The Episcopal Church Advent Bible study this week notes, “Advent is a time to stop and to hesitate. It is a time to dig into the discomfort and seeming incongruities Scripture presents to us. It is a time to linger with questions rather than rush to answers. These moments of delay or disruption create space to feel. In these coming weeks leading up to Christmas, may we all pause and look around. May we notice those things which are and those things we wish would be. Certainly, we believe in Christmas and the theologies of Incarnation and of God’s presence with us. But we also believe in the not-yet. We hold onto those feelings of discomfort and of doubt. We believe in Christmas, but let us also believe in Advent.”
Throughout Advent we’ll be looking at how we might as
individuals empower one another to live lives of Kindness, Joy, Hope, Peace,
Love as we prepare for Christmas. In the midst of pandemic and negative news
and conflict, we forget that there is so much good being done that doesn’t make
the headlines. Let’s try to find some good news and share it. We CAN be the
change we want to see. We CAN begin to build what is ‘not yet’. We CAN live
into the space of waiting and preparing.
This week we start the series by considering “Kindness”. Ephesians
4:32 says, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,
just as in Christ God forgave you. The writer links kindness with
compassion and forgiveness. Fredrich Buechner quotes Henry James as saying, “There
are three things that are important in human life. The first is to be kind. The
second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.”
“Random Acts of Kindness” was a catch phrase a few years
ago. There is still a Random Acts of Kindness website, with a calendar and curriculum. You’ll also find all kinds of suggestions
online for doing simple acts of kindness. As the image suggests, we can “Be the
I in KIND”.
- Leave money on a vending machine for someone
- Bake cookies for the elderly
- Serve at a homeless shelter
- Check in with a friend or family member you haven’t heard from in a while
- Write an encouraging note with sidewalk chalk outside to brighten the day of passersby
- Compliment a loved one in the morning to make their day bright as it starts.
- Smile or give a friendly nod at a stranger you see while on a walk or doing errands.
- Send a card in the mail to someone you miss.
- Mow the lawn, rake leaves, or shovel snow for a neighbor.
- Leave some treats or a small gift on a neighbor’s doorstep.
In this season of preparation of our hearts to welcome Christ, we can offer space to each other. We can be less quick to judge and more open to understanding. We can listen with our heart to the hurting heart of another. We can provide a concrete action of kindness. Mary Oliver comments, “I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in singing, especially when singing is not necessarily prescribed.”
Let’s make ‘good mischief’, add some
singing to the world, and be kind!
