Kindness: "Regular Acts of Kindness" 10-20-24

Overview

From Random Acts to Regular Acts of Kindness

The "random acts of kindness" movement—paying for the coffee of the stranger behind you in the drive-through—has been part of our cultural landscape for some forty years, even earning its own day on February 17. Such gestures are genuinely good. But Scripture invites us into something deeper and more durable than randomness. Interestingly, the word "nice" never appears in the Bible, not once. The word "kind," however, is everywhere. The biblical word carries the sense of being useful, serving, and gracious—and it is regularly paired with patience and compassion (see 2 Corinthians 6:6; Ephesians 4:32). Kindness is what gives patience and compassion legs to walk.

A vivid picture of this kind of life shows up in Acts 9:36-42. Tabitha (Dorcas) was "devoted to good works and acts of charity"—specifically, sewing tunics and clothing for the widows of Joppa, women who in that culture often faced destitution. When she died, the widows gathered around Peter weeping, holding up the garments she had made. Her kindness wasn't random; it was relational and regular, woven into the lives of particular people. When God raised her through Peter, it was not a reward for her goodness but a sheer act of divine grace, leading many to believe in the Lord.

The hard truth is that every one of us falls short in kindness, Dorcas included. When others are unkind, our flesh wants to respond in kind—"a taste of your own medicine," "see how you like it." This is precisely why kindness must come to us before it can come from us. Titus 3:4-5 declares that "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." God's kindness reached us at the cross, where our unkindness in thought, word, and deed was laid on Jesus, and at the font, where that forgiveness is poured over us. The empty tomb confirms the sacrifice was accepted. That is the kindness of God toward us.

And that kindness births kindness in us. Paul tells the baptized in Colossians 3:12 to put on, "as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved… kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us to put away bitterness, wrath, and malice, and "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Kindness is not something we drum up by pulling on our bootstraps; it is fruit—"the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…" Galatians 5:22-23. Through Word and Sacrament, God is chiseling us into the likeness of Christ, producing this fruit in us. So yes, buy the coffee for the person behind you. But ask also: who in my regular life—my family, my neighbors, the widow down the street, the coworker who tries my patience—will receive God's kindness through me today, and tomorrow, and the day after that? Every day is regular acts of kindness day.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles please with me to the ninth chapter of the Book of Acts. 3s

Acts the ninth chapter for our study today. 9s

If you're using a Pew edition, you'll find in front of you or underneath you the ninth 12s

chapter of Acts is in the New Testament, page 112. 16s

Acts the ninth chapter for our study today. 21s

So you feel like a cup of coffee. 25s

You pull into the drive through of your favorite place. 29s

You've done this quite a few times. 34s

You've even established a little bit of a relationship with those that work there. 37s

The line is about what it normally is. 43s

And when you get up to the window and you reach for your credit card and you hand it 47s

to the person there, the person says, oh no, no, no, no. 53s

The person in front of you paid for your cup of coffee. 60s

I think to yourself, that's really kind. 67s

That's really nice of them to do that. 70s

And so the thought dawns on you then to do the same thing for the person behind you. 74s

And this exactly what you do. 80s

And as you drive away, you wonder, I wonder how long that chain lasted. 82s

A random act of kindness. 93s

Kindness. 100s

Do you know that that phrase and really kind of that movement? 102s

If you want to put that term on it, that really started 40 years ago. 105s

Now, there's even a foundation. 111s

And I don't know who designates days, but February 17th, each and every year is designated 114s

as random act of kindness day. 121s

Good. 127s

Good. 129s

It's good to do kind things. 130s

What I want to examine with you today is that phrase. 135s

Random acts of kindness. 139s

Now, I want to compare it to what the scriptures have to say with regard to kindness. 143s

For does the scripture reveal something deeper? 151s

At the end of our text for today, the text ends with a resurrection. 160s

One is brought back to life. 165s

We see several examples of resurrections in Holy Scripture outside of the example, of course, 168s

of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, the Lord Jesus. 175s

We see various examples. 179s

For example, there's the widows son at Zerapath, who was raised from the dead. 181s

There was the widows son at name as Jesus stops the funeral procession and raises the young man back to life. 188s

His gyrosis daughter, a 12 year old girl, and Jesus raises her back to life. 200s

There's Lazarus, of course. 209s

The brother of Mary and Martha, friend of the Lord, Jesus Lazarus dies and Jesus delays his coming, 211s

so that his glory might be manifest. 221s

And when he comes, he goes to the tomb and says, Lazarus, come out and out comes Lazarus, 223s

having been raised to life. 231s

There are many examples of resurrections in Scripture, so also in our text for today. 233s

