September 01, 2023 | Letters from the Lead Pastor by Brandon Lenhart
Over the next two months at North Main, we will be exploring the theme of kindness through the lens of Jesus’ miracles in the Gospels. Using the definition from above, we learn that kindness is more than just being “nice” to someone, it is a means of extending ourselves in benevolent ways toward others for the purpose of making their lives better. Acts of kindness, therefore, are necessarily ways to encourage and lift others up.
Consider the miracles of Jesus not only as indicators of who He was, but also expressions of the heart of GOD toward people created in His image. When Jesus healed, cast out demons, or superseded natural laws, He was reflecting not only the power, but the goodness and kindness of GOD. Let’s consider a few examples:
- John 2:1-11 (Turning Water into Wine): The first miracle recorded in the Gospels is recorded in John 2 when Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding in the town of Cana. Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were there in attendance. At a certain point in the celebration, the wine was gone. The family throwing the party would have been completely embarrassed that they didn’t plan enough, and they would have incurred shame from the community. At that point, Jesus’ mother, Mary, approached Him knowing His power and authority with a request to fix the problem. Fulfilling His mother’s request, Jesus told the servants to fill six stone water jars full of water and then take some of the water from those jars to the master of ceremonies. When they did, the best wine he had ever tasted was presented to him that day.
Jesus’ kindness to His mother and the bridal party was a blessing that came as a result of Jesus’ willingness to go above and beyond the need of the moment.
- Luke 5:12-14 (A Touch of Kindness): Another miracle of Jesus occurred during His ministry travels around the region of Galilee. Once, He came across a man with an advanced case of leprosy. The man, bowing his face low to the ground, begged Jesus for mercy to be healed. Jesus, having compassion for the man reached out and “touched him,” saying, “Be healed!” and the man was healed instantly.
Jesus then instructed the man to go and resent himself before the priests for examination in order to be welcomed back into the community.
Jesus’ willingness to touch the untouchable with a show of love and kindness always left a mark of healing on the soul of the individual.
- Mark 5:21-23, 35-43 (From Death to Life): One last example of Jesus’ kindness and compassion comes from Mark’s account of Jesus bringing the young daughter of Jarius, a local leader of the synagogue, back to life. When he was in route to Jarius’ home, the little girl died. Messengers arrived with the news that it was too late. However, Jesus continued on to the house of Jarius, and into the room where she lay. With three of His disciples, Jarius and his wife, Jesus took the hand of the little girl who had just died and said, “Little girl, get up!” At the sound of His voice she immediately stood up and began to walk around.
Jesus, the Author of Life itself, breathes life into people not only as a show of His power over death, but as a show of His love and kindness toward us.
Over the next two months our North Main family will be striving to impact our community with acts of kindness. There will be several bulletin boards throughout our building with random kindness suggestions on cards for you to complete each week. There are four different types of cards, one type for individuals to do on your own, one type geared toward children & youth to do themselves, or options for families to do all together, and there are also “mystery kindnesses” in envelopes for those who are brave! When you take one of those you’re committing to completing it that week.
We’re expecting God to do big things with these random acts of kindness, and have set up a page on our website to submit your stories and testimonies! To submit those, please go to our website and you can either write up a paragraph or two about your testimony brought about from your kindness suggestion, or submit a short video testimony. You can also call the church office and someone can submit your testimony for you.
NORTHMAINCOG.ORG/247
