How do you picture God? Last Sunday, we explored some of the most common misconceptions Americans have about Him—the Distant God, the Critical God, the Authoritarian God, and the Benevolent God. Which of these perspectives do you most resonate with, and why

As we continue our Lenten journey this week, we turn to Exodus 34:5-7, where God reveals five key attributes about Himself—beginning with compassion. In Hebrew tradition, order matters, and the first characteristic God chooses to define Himself with is compassion.

But what is compassion, really? It’s more than kindness or simply being nice. It’s more than offering prayers for someone in need. At its core, compassion is an emotional connection to those who are hurting, combined with a deep commitment to respond. Read that again. What has the power to mend relationships? Compassion. What brings hope and healing? Compassion. If we can cultivate this virtue, it will transform us—making us better friends, neighbors, parents, coworkers, by enabling us to live more faithfully to Jesus. 

And yet, compassion feels scarce in today’s world. Why is that? What prevents us from living with open hearts and hands?

Take a moment to reflect: How have you personally experienced God’s compassion in your life recently? And how have you extended that same compassion—to yourself and to others?

As we prepare to worship together this Sunday, let’s ask God to grow this virtue in us, so that we might reflect His heart more fully in a world that desperately needs it.