The Twelve Days of Lovemas | Day 2 Kind

"Christmas decorations - Charlie Brown and Sally read the Sunday comics" by Kevin Dooley/ CC by

Love is kind. Our second day of Lovemas is centered around kindness. This simple word is one that we have been taught from a very young age. Little girls and boys are told to be kind as soon as they can understand speech. But as we grow older, sometimes the result of that early teaching is that we forget what the word really means. The word "kind" becomes ambiguous, drawing images of Mother Teresa and Pooh Bear. Somewhere down the line, the weight and importance of kindness leaves us, and as a result, we become irritable unforgiving folks.

The word used in the actually Greek is χρηστεύομαι (khraste-yoo'-om-ahee). It means full of service to others; gentle. Some of my favorite synonyms of the word kind are considerate, gentle, gracious, charitable, compassionate, and friendly. Isn't that just like drinking a nice fresh mug of hot chocolate? The idea of kindness, or rather, kind acts performed for you, is actually one of the most wonderful thoughts there is. The concept alone can leave one feeling like they've just gotten a big hug.

But kindness is not passive. While the thought of it can be intoxicating, kindness cannot be simply thought into existence. We are not kind simply by being Christians and going to church. The very nature of kindness demands to be physically acted out. In order for us to be kind, we must act kindly, rather than just thinking or saying that we are.

The concept of acting out what we believe and who we say that we are is clearly outlined in the rather jarring passage in Matthew 25:31-46. It starts with the good news,

"34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’"

Okay I can handle that. That's good! Go sheep! But then after that, it get's pretty shaky. This parable is about when Jesus comes back, and to be honest, this sheep and goats passage makes me massively uncomfortable. Here is what happens next.

"41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”"

Gah, that's not fun. Honestly, I wish that that weren't there, because it calls my soul to ask the question, "am I really loving?" Are my actions reflecting my faith in God, or is my faith more like what was mentioned in James 2 when it says "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead"?

This day of Lovemas has turned out a lot more sobering than I had expected, believe me. I had to gather all of the guts I had to address Matthew 25:31-46. And after putting those verses in there, that parable just turned around and ripped them right back out. But the call to arms, while a necessary step on the way to being kind, is not all that there is to the second day of Lovemas. 

Being kind is like having a flamethrower slung over your shoulder. Kindness is not a weak or fearful stance, as the world might have us believe. Strength is not found in those who put on a tough front and push others down. It is found in the spiritual buffs who serve and are kind, despite the attitudes of others or the situations around them. Simply put, kindness in action can move mountains.

This is seen clearly throughout the Bible. The most impressive stories of transformation begin with seemingly misplaced kindness. When everyone else turned up their noses at the thought of a tax collector, Jesus decided to spend some time with a guy that probably didn't have very many friends. He not only talked to him, but he decided to spend the day with him at his house! And what was the result? The heart of Zacchaeus was softened. He had newfound generosity! Not only did he give back what he had fraudulently taken from others while collecting taxes, but he gave it back fourfold! Times four! And on top of that, he gave half of his goods to the poor. 

This massive change of heart did not come by force. No amount of eye rolling when Zacchaeus walked in he room made any headway in turning his heart toward the poor. He was shown kindness and love by Jesus' act of befriending, and in turn, his heart was transformed.

But he encountered Jesus! How could something I do have the same effect as that of the Son of God? Well you're right. We could very easily chalk it all up to the fact that he encountered our Lord and Savior, Jesus. But in reality, Jesus was a man just like us. He had no magical powers. He was not born with some sort of extra sector in his brain that allowed for him to be holier than the rest of us. He was born by a woman in a barn while cattle watched. Jesus was not superhuman. He had he Holy Spirit. A part of the trinity that dwells in us today as well.

So we ought not think of acts of kindness as an unobtainable fairytale. The power of the Holy Spirit is in us, enabling us to be different. No, kindness is not how the world operates. But it is how God operates. God sees those whom the world calls "the least of these" and announces the birth of his son to them while they're watching their sheep at night. His answer to the pain and brokenness of the world is not anger and rejection, but the ever soft beckoning of salvation through his son. 

God's priority is and always has been his creation. The entire Christmas story is one of undeserved kindness, starting with Jesus' decision to leave heaven to be with us. The choice for Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb was not a move of weakness, as adversaries might have thought. They recognized Jesus vulnerability and simplicity as a baby, but failed to see the death conquering potentiality of God's action of overflowing kindness and love. In the end, the curtain that kept us from God was torn from top to bottom. Reconciliation and transformation are always the direct product of kindness and love.

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Thank you for reading! I would love your feedback! What comes to mind when you think of kindness? Feel free to comment your thoughts and ideas in the comment section bellow. You can subscribe by email for content on every Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday as often as possible.

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Above all, know that you are loved.

Happy Wednesday!

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