he is moved by the needs of others.

He saw a great crowd…and he had compassion on them.  Do we see with the eyes of Jesus?  Do we look at our city, with its hurting and needy and have compassion?  I know I get used to driving through this neighborhood and through Over-the Rhine, and I rarely see the need anymore.  Does familiarity blunt our compassion?

Individual members of this church demonstrate compassion in so many different ways.  I am continually discovering the  various  ways  in  which  it takes shape.  I salute you for your individual expressions of living out your faith.

HOWEVER, let me get to meddling a little here.  Collectively, it is a very different story.  As a unit, there is not a strong demonstration of compassion.  There IS the support of the food bank at St. George; there is a little support of some work in Brazil.  There is the support of the mission effort on the Presbytery,  Synod and National level.  But when it comes down to it, it’s a very, very small part of your budget.  It’s probably less than 5%.  Most of our money is spent on ourselves.  Compassion does not rise very high when it comes to budget time.  I warned you I was going to meddle!  Let me take it a step further.

How much time, in terms of hours per month, is given by this congregation in a united effort to respond to the crowds (the city) with compassion?  There certainly have been times when we have risen to the occasion.  I can think of the political action that many of us joined to defeat discrimination of Gays and Lesbians in Cincinnati.  We can celebrate Hal Porter’s leadership and our role in that effort.  There is our hospitality outreach.  I know we are not opposed to giving time where it counts.

The Church and Society Committee (no I’m not picking on them this time!) has examined and sent to Session a recommendation for Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church to join Project Amos.  Session approved, and now a core of people is beginning to get acquainted with Project Amos to determine our particular involvement. 

So what is Project Amos?  You may recall a few months ago your Weekday had several pages describing it.  But let me refresh you.  It is a coalition of faith-based congregations… with a strong concern for the involvement and issues of low and moderate-income people.  It affords the opportunity to demonstrate compassion by changing structures that continue poverty as well as seeking change that will enable others to achieve justice, dignity and human worth. 

It differs radically from giving mercy.  That, too, is needed, but it is not the focus of this coalition.  Compassion can take two forms: one, meeting the immediate needs (or to put it another way – doing good) such as hunger or housing (as we do with Hospitality Network).  The  second  form of compassion is recognizing the conditions that cause the problem and work to change those conditions.  An example might be helpful.

We at Mt. Auburn have had and still have a problem with leaks when it rains.  There aren’t as many as there were, but we still have them.  The reason there aren’t as many is that those who had to mop up all the time, said we can either get bigger buckets and mops, or we can figure out where the leaks are coming from and stop it all together. And that is working.

The mainline churches in general, and Mt. Auburn in specific has done a better job doing good – i.e. working the mops and buckets - than in focusing on stopping the leaks. Let me be very clear.  I fully support our efforts of doing good.  We can not let that go!  But we are less involved in justice seeking.  We will do a good job of providing food for the hungry (and we even surpassed our goal last spring!)  But do we champion the need to battle poverty?  Do we fight for wages for all so that we enable others to escape poverty?  Yes, we may have to pay a little more for our products and services if we succeed.  But we have a moral responsibility to pay a living wage or fight for others who work hard and yet are kept in poverty!  How many of us would be willing to live on $20,000 a year?  I suspect not many of us could.  But there are many in Cincinnati who have to.  When I was in Cleveland, we gave the members of Presbytery at one of its meetings the task of setting up a budget based on a minimum wage.  That would mean living on $1,040 a month.  Calculate rent or mortgage, food, utilities, clothing and transportation.  Oh, and one thing I learn living in an apartment is including $1 dollar for every load of wash and another for each load in the dryer.  If you have two or three children, can you imagine how many loads you might have?  I suspect that not many, if any, of us could manage on a budget of $1,040 a month.  Yet we don’t plead for the widows and orphans who are trying to survive on meager incomes. 

When we work at the food bank or bring our cans and boxes of food like we will do next week – do we stop to reflect that most of those who receive this food would rather have the ability to go and purchase what they need rather than come and receive only that which others thing they need?  We are members of the richest nation on earth, how can we share that wealth in more equitable ways?  Project Amos is attempting to address question like this.

Jesus looked at the crowd and had compassion – and responded.  He not only offered them healing for their bodies but also food to strengthen those bodies.  His was a holistic concern. He was not first of all concerned about himself, his need, but he even when he was in mourning could keep his eye – and his heart,- open to others.

While this event didn’t get recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, it’s probably a good thing because it may have gotten remembered for the wrong reason.  It wasn’t the size of the crowd, but the size of the heart of Jesus that makes this an outstanding event.  May we have a heart that responds to the crowd before us.