Proclaimer Blog
A call to empathy
Here's an email from a dear brother in Nigeria who's had to cancel his EMA trip because of the situation at home. I've anonymised the letter, but you'll get the main thrust.
My Dear Brothers, Its a pity that I am not able to make it to the EMA this year as planned. This is because of the following reasons: 1. Last Sunday, two Churches were bombed in Zaria. and one Church was bombed in Kaduna all in the same state. As a result so many lives were lost and violence broke out with more people killed. 2. The government therefore imposed a 24hrs curfew immediately. They tried to relax it on Tuesday and more killings happened so they re-imposed the 24hrs curfew. They relaxed it on Friday just for Muslims to go to the mosque. And they relaxed the curfew today Sunday just for the Christians to go to the Church. We worshiped today under armed mobile police guard. WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS BECAUSE WE ARE AT RISK DAILY.
"Continue to remember…those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" says the writer to the Hebrews (Heb 13.3). Just think about what he's saying there. "Continue to remember…." OK, I can do that. But "as if you yourselves were suffering?" The Scriptures call me to empathy, not just sympathy. They call me to put myself in my brothers shoes and to let that shape my memory and praying. This is a hard calling, and I'm not sure one we take all that seriously. It's rare enough to find Christians concerned for those around the world who are suffering, let alone putting themselves in their shoes.
How does one go about this? I'm not sure I know. I sat down with this email this week (the original is a bit longer) and read and re-read it. I tried to let it sink in (there's family news too about how the troubles have temporarily split this family apart). I tried to imagine my own family spit apart by a curfew. I tried to imagine my own church members laid out on a slab following a bomb attack. I tried to imagine preaching to a frightened, angry congregation. What would they have made of last Sunday's sermon. As I did this, I felt tears well up.
I think that may be as near as I can get to the Hebrews injunction for now. It is a good discipline though. One that moved me and got me thinking about the church Jesus loved more broadly. It made me thankful for the freedom I do enjoy. It helped me "continue to remember…."