Our text for today has to do about a woman by the name of Tabitha, or she's also known 244s

in the Greek version as Dorcus. She has died. 249s

They summoned Peter to come and God is going to perform a miracle through Peter. 254s

He doesn't perform the miracle. God performs the miracle through Peter. 262s

Look when he plays at verse 40 of our text. Peter put all of them outside and then he 266s

knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, Tabitha, get up. Then she opened her eyes 274s

and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her her hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints 281s

in the widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Japa and many believed in 289s

the Lord. Why did the Lord raise Dorcus? Was it because of her goodness? No. No. It was a sheer 298s

act of grace of God. As we look here at the text, what else do we learn about Dorcus? 310s

Look, please, at verse 36. Now in Japa, there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, 324s

which in Greek is Dorcus. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. 330s

And then a lovely thing to be said about someone. They were devoted to doing good and acts of 338s

charity. What was this doing good that she was doing? What were these acts of charity that she was doing? 345s

Verse 37. At that time she became ill and died when they had washed her. They laid her in a room 351s

of stairs. Since Liddo was near Japa, the disciples who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him 359s

with the request. Please come to us without delay. Peter got up and went with them and when he arrived, 367s

they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics 376s

and other clothing that Dorcus had made while she was with them. 385s

Ah, that was the good that she was doing. Making clothing and tunics for the widows. 395s

In ancient day, if one was a widow, that put the woman in a particularly difficult spot. 405s

Not only, of course, the loss of her husband, but in ancient day, if you were widowed, 416s

you had a high chance of becoming destitute in the society of the day. And so Dorcus, 425s

what beautiful acts that she did, making clothing and tunics for the women. 434s

So there she is, there's her body, Peter comes and you see it in your mind, 443s

this women gathered around and they're showing, look what Dorcus did. 447s

Look what she gave me. How this helped me. At the heart of Dorcus's friendship with the women 456s

at the heart of it was kindness, kindness. So often we think of kindness as being the same thing as 471s

Bible trivia pop quiz. Are you ready? How many times does the word nice appear in Holy 499s

Scripture? Can you has it at 50? Is it a hundred? Is it 200? How many times does nice appear in the Bible? 506s

Do you have a number in your mind? Guess what? The number is zero. Zero. The word nice doesn't 516s

occur one time. Do you think occur one time in Genesis to Revelation? But the word kind, or kindness? 527s

That's all over the place. The biblical word for kindness, it means being useful. It means 544s

serving. It means being gracious. And what's so interesting is so often the word kindness is matched 554s

in proximity with patience and with compassion. For example, Paul writes second Corinthians 565s

a sixth chapter. He's commending the ministry. He gives a long list with regard to his ministry 575s

as he's commending his ministry. And included in the list he says patience and compassion. 582s

They're held together. He says patience, compassion, and then guess what? 592s

kindness. In Ephesians the fourth chapter. He says, and be kind to one another. 602s

Tenderhearted. In other words, be compassionate. What do you think about it? 614s

kindness is so often birthed out of patience and compassion, isn't it? 620s

kindness gives the legs. It makes the patience and the compassion walk. 625s

Random acts of kindness. Good. Good. What's the problem with random acts of kindness? 634s

The problem is their random. That's the problem. They're subject to our own whims, our own 649s

kind of terms with regard to expressing kindness. Biblical kindness. Biblical kindness. 664s

When you see example after example in the scripture biblical kindness has to do with being in 675s

relationship with another. There's a context to it. There's a irregularity to it. 684s

Random acts of kindness. Good. Yep. But the problem is his random. Biblical kindness. 696s

Biblical kindness is seen in Dorcus, right? Who has involved in the lives of those widows, 703s

who expresses that graciousness and service to those widows. It's expressed in regularity. Dorcus 715s

is a perfect example of Biblical kindness. That's so needed, isn't it? It's really needed. 728s

As we look at our world today, it seems as if the world is just getting meaner. 749s

And how we can talk with one another or in plans or purposes and priorities. 758s

Seems like the world is getting meaner. 769s

And when we experience unkindness from someone, we can be tempted to respond 778s

in kind. So when we experience unkindness from someone, we can be tempted to think, 787s

even act out, you know, what goes around comes around. 796s

When we experience unkindness from someone else, we can be tempted to act in kind. 804s

