Here’s a fall challenge for you: Leave an uncarved pumpkin on a random person’s front doorstep. Don’t knock on the door. Don’t leave a note. Just drop off the pumpkin.

Why?  Because that’s a random act of kindness.  It comes out of nowhere for the person receiving it.  It makes no logical sense.  It doesn’t have to happen.  But it matters a great deal and…it can start a chain reaction of kindness.

To say that more kindness is needed in the world is probably the biggest understatement I can think of.  It’s needed in our families, our communities, our wider society, and toward our planet itself.  (And don’t forget to toss a little kindness toward yourself!  Self-doubt and negative thinking are rampant.)

Kindness heals.  Kindness restores.  Kindness validates. 

Kindness doesn’t have to be complicated.  It doesn’t have to be planned out.  Once you start, however, it can become contagious.  In fact, if you accept the pumpkin challenge, here are some other follow-up ideas:

Put away your neighbor’s trash container.  Treat yourself to a massage.  Send a care package to someone who isn’t expecting it.  Text someone “Good Morning!”.  Leave a generous tip.  Fill the parking meter just before you pull out.  Start saving to support a cause.  Ask a senior about their past.  Befriend the new kid.

I’m convinced that acts like these are not just nice things to do.  They act like bridges across the waters of division.  They build on themselves.  They remind us that we are all human and that we are in this together.  

And they are, in fact, the gateway to finding Christ in our daily lives.  

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic