A wise man once said that when God measures a person, he puts the tape around the heart, not the head.

In Scripture we read about Jesus talking to His Father with a troubled heart at Gethsemane.

It was a heart that yearned for compassion for Jesus knew what was to come and His heart was brought to a state of heaviness, a state of being troubled, a state of being afraid, very afraid.

For just as He is God, so too, he is human. And He was in need of a compassionate heart that very lonely night.

What is a compassionate heart anyway?

It is a heart that exhibits patience, kindness, forgiveness, hope, and all the Fruits of the Spirit.

The troubled heart of Jesus on His trip to the cross is the same heart that takes all our troubles and cures them for eternity.

His troubled heart becomes our clean heart, just as we see in the answered prayer from Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

In need of a compassionate heart. Can you picture someone in your mind?

Just look around our community. I know you can see people here in need of a compassionate heart. The face of a homeless man, the anger of a troubled person with PTSD, a grieving military wife who has just lost her husband to a bullet from an enemy gun, a husband and wife who must face the reality that their child is going to die of cancer.

Do you see them? I see them, everywhere, and it breaks my heart.

And I know that through the efforts of this church and the people of this community, we can start addressing the challenge of reaching out to those who need someone to embrace them with a compassionate heart.

There is a lesson to be learned here and that lesson is no matter how challenged we are in our life, Jesus is there for us with His healing heart.

In need of a compassionate heart? Look to the cross. In need of a compassionate heart, look to the empty tomb. In need of a compassionate heart, look to the resurrection. In need of a compassionate heart? Look to Jesus.

It all points to the hope we receive from the love of the one who gave His all so we would be called the children of God.

Can you picture the face … see the need?

Join us at First Lutheran Church this Sunday as we continue in learning more about, “In need of a compassionate heart.”

Bible study is every Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m., worship at 11 a.m. and a hot lunch after worship.

This Sunday is Food Cupboard Sunday at 1 p.m. If you are in need of food, clothing, diapers or personal hygiene products, please join us.

Everyone is welcome, so please come as you are and spend a few hours with us.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572.