For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6
“Let us visit Christ wherever we may be. Let us care for Him, feed Him, clothe Him, welcome Him, honor Him – not only at a meal, as some have done, or by anointing Him, as Mary did, not only by lending him a tomb, like Joseph of Arimathea did, or by arranging for His burial, like Nicodemus, not only by giving Him gold, frankincense and myrrh, like the Magi did before all the others. The Lord of all asks for mercy and sacrifice, and mercy is greater… Let us then show Him mercy in the persons of the poor and those who today are lying on the ground, so that when we come to leave this world, we may be received into an everlasting dwelling place, by Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Gregory of Nazianzus (329-391) in Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches.
How we treat the poor has eternal implications.
A lot of people don’t realize that. How we treat those undeserving of our aid shows whether or not we understand the mercy that has been extended to each of us.
Our retreat has been an indescribable success in Istanbul.
Workers from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Angola, Kenya, and Nepal want to collaborate to multiply stewards and set up peer accountability groups in their countries.
Want to help those in countries needing mercy?
Through this retreat in Turkey, GTP has identified country coordinators. Your gifts here help us translate resources and do program work to shape the future in these place.
Or in plain terms, your sacrifice shows mercy to those who need it.
Don’t close this email, please. Gregory says, “Visit Christ wherever He may be.” Don’t hold on to resources. Put them to work while you have time and opportunity to show mercy.