“…and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving as God in Christ has forgiven you.” ~ Ephesians 4:32
Dear People of St. David’s,
I pray that you and yours are well on these warm summer days. As we move along in these summer months trying to live our lives as though our faith matters, I invite you to a life of simple kindness.
The Rev. Maurice Dyer preached a beautiful sermon from this coming Sunday’s Gospel where Jesus sends His followers into the world to preach the Gospel with nothing but themselves. He spoke convincingly that in God’s eyes we are enough. That is, God has given us all the love and gifts and power we need to be God’s messengers in the world because we are enough.
Now for some of us, that’s all the encouragement we need to get started living as Christians in the world and sharing our faith with others. We’ve experienced the love and presence of God and are ready and willing to share it with others.
For some of us, though, it may seem an overly ambitious goal and we might be asking how we start to live as God’s messengers. There are plenty of answers to getting started but let me invite you to start with simply being kind to others. According to the dictionary kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, or considerate. It’s approaching others with a sense of warm heartedness and goodwill and affection. It’s a quality we welcome from others and one that when shared opens the way for friendship, trust, and even love.
Kindness requires no theological education or a complete grasp of the scripture. Kindness doesn’t require us to be spiritual giants or perfect people. Instead, it calls us to try and see others through God’s loving eyes and doing something gracious for the people around us and for the next person we meet. I think simple kindness can go a long way in introducing people to the love of God and to change the world one person at a time.
So, as we live into our summer schedules, I invite you to the life of simple kindness. Don’t overthink it, just be kind.
Grace and Peace,
The Rev. W. Frank Allen
Rector
P.S. I will be preaching Sunday but will be taking the rest of July as a time of Sabbatical. While away, I will be traveling a little and writing, but mostly spending time to allow God to refresh my spirit. Each day I will be praying for you, and ask that you pray for me. Thanks.