In his sermon, Doyt invites us to reflect on what it means to embody God’s grace in a world often twisted by power and privilege. He draws from the prophet Jeremiah, who rebuked his own faith leaders for corrupting God’s teachings to justify their dominance, and connects it to the story of Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish friar who renounced his participation in colonial oppression to advocate for justice and compassion. Through these stories, Doyt reminds us that history repeatedly tells of people distorting faith to serve their self-interest, but also of those who, transformed by empathy, rise as “guardians of grace”—individuals who stand with the marginalized and live out God’s call to care for the vulnerable.
Bringing it closer to home, Doyt points to the parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus reveals the heart of Christian morality: mercy and empathy. He emphasizes that power in God’s kingdom flows not through dominance, but through compassion and love for the weak, the outcast, and the hurting. To follow Jesus, Doyt tells us, is to embrace empathy as both a superpower and a sacred calling. Worship itself becomes an act of rebellion against the false gods of power, declaring that true strength lies in standing with the disenfranchised, embodying the grace of God, and proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord.
Reflection Questions for this Week:
- How does the story of the Good Samaritan challenge us to rethink what it means to show strength and power as followers of Jesus?
- Doyt calls empathy a “superpower” for Christians. How can we cultivate empathy in our daily lives, especially toward those who are marginalized or vulnerable?
- Both Jeremiah and Bartolomé de las Casas confronted injustice within their own communities. What injustices might we be called to address within our own faith traditions or local contexts today?