Undeniably every church is given the task of caring for hurting people. Sometimes we refer to those in this category as “the least, the lost and the last”. Practically speaking, we focus on widows, orphans and prisoners. But certainly there are those in need of mercy that may not fit in any of these categories. The call for Christians to display mercy is both a personal and a corporate one. That means we all must respond with compassion and generosity. Certainly not all are called to adopt children, visit prisoners, or converse with the elderly in nursing homes, but none of us can skirt the Biblical mandate to care. We must all grow in our expressions of compassion. This sermon is focused on our ministries of mercy. By looking at a familiar Biblical story, we want to rattle our cages a bit and make sure that we are in line with what God is calling us to be and to do – caring Christians in action.