Matt Litton > Quotes

“While pity shows a lack of respect for other human beings, compassion has its roots in a deep respect for others. Pity is an emotion; compassion is a connection. Compassion sees the other as equal. Compassion happens when we care for another person enough to make his or her problems our own.”
― Matt Litton, The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story

“When hiding ourselves behind religiosity becomes the order of the day, grace is left by the wayside; without being honest about our own sin, we will never show compassion toward others. If we are to adorn ourselves with anything, it should be with compassion and honesty—the foundations of connecting to our community.”
― Matt Litton, The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story

“Scripture is wrought with a clear message of Jesus’ utter disregard for appearance and social rank. In Judean society, it was a major taboo for a man to even speak to a woman who was not his own wife or daughter; yet Jesus interacted regularly with foreign women, He taught women, ignored ritual impurity laws, and readily accepted women into His inner circle of followers.”
― Matt Litton, The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story

“When we dedicate our talent to serving a neighbor, it is possibly one of the highest forms of worship; something sacred transpires when we sacrifice our time and dedicate our God-given loves and talents to one another.”
― Matt Litton, The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story

“No matter how many times I read the novel, I am always moved by the scene in which the pastor empties the offering can in front of the congregation, begins to count the money, and tells them it is not enough. He reminds them that one of their own, Helen Robinson, needs help while her husband is in jail. He then closes the church doors and announces that no one will leave until they’ve collected ten dollars. I can honestly say I have never witnessed this in a church service, have never heard of it happening, and can’t even imagine it taking place in real life, but there is something so moving about the pastoral determination of the reverend. In the silence that follows, he begins to call out by name the churchgoers who have not contributed enough. Scout tells us that after several long and uncomfortable moments, the ten dollars are finally collected and the church doors are unlocked. How could you read this scene and not think that we need more pastors like Reverend Sykes of First Purchase Church? You can almost feel the discomfort of the closed door, the sweating, the heat of the room, the smell of perfume, the rhythm of people fanning themselves to stay cool, and Reverend Sykes’s eyes raking over each parishioner as he scans the sanctuary, determined to make sure that Helen Robinson can feed her family that week. Isn’t this the way church should work? Not a soul openly questions the reverend’s authority in this scene. They are set on caring for one another. This was the way the early church operated in caring for its own community: “And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need” (Acts 4:34–35 MSG).”
― Matt Litton, The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story

“Taking care of the environment has become so politicized that we have forgotten that caring for creation is truly synonymous with caring for our neighbors.”
― Matt Litton, The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story

“Seeking is an indispensable component of relationship. Think for a moment about the meaningful relationships in your own life, and you will find that each reflects a desire to continue the process of curiosity, in search of knowing more about the other. Since seeking is so crucial, then why is it our nature to define God rather than to engage Him each day with curiosity?”
― Matt Litton, The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story