Being God’s Heart, Hands and Feet Rev. Teresa Stuefloten, M.Div., 6/14/2026

Good morning! This is Rev. Teresa. Today I am speaking about being God’s heart, hands and feet. This means being a presence of the Divine in the Earth realm, being there for others with love, compassion, kindness, caring and generosity. We are all Divine expressions made in the image and likeness of God. When we reach out to assist others we are literally the presence of God for others.

St Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun who lived in Spain from 1515 to 1582, cultivated a simple life that brought her closer to God’s love, and inspired her to show God’s love to others by helping them. She said in this beautiful prayer:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours. — St. Teresa of Ávila

Christ Jesus came into the Earth realm to serve others. He made this abundantly clear throughout his ministry. He was kind and compassionate, curing the sick, both bodily and in spirit, raising the dead, and calling out prejudice and hypocrisy, especially among the Jewish elite. He said of himself, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

He washed the feet of his disciples and said to them,  “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” John 13:14-15

He said everyone can do the acts of kindness and compassion he did, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

Christ Jesus made it very clear that we are to serve others as we would serve him.

Matthew 25:35-45 “For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then the righteous will say to him, Our Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? or thirsty and gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and took you in? Or that you were naked and clothed you? And when did we see you sick or in prison, and came to you? The king then will answer, saying to them, Truly I tell you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”

“Then he will also say… Go away from me… For I was hungry and you did not give me food; I was thirsty and you did not give me drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer and say, Our lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of these least ones, you also did not do it to me.”

That’s a pretty clear command to be God’s heart, hands and feet. A quote from Journey Wise lays out Jesus’ Ministry with a focus on showing compassion and promoting justice:

“Showing Compassion: Jesus’ ministry was characterized by compassion. He reached out to the marginalized, healed the brokenhearted, and restored dignity to those society overlooked. Emulating His compassion involves listening to others, offering encouragement, and standing in solidarity with those in need.”

“Promoting Justice: Jesus spoke out against injustice and advocated for the oppressed. Christians are called to do the same, whether by supporting fair practices, advocating for the vulnerable, or working to dismantle systems of inequality.”

“Living as the hands and feet of Jesus is not without its challenges. It often requires selflessness, patience, and resilience in the face of adversity. The world’s brokenness can feel overwhelming, and the work of service may go unnoticed or unappreciated. However, the rewards are profound. There is joy in knowing that your actions reflect God’s love and contribute to His kingdom. Moreover, serving others often deepens one’s faith and fosters a sense of community.” (End of quote) (journeywise.network)

We are to help those in need and advocate for the poor. Proverbs 19:17 says, “He who has pity upon the poor is a companion of the Lord; and he shall be repaid according to his works.”

We must live the conscience and the consciousness we have developed through our spiritual practices. We are to speak out about injustice, oppression and inequality. We can contact our representatives in government, letting them know, as their constituents, how we feel about government actions and policies that are unjust and cruel. The government is not just our elected representatives. The government is all of us. We vote our conscience, but that is not enough. We need to keep abreast of what our government is doing and speak on behalf of those without power, the young, the immigrants, people of color. If we stay silent we are complicit. This is what happened in Germany during WWII and in the US during slavery.

There were those who hid Jews, and assisted in smuggling Jewish children out of the country during WWII, risking their own lives for doing so.They were living their conscience, being God’s heart hands and feet. A few of those people were: (Wikipedia)

Raoul Wallenberg: A Swedish diplomat in Hungary who issued protective passports and established safe houses, saving over 100,000 Hungarian Jews.

Irena Sendler: A Polish nurse and social worker who smuggled 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Chiune Sugihara: A Japanese diplomat in Lithuania who issued thousands of transit visas, allowing Jewish refugees to flee to safety.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes: A Portuguese diplomat who defied his government to issue thousands of life-saving visas in France.

Monasteries, convents, and the Vatican hid hundreds of thousands of Jews, providing them with false documents and sanctuary.

