Summary
Kindness
The cultural movement of "random acts of kindness" — paying for the coffee of the stranger behind you in the drive-through, hoping to spark a chain — is a good thing. But Scripture points to something deeper and more durable. The word nice never appears in the Bible, not once from Genesis to Revelation. The word kind, however, is everywhere. Biblical kindness means being useful, serving, being gracious. It is consistently bound together with patience and compassion, and in fact gives them legs to walk: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" Ephesians 4:32.
A vivid picture of this kind of kindness is Tabitha, also called Dorcas, in Acts 9:36-42. She was "devoted to good works and acts of charity," sewing tunics and clothing for the widows of Joppa — women who, in the ancient world, were often one step from destitution. When she died, the widows gathered around Peter weeping, holding up the very garments she had made. Her kindness was not a one-time gesture toward strangers but a sustained, personal investment in people whose names and needs she knew.
That is the difference between random kindness and biblical kindness. Random acts of kindness are good, but the problem is right there in the name — they are random, subject to our whims and moods. Biblical kindness is relational and regular. It happens within the context of a life shared with neighbors, family, fellow members of the body of Christ. As Regular Acts of Kindness emphasizes, the Christian calling is not occasional niceness but a steady pattern of usefulness and grace toward those God has placed around us.
Honest reflection forces us to admit we all fall short here — Dorcas included. When others are unkind to us, the temptation is to repay in kind: "see how you like it." This is why kindness cannot finally be a self-improvement project. It cannot be drummed up by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. It must be given. And it is. "When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" Titus 3:4-5. The cross, where our every unkindness was laid on Jesus, and the empty tomb, where God declared that sacrifice accepted, are the kindness of God toward us.
That kindness, received, becomes kindness in us. Paul calls believers to clothe themselves, "as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved," with "compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" Colossians 3:12. And he names kindness as part of the fruit of the Spirit — not the fruit of our own initiative — alongside love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control Galatians 5:22-23. It is God who, through Word and Sacrament, chisels us toward the likeness of Christ and brings this fruit forward in our lives.
So buy the coffee. Mark February 17 if you like. But know that today is also a regular act of kindness day — and so is tomorrow, and the day after that. The question is simply who, in the ordinary regularity of your life, will be the recipient of God's kindness through you.
Video citations
- Kindness: "Regular Acts of Kindness" 10-20-24 — Would you open your Bibles please with me to the ninth chapter of the Book of Acts. Acts the ninth chapter for our study today. If you're using a Pew edition, you'll find in front of you or…