Love Kindness

I heard this song as I was driving home last week.  Not a great song that I would buy but listening to the words..... wow.  And I remembered Micah 6:8--what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. 

So many times we confuse nice with kind, and they are two different things.  Kindness seems much more active to me, and deeper.  Nice can be superficial.  And maybe, just maybe, kindness doesn't always look nice.  I don't know!  Thoughts?

WE CAN BE KIND

~David Friedman

So many things you can't control
So many hurts that happen everyday
So many heartaches that pierce the soul
So much pain that won't ever go away

How do we make it better?
How do we make it through?
What can we do when there's nothing we can do?

We can be kind
We can take care of each other
We can remember that deep down inside
We all need the same thing
And maybe we'll find
If we are there for each other
That together we'll weather whatever tomorrow may bring

Nobody really wants to fight
Nobody really wants to go to war
If everyone wants to make things right
Then what are we always fighting for?

Does nobody want to see it?
Does nobody understand?
The power to heal is right here in our hands.

We can be kind
We can take care of each other
We can remember that deep down inside
We all need the same thing
And maybe we'll find
If we are kind to each other
That together we'll weather whatever tomorrow may bring

And it's not enough to talk about it
Not enough to sing a song
We must walk the walk about it
You and I
Do or die
We've got to try to get along

We can be kind
We can take care of each other
We can remember that deep down inside
We all need the same thing
And maybe we'll find
If we are kind to each other
That together we'll weather whatever tomorrow may bring

And maybe we'll find
True peace of mind
If we always remember
We can be kind.

Intergenerational Relationships

I continue to read "Tribal Church" and find it a fun and thoughtful book to read. 

Chapter 2 talks about fostering intergenerational relationships.  One great quote on page 21 is "Church growth trends that market specifcally to younger generations while ignoring the elderly, and congregations who care for older members while neglecting young adults, exacerbate the schisms in our society."  The church however should be a place where there is community, not for some but for all.  How is it then that our congregations have come to cater to an age group or demographic? How is it that we talk about racial harmony and yet many of our communities are highly segregated on Sunday mornings?  Do we walk the talk? Do we think that Jesus has to be proclaimed differently to the demographic we speak to?  Is that what is meant by contextual?

I hope not, and yet I have to admit I see quite of bit of homogeny in our church today.

Tribal church reminds us that we do need to offer what people need in order to hear the proclamation of God.  Try to be a young parent and listen to a sermon while you try to keep your child quiet, even if the church says they are welcome--they can see the squirms of some. The council says they will provide a nursery when they have enough to warrent one. Will anyone come back to worship when they didn't have a nursery when they visited to "check out" the church? Is child care provided during meetings or events? With work schedules and single parenthood, it can get expensive to have to get a babysitter to participate in committee meetings or fellowship events. 

What are some things that the church could do that would say we really welcome all people into our church?  What would say we value all generations?