In Albania, a majority-Muslim country, thousands of Jews found refuge and were hidden by local families.

The Danish resistance and civilians famously organized a mass boat operation, smuggling over 7,000 Danish Jews to neutral Sweden in 1943. 

In the US during slavery many helped slaves escape to the Northern states and Canada through the underground railroad. A few of the many were: (Wikipedia)

William Still: A free Black abolitionist in Philadelphia who kept detailed records and helped up to 800 people, often aiding as many as 60 escapees a month.

Levi and Catharine Coffin: Quakers whose Indiana home, dubbed the "Grand Central Station" of the network, is estimated to have assisted thousands of freedom seekers.

These are all people who lived as God’s heart, hands and feet in this world by acting against injustice. Right now in the US there are immigrants, many from Mexico, being rounded up and taken, often off of the street, to “detention centers” run by private corporations, with terrible conditions. These facilities are essentially versions of concentration camps. Does your conscience feel this is right? Will you speak out against this injustice? Will you tell your elected representatives? Will you attend marches? There are those holding vigil outside these facilities to stand up for the oppressed, living their conscience as God’s heart, hands and feet. What does your conscience say?

Christ Jesus used a Jewish cultural prejudice against Samaritans in his story of the Good Samaritan and in talking to a Samaritan woman by the well:

At the time of Jesus there was a long history of intense animosity, distrust and deep-rooted prejudice against one another. The Jews avoided traveling through Samaritan territory, taking long and difficult detours rather than travel through their land. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as racially impure heretics, and the Samaritans regarded the Jews as religiously arrogant. They had a common heritage, and both claimed Abraham as father and Moses as liberator. The Samaritans developed a modified version of the Torah, which was considered heresy by the Jews. The area of Ancient Samaria is today the area of the northern West Bank, north of Jerusalem.

Jesus used this animosity and prejudice to teach the Jewish people about being God’s heart, hands and feet in his parable of the Good Samaritan, where the priest and the Levite passed by without helping and the Samaritan was the one who acted with love, kindness and compassion.

“Jesus said to him, There was a man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and the bandits attacked him, and robbed him, and beat him, and left him with little life remaining in him, and they went away. And it chanced a priest was going down that road; and he saw him and passed on. And likewise a Levite came and arrived at that place, and saw him and passed on. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And he came to him and bound up his wounds, and poured on them wine and oil; and he put him on his own donkey, and brought him to the inn, and took care of him. And in the morning, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever you spend more, when I return, I will give it to you. Who therefore of these three, appears to you, became neighbor to him who fell into the hands of the bandits? He said, The one who had compassion on him. Jesus said to him, You go also, and do the same.” (Luke 10:30-37)

How can we each be the heart, hands and feet of God in our everyday life? Often this involves just getting our mind out of our own thoughts and paying attention to others. When we are living in awareness of the present moment we have the opportunity to see those who need assistance from us, as we act as God’s heart, hands and feet in this world. By paying attention to those around us we have the opportunity to become aware of the person who looks sad, scared, worried, depressed, downtrodden, in need of assistance of some kind. I reached out to a person in my exercise class last week, who usually has a big smile, but looked very sad that day. I found out the person’s best friend had just had a devastating accident. Just reaching out to offer comfort connects us to others and says, “I see you.” Often we may be able to help if we are just aware. Our friend Debbi calls these “God Jobs.”

I began looking online for examples of people acting as God’s heart, hands and feet, doing “God jobs,” and found so many examples that I had a hard time choosing which ones to use. It made me feel hopeful for the future of humanity. Here are some of the true stories I found.

Buzzfeed.com stories:

“These Stories About Strangers Helping People In Need Will Remind You That Humanity Is Not Doomed.”

“Take comfort in these stories of the best of humanity.”

A gentlemanly gesture: "It was raining really hard one afternoon and I was walking back to my car with my groceries for the week and an old man offered to share his umbrella with me and walked me all the way to my car.”

