Relating Empathetically – Part 11: Readings – 3
Empathy is that process in which you imaginatively put yourself in the place of the other person. Interpathy recognizes that you cannot do this, but you are eager to learn from the other person what his or her being is like. If you and I have not come from a heritage of personal humiliation, derogation, and ridicule, we are a little phony when we say that we “know” what it is like. Yet we share a common passion for justice and want them to teach us about the injustices they have suffered. If we have not been premature, there is hope that a genuine alliance can thus be formed and sustained. If we too quickly convey that we “know” just how they feel, they can more quickly tell us, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.”
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Behind the Masks, Wayne E. Oates, The Westminster Press, pages 105-106.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
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