CONQUER KILLING WITH KINDNESS

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ
has forgiven you.

ephesians 4:32

I strongly considered taking this day off.

The benefit of retirement is that I have that option, or should I more accurately say, that luxury. I could justify not posting by saying that my initial commitment was to write once a week. But then my enthusiasm got the better of me and I began posting twice weekly. Now readers are expecting something in their inbox or on the Facebook newsfeed and I’m afraid of disappointing them.

I liken it to how the apostle Paul must have felt when he wrote that, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone.” (1 Corinthians 9:19 NIV)

This week that the nation commemorates the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center always presents the challenge of coming up with some new insight or reflection on that horrible occurrence in our country’s history.

But the week was made even more difficult by the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as he spoke on the campus of a university in Utah.

When a tragedy like this happens, opinions flow freely, and regrettably, insensitivity and unguarded comments reign supreme.

I am reluctant to add to the noise.

However, when a person of significance dies, I am immediately reminded of the words of the poet John Donne:

“Any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind,
and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls;
it tolls for thee.”
― John Donne, Meditation XVII)

This is an opportune time for people of faith to witness to that hope to which God has called us.

I write, obviously, from a Christian perspective, but all faith traditions are grounded in the principle of love, which ultimately conquers evil.

And it is my firm belief that God calls us to learn to live with and among people who may look, act, or believe differently from you without resorting to violence.

As followers of Christ, the way we live our lives is one way we witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

In the midst of the political turbulence that is the reality in which we live, we are called to an alternate vision of the world – a world of justice and peace.

How we live our lives is how others will interpret and see that message of Jesus Christ – the message of grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

I don’t often speak in absolutes, but I feel that these times demand from us an urgent response that every word, every email, every text message, every Facebook or Tik-Tok post, every parking lot conversation, every interaction with one another and the world must be influenced by the sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated for us by his death on the cross.

There are two passages of scripture that have guided me and my thought process in times of conflict. Both are found in the aforementioned apostle Paul’s letters.

I am providing the links in hopes you will read them before moving forward, and hopefully you will keep them somewhere handy for future reference.

One is from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 4:25-32

The other is his letter to the Romans 12:9-21.

Both passages are pretty straightforward and require little interpretation, which is why I commend them to you to digest and internalize.

I would especially ask that you read them, either immediately before or immediately after you decide to go doomscrolling on your favorite social media site.

Regardless of where one stands on political issues, whether Liberal, Conservative, Republican or Democrat, or Independent, this week especially is one of those moments that call us as individuals to explore our own feelings.

These moments also call us as families, as communities and as communities of faith, to have hard conversations about the rise of hate, fear, discontent, and violence in our society.

God’s unconditional, self-giving love is the only power that can set us free to love one another.

May we cling solely to our identity as God’s children and nothing else.