A kind word in the middle of a toddler meltdown: "One time while I was out shopping, my toddler was in the cart having an absolute meltdown over a toy. I was mortified. My kid was literally screaming like she was being stabbed and people were giving me all sorts of disapproving looks. I felt like a total failure as a mom and I am sure that my face was as red as a tomato. A random man was walking by me with his cart and put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Been there, done that. It happens to the best of us,' and walked away. His tiny little comment made me feel so much better about myself. Thank you sir for calming me in my time of need. I appreciated it.”

A warm meal for a tired worker: "When I was working at Hobby Lobby during the Christmas season, I was sick and had almost lost my voice, but kept my attitude very upbeat. It was almost at the end of the night when this elderly couple came through my line. We started joking about them going to Cracker Barrel and the man asked me what I wanted. I joked about meatloaf and green beans with a sweet tea. About 20 minutes later, the elderly couple came back into the store with a bag from Cracker Barrel with my exact order, down to the sweet tea. The lady whispered, 'Merry Christmas' to me and I literally cried right there in the store.”

A Christmas miracle: "My parents got divorced when I was 10. My mom and I struggled financially after that and our first few holidays were hard. My first Christmas after the divorce was difficult and emotional for both of us. On our first Christmas Eve without my dad our doorbell rang, and when I opened the door no one was there, but someone had left an envelope. In the envelope was a card from 'Santa' with a few hundred dollar bills. Someone had anonymously tried to give us a great Christmas, and to this day we still have no idea who it was! I’ll remember that forever.”

A generous lift: "A woman drove me 30 miles to work when my car broke down at the gas station."

A hug and a braid to remember: "When I was in high school, I struggled really badly with depression and anxiety. One day I left class because I started having a panic attack. I was crying in the bathroom alone when a girl came in. I didn't know her, but she hugged me hard and let me cry, and then she re-braided my hair for me, which had come undone while I was crying. It was such an act of kindness when I was at a low point, and even though this was six years ago now, I still remember it.”

Bright Side Stories: (brightside.me)

“My neighbor is 79 and lives alone. Last winter her car was in the shop for three weeks. I didn’t think much of it at first. Then I noticed she hadn’t put her trash out. I knocked. She opened the door and the fridge was basically empty. She said she didn’t want to bother anyone. I started doing her grocery run every week. She cried the first time. I pretended not to notice so she wouldn’t feel embarrassed.”

“There was a man who sat alone at the same park bench every single day. Everyone walked past. One Tuesday I brought two coffees. He looked up like he couldn’t quite believe it. We sat there for two hours. At the end he said, “That’s the first conversation I’ve had in three weeks.” I went back every Tuesday after that.”

“I run a small bakery, and this week a woman came in and asked if I could make a cake for Saturday for her daughter’s 18th birthday.
She had a budget of 12 dollars. She was 16 dollars short of my cheapest cake. She knew that. She apologized before she even finished asking. 
I told her to come back Saturday morning. I made the cake. 18 candles, her daughter’s name, the works. When she came to pick it up, I told her it was 12 dollars. 
She looked at the cake and then at me, and I could see her doing the math. She said, “This isn’t a 12-dollar cake.” I said, “It is today.” 
Her daughter sent me a photo of her and the cake with all the candles lit. I usually just post cake pics on Instagram, but this time I asked permission from the girl to post it on my page. 
Her pic with cake and that beautiful smile got so many likes, views and comments and suddenly I started to have more customers. Kindness travels far and comes back. Be kind always.”

These wonderful true stories remind us that we can make the world brighter for others by being the heart, hands and feet of God. We can bring the love, kindness and caring that others need in this Earth realm, that can sometimes be so challenging. We can walk in the footsteps of the Master Christ Jesus, emulating his teachings. Look for opportunities to do “God Jobs.” When you are paying attention, they will appear. All it takes is willingness and an open heart of compassion, and you will be a blessing in this world. And so, it is!