Have you heard of Job’s comforters? When Job was in a time of great distress, his friends came to comfort him. You may recall from the story that they were not much help, and so the phrase has become a proverb to this day. Yet even so they sat with him in silence for 3 days before offering bad commentary and advice. Perhaps this alone provided comfort. Have you ever felt the comfort of a friend who showed up to be present with you, even in silence, during a difficult time in your life? Did it make a difference? Have you ever done this for someone else?

Do you understand that the process of dehumanizing opens the door for atrocities and complete disregard for human life? If you can characterize your enemies as so different from yourself that they do not qualify as human you can do whatever you want to them. Millions have died as a result. What is the opposite of this? The obvious response is humanizing, and this is correct. What can you do to make your enemies more human? You can recognize that you share solidarity with everyone created in my image. You can reach out and make contact to get to know them personally.

Do you know the difference between wounds and injuries? Both involve damage to the body, and in many cases these terms are used interchangeably, but there are exceptions. You say that the victim of a vehicle collision is injured rather than wounded, and you say that a solider who is a battle casualty is wounded rather than injured. Injury carries the connotation of the consequence of an accident, and wounds carry the connotation of deliberate infliction. In my case you refer to my wounds rather than my injuries, as in, I was wounded for your transgressions.

Are you familiar with the concept of presence by discussions with your fellow believers about the quality of my presence in a meeting? Behold, I am with you always. Do you know that you and everyone else also has a sense of presence? Have you ever been surprised by someone offering full personal presence? Do you find it more common to encounter distracted or clouded presence? These are quite common in a self-absorbed, individualistic culture, and so encountering someone who is fully present to you can come as a shock. What quality of presence do you offer others?