Today’s Meditation;

He has told you, O mortal, what is good, what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness to walk humbly with your God? ~Micah 6:8

Welcoming Guests and Announcements – Pastor Dave

Hymn Sing – Congregational Hymn Pick

Prayer Concerns – Pastor Linda

Pastoral Prayer – Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer, Lord’s Prayer

Scripture Reading – Galatians 5:16‐26 – Ernie Gutierrez

Message – Kindness Works

Communion – Pastors Linda & Dave

Benediction

Galatians 5:16-26 – New Revised Standard Version

The Works of the Flesh

¹⁶ Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.

¹⁷ For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.

¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery,

²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions,

²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Fruit of the Spirit

²² By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,

²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

²⁴ And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

²⁶ Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

We’ll focus on the biblical ideas of kindness, love and good deeds that are meant to be our way of life as followers of Jesus. Living these virtues can bring people together, depolarize a city and replace divisiveness with joy. We are less kind, more polarized than we have ever been, especially when it comes to politics and elections.  Addressing this divide or brokenness is exactly what Jesus calls us to do.

Kindness grows from a life grounded in God, not in self or substitutes for God. Kindness comes from God and from a God-Centered life, not a self-centered life. Kindness is kindling: it awakens, rouses, revives caring. It allows us to repair relationships, to build a different kind of world.

Some hope that things do not have to be as they are. That God is working to overcome our divisions and contentious behavior.

Let kindness be your first response.  Be intentional with empathy when others are not-this seems to be the Jesus Way.  When it seems the culture & politics can’t cool down, we can.