Theme: Compassion

Compassion is the attribute of God that moves him toward human suffering rather than away from it. Songs about God's compassion celebrate a God who does not stand aloof from pain but enters it — who sees the crowd and is moved with compassion, who comes near to the brokenhearted, who holds the widow and the orphan in his particular care. These songs are especially meaningful for congregations involved in justice and mercy work, connecting the social action of the week to the worship of the Sunday gathering. They also call the church to imitate what it celebrates — to be moved as God is moved, to lean toward suffering rather than away from it. Compassion songs make the church look more like Jesus.