Be Kind

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you." - Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another.  Or, be tenderhearted.  Forgive as you have been forgiven first by God in Christ.  Paul says such easy words, or at least easy on the surface.  But, these words are hard.  Kindness is a virtue; being kind to another person takes work, struggle, and even a bit of passion.

This week, the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams from South Haven High School have started their football games.  That means that the Band has started practicing and drilling for their halftime show as well.  I've been thinking back to my days in band this week.  My band director had this motto in the front of the band room that he would always open and end the school year with:  Be Kind.  Two simple words, but they were there in front of everyone; not at the side or in the corners of the chalkboard, they were plastered in capital letters in the front of the room on the wall reminding us that, at least in band class, that's what we were to be about.  We were to be kind to one another.  We were to work things out, even if we didn't agree with someone else, we still needed to show respect.  It's a great motto for life, really.

For me also this week, I have also been thinking about my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia.  It made some national news this week through most of the major news outlets- even the BBC picked it up.  Two news people from our Hometown Station WDBJ7 were murdered early Wednesday morning on a location shoot.  Both grew up in the viewing area, both graduated from state schools, both were in their 20's.

Murders and tragedies happen all of the time.  These deaths have come to be just two more deaths in a slew of killings, murders, and acts of which we can't make sense of.  It has become sad when news like this doesn't even phase us, or at least I'll speak for myself- it doesn't even phase me anymore.  Which makes me think what that's about.  Can we not identify others as humans any longer?  When we talk about our neighbors and our brothers and sisters in the life of the church- what does that mean?  Do we have any brothers and sisters, or is it only us?

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven us.  For me to take that to heart means that I have to be in touch with my own humanity.  It means I have to risk seeing another person for who they are.  It means I have to take seriously the image of God in me when I look at the image of God in you.  Maybe that's what Paul's getting at.  Maybe that's exactly what we need.

Kyrie Eleison.  Christe Eleison.  Kyrie Eleison.