We can be tempted to think to ourselves or to act out, maybe you just need a little taste to your own medicine. 811s

We experience a lack of kindness from the others. We can be tempted to respond in kind. We can be 823s

tempted to respond with a, see how you like it. See how you like it. 830s

It's easier to be nice, isn't it? It's easier to be nice. 844s

But being kind, that's a different bird, isn't it? It's different bird. 855s

And here's the thing, every single one of us fall short. Every single one of us fall short. 864s

Including Dorcus, yep, including Dorcus. Why? Because Dorcus was a human being, 877s

because Dorcus was a sinner too, and every single one of us fall short. 884s

In the expression of kindness. So what does God do? What does God do? 893s

Paul writes in Titus the third chapter. He says, but when the goodness and loving kindness of God 904s

are saved, you're appeared. When the goodness of God is kindness appeared, then it says, 914s

He saved us. Notice the direction. We don't save ourselves. He saves us. He saved us. 922s

He saved us not because of any works of righteousness that we had done. In other words, not because 929s

of anything good that we do, not because we're trying to make ourselves righteous before God. We can't 934s

make ourselves righteous before God. He saved us not because of any works of righteousness that we had 941s

done. But according to His mercy, His mercy. And then it defines where His mercy is expressed. 948s

According to His mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 961s

well, what's the water of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit? What is that? It's baptism, isn't it? 968s

Where God takes His word of victory, one through the cross, God takes that word of forgiveness, 976s

who the shed blood of Jesus, where all of our unkindness, in thought and in the word, and indeed, 983s

in all of our sin was laid upon Jesus in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous. 990s

And that word of forgiveness then comes to us and we're washed in that word. We're washed in it 1001s

so that we know that that word is for us. That's the kindness of God, isn't it? 1009s

The kindness of God, raising Jesus out of the tomb so we know that the sacrifice for sin has been accepted, 1022s

the kindness of God. And the kindness of God, births kindness in us. 1028s

Colossians, the third chapter. It says, as God's chosen one, that's who we are. God chooses us, 1045s

on in the waters of baptism. As God's chosen one, and then it says, holy and beloved, because that's 1053s

what we're made in the waters of baptism. We're made holy. We're cloaked in the righteous garment 1060s

of the Lord Jesus Christ. As God's chosen one, holy and beloved. That's his goodness. That's 1065s

passion. Guess what comes next? kindness, humility, weakness, patience. 1083s

Paul then goes on to say, in Ephesians the fourth chapter he says, put away 1100s

from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, put away, put it away, 1104s

put it away together with all malice he says, and be kind to one another. Guess what comes next? 1112s

Tenderhearted, compassionate, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. 1123s

kindness, biblical kindness. That's that being useful and serving and gracious. That's beyond 1134s

niceness, isn't it? It's beyond niceness. And it's beyond random. It's regular. It's regular. 1151s

And grace upon grace, this kindness is a gift. This biblical kindness here. It's not something 1170s

that we drum up. We drum up in ourselves and say, okay, that's the kind of kind person I'm 1182s

going to be and we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps here and we try and be kind. No, the kindness 1189s

is a gift as God comes to us and produces and births that kindness in us. Galatians the fifth chapter. 1196s

It says, the fruit of the spirit, the fruit of the spirit, not the fruit of our own initiative, 1212s

the fruit of God, the fruit of the spirit, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, 1218s

patience, guess what's next? kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 1226s

That's God at work in us through word and sacrament. That's God at work in us to bring 1241s

forth the kindness in us that he wants. We're all works in progress. We're all works in progress. 1246s

And we'll be a work in progress until our dying day when the Lord takes his home and that old 1252s

Adam and old Eve just go away at that point. Until then, we're all works of progress. God is at 1257s

work in us through word and sacrament, chiseling us to be more and more like Christ, that fruit of 1264s

spirit manifesting that in our lives as God brings forth from us kindness. You see, 1270s

biblical kindness, biblical kindness. It's a gift of God. So, by the cup of coffee, 1281s

for the person behind you, yes. Yes. February 17th, Acts of Random, kindness day, 1300s

nice, nice, but biblical kindness, biblical kindness. That's a gift of the Holy Spirit 1318s

that he is producing and bringing forth from you. So, who's going to be the recipients this week? 1335s

Who's going to be the recipients of God's kindness through you? Who's going to be the recipients? 1350s

Because you know, today is regular acts of kindness day and in fact tomorrow is regular acts 1361s

of kindness day. And in fact, the day after tomorrow and the day after and the day after 1374s

and after 1386s