If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (1Jo 3:17 NIV)

Remember that first congregation in Jerusalem. Remember how they sold their worldly possessions so that they could donate their financial gain to the apostles and the Church? Do you recall the honour and praise of those Christian congregations, whom the Apostle St. Paul describes? How they gave according to their possibilities and strengths – and some even over and above that – just to support the poor brethren in the Church of Judea, fellows in the faith and sharers of the common Christian hope and truth! Remember how congregations and churches worked hard in good times so that they could take care of the needs of the poor in hard times. Over the many decades and even centuries the Church has indeed been richly blessed with good works of mercy and selfless offerings of compassion and love for those in need and for holy purposes and goals. People choosing to live in poverty and depravation so that they would have to give to others. Others working as good stewards of the many gifts God has entrusted to them, so that they would have to give to those that needed it even more and to do those things in the Church, which served God’s glorification and the spreading of his kingdom throughout this world. People working with the things of this world in a way that was in accord with that of the Lord’s will. They did not close their hearts from those in poverty and need. The love of God dwelt in them richly and motivated them to do as pleased their Lord and master. Just think of those countless works of mercy and love in olden times long gone by and even those done in our time and age too. Compared with the hatred of this world the love of the Church and its mission is so beautiful as it affects positively, meaningfully and significantly not only the companions of the faith, but also those outside the Church.

Almighty God, creator and father of us all! In your unfathomable goodness and wisdom you have ordained that in this world rich and poor, healthy and ill, strong and weak, old and young, wise and foolish would live together in peace and harmony and that each would take care of the other as best as possible and to the benefit of those most in need. You would have mercy reign everywhere and that love and trust unite all of us from the bottom of our hearts. We ask you: Teach us to recognize, what great things you have done to us, when you saved us from the deepest misery and hell so that we did not despair in sin and shame. You saved us by your gracious mercy and care. Therefore let us not look down too harshly on those in need, poverty and at a loss. Let us not despise those in sorrow and care, when we are without care and sorrow. Let us not look down haughtily on those fallen, when we by your grace and mercy are still walking on the straight and narrow paths of your holy will and commandments. Open our eyes for the obvious and hidden calamities in our neighborhood, towns and districts. Open our ears for the cries of those in need and our hands to give and help gladly, our hearts that the love of Jesus would reign in them. Let us not despair if the works of mercy and the necessities of life weigh heavily on us and we feel that our strength is failing, so many stand aloof from the good work and even those in need of help flee elsewhere. Let us follow the example of your son and let us be more and more like him, so that we will not tire, but rather do your work faithfully even unto death. Amen. (Th.Schäfer)    

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Saturday after the second Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 235 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.