Reflect
Somewhere towards the middle of Wendell Berry’s beautiful novel Jayber Crow, there is a beatific vision that seems utterly transcendent, and touchingly humane. Jayber gets lost in the horrible 1937 flood; soaked and exhausted, he wanders in the darkness, until he sees a brightly lit building: the courthouse of a small town. Stumbling up the steps, he finds a stranger’s hand reaching out to him, offering a warm blanket, hot coffee, shelter. It may not sound like much, but in our hearts, isn’t that what we all crave? Kindness. Welcome.
Pray
To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like a mustard seed
that someone sowed in the garden;
it grew and became a tree,
and all the birds of the air
made nests in its branches.
Act
How can you make another feel welcome? Where have you shown kindness today? A smile, an encouraging word, a patient ear… These are simple gifts that let people know they matter, they are seen, they are loved. Simple gifts that bear witness to the grace of God.
