The Hebrew word for mercy is most easily translated as “loving kindness.” This loving kindness comes first from God’s essence and God’s grace. As we experience God’s mercy in our lives, our response develops into a desire to do good for others, in body and in spirit. As some have noted, doing good for others is the certain proof of a Christian spirit.

While it is easy to focus on being "good", a better starting point may be to consider a challenging question: “Am I doing harm to others in how I live?” This question moves beyond looking for ways to act and invites us to think about how our lives affect those around us. Considering our lives in relationship to others is the first step to fulfilling the directive to do justice.

Sometimes it's tempting to think of a relationship with God in terms of rules and requirements: what minimum sacrifices are necessary in order to be in good standing? Meeting requirements doesn’t lead to a relationship with God, and God's grace does not come with a cost. Yet, Christian faith, fully lived out, includes an outpouring of justice, mercy, and love of God.

Like Andrew, we want to be servants whose spirit of generosity and invitation will change the world.

Like when Andrew brought some Greeks from Phillippi to Jesus, we at St. Andrew are focused not just on our own community but on bringing people to Jesus from the broader culture, in North Texas and beyond. When we invite and connect, the hearts that change are both other people's and our own.

Like when Andrew brought the boy with the lunch to Jesus, we at St. Andrew look for opportunities to share our resources, not matter how great or small, so that our community may experience the abundant life in Christ.

Like when Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, we at St. Andrew see God move through relationships and taking risks to join people in a family of faith for God's kingdom.

What do you get when you climb halfway up a mountain? Nothing except discomfort - cold, wet misery. There are no halfway commitments to reaching the summit. You must decide to go all the way if you go at all. The widow who gave her last coin knew what it meant to keep the main thing the main thing.

We long for the rare moments of clarity and joy, when life seems perfect and we’re without worry. These moments are mountaintop glimpses of God’s presence. But like the disciples in the story of the Transfiguration, Jesus calls us back down the mountain to the hurting, lost and lonely in the valley.

The space in-between glorious vision and final fulfillment can be long and lonely. God appeared to Abraham, but then years passed while he lived as an immigrant, waiting for the promise to come to pass. It’s no coincidence that the name of the valley in between the mountains of Judah was the In Between. It’s for the in-betweens of life that God gives us community.