{"id":17039,"date":"2024-02-18T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-18T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bendfp.org\/?p=17039"},"modified":"2024-02-18T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-18T18:00:00","slug":"feb-18th-kindness-as-a-spiritual-practice-with-rev-dr-steven-koski","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bendfp.org\/2024\/02\/feb-18th-kindness-as-a-spiritual-practice-with-rev-dr-steven-koski\/","title":{"rendered":"Feb 18th: Kindness as a Spiritual Practice, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>WATCH:<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/913840419?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"MESSAGE \"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kindness as a Spiritual Practice with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski.  Series: Everyday Peacemakers  A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon.  Scripture: Romans 12.21;Galatians 5.22;Colossians 3.12;Matthew 5.9. <\/p>\n<p>This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Steven Koski invites us to practice kindness as a spiritual discipline during Lent by clothing ourselves with compassion for others in a divided world. <\/p>\n<p>Transcript:<\/p>\n<p> <a name=\"location-0_659\"><\/a> Steven: We recently opened our church doors as an emergency  <a name=\"location-2_999\"><\/a> warming relief shelter when the temperatures dropped below zero,  <a name=\"location-6_659\"><\/a> and our homeless neighbors were in danger of freezing to death.  <a name=\"location-10_439\"><\/a> And we allowed we allowed them to bring their pets with them.  <a name=\"location-13_799\"><\/a> And I was I was deeply moved by the, by the tender care our  <a name=\"location-17_879\"><\/a> guests gave their pets and actually the affection and  <a name=\"location-21_029\"><\/a> loyalty their pets, extended them to extend it to them. It  <a name=\"location-25_649\"><\/a> reminded me of this picture. This picture I saw of Jennifer,  <a name=\"location-30_929\"><\/a> a nurse in New York, who learned one of her patients John, who  <a name=\"location-34_799\"><\/a> was homeless, was forced to give up his dog Boomer to the local  <a name=\"location-38_519\"><\/a> shelter. When he was hospitalized. Jennifer went to  <a name=\"location-42_719\"><\/a> the animal shelter, and adopted her patients dog so that she  <a name=\"location-47_969\"><\/a> could bring him to visit while John completed his  <a name=\"location-50_129\"><\/a> rehabilitation in the hospital. Jennifer said there, there are  <a name=\"location-54_449\"><\/a> just so many worries in the world right now. That&#8217;s the  <a name=\"location-58_199\"><\/a> least I can do. I can&#8217;t cure diseases. I&#8217;m not a miracle  <a name=\"location-61_919\"><\/a> worker, I can&#8217;t fix the world. But I can care for John&#8217;s dog.  <a name=\"location-67_889\"><\/a> As long as he needs me to. I can choose to be kind. You know, I  <a name=\"location-75_149\"><\/a> wonder if that kind of kindness is what the kingdom of God looks  <a name=\"location-79_889\"><\/a> like. At a time when there is so much cruelty in humanity,  <a name=\"location-84_299\"><\/a> ugliness. The gift we can offer the world is the best of our  <a name=\"location-90_119\"><\/a> humanity. That part of our humanity that is a reflection of  <a name=\"location-95_129\"><\/a> God&#8217;s goodness, the medicine the world needs is to believe in the  <a name=\"location-100_709\"><\/a> power of kindness. John Rodale is a poet who wrote when the  <a name=\"location-107_399\"><\/a> world goes mad, be wildly kind to everyone, everyone, everyone.  <a name=\"location-116_399\"><\/a> You can&#8217;t control much. But you can control how you treat  <a name=\"location-121_049\"><\/a> others. In these breaking news, heartbreaking times when nothing  <a name=\"location-125_519\"><\/a> feels certain. Let your raw kindness, be a certainty. Allow  <a name=\"location-133_469\"><\/a> your compassion to become a North Star stamped up in the sky  <a name=\"location-138_059\"><\/a> for others to follow back home. The apostle Paul said Do not be  <a name=\"location-143_699\"><\/a> overcome by evil, but overcome evil, with goodness and  <a name=\"location-150_449\"><\/a> kindness. I mean this. This is our marching orders as people of  <a name=\"location-155_759\"><\/a> faith to be to be a steady and reliable force for goodness and  <a name=\"location-161_249\"><\/a> kindness in a world gone mad. It says in Galatians 522 that  <a name=\"location-168_209\"><\/a> kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. In other words, there&#8217;s  <a name=\"location-175_049\"><\/a> something of God and every act of kindness, every act of  <a name=\"location-180_269\"><\/a> kindness reflects the same spirit that was in Jesus. I know  <a name=\"location-186_839\"><\/a> we think we think faith and our spiritual life should somehow  <a name=\"location-190_889\"><\/a> somehow be more sophisticated than that. But honestly, to be  <a name=\"location-196_259\"><\/a> faithful, is to be kind. Our acts of kindness are the portal  <a name=\"location-203_969\"><\/a> that allows a little more of the mercy and tenderness of God into  <a name=\"location-207_419\"><\/a> the world. Kindness is actually a spiritual practice. And  <a name=\"location-215_069\"><\/a> kindness is a spiritual practice I encourage all of us to commit  <a name=\"location-218_759\"><\/a> to and to work on during the season of Lent. The apostle Paul  <a name=\"location-223_349\"><\/a> encourages us in the Book of Colossians. Therefore as God&#8217;s  <a name=\"location-227_759\"><\/a> chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with  <a name=\"location-232_949\"><\/a> kindness. What if after, after brushing our teeth and after  <a name=\"location-237_989\"><\/a> showering? What if we imagined clothing ourselves with  <a name=\"location-243_929\"><\/a> kindness? trying the best we can to to have kindness be our  <a name=\"location-250_109\"><\/a> default for every situation that we find ourselves in. This  <a name=\"location-254_939\"><\/a> weekend is the first weekend of the season of Lent. Now lent in  <a name=\"location-261_719\"><\/a> the church is a season of reflection, repentance, renewal,  <a name=\"location-267_089\"><\/a> leading to the celebration of Easter. Now, repentance for me,  <a name=\"location-273_629\"><\/a> the word repentance, for many is a scary word, a scary church  <a name=\"location-278_069\"><\/a> word. The word repentance actually mean just simply to  <a name=\"location-285_689\"><\/a> turn to turn around. It actually means to rethink things. So the  <a name=\"location-294_569\"><\/a> season of Lent leading up to Easter is a time to intense  <a name=\"location-299_999\"><\/a> Leave, reflect and rethink how we are showing up in the world  <a name=\"location-306_149\"><\/a> to rethink how we live, and how we love. When we wake up on  <a name=\"location-313_559\"><\/a> Easter morning, how will we be different? What new resurrection  <a name=\"location-320_429\"><\/a> will we have experienced? How will our relationship with God  <a name=\"location-324_449\"><\/a> with ourselves with others be different? How can we make make  <a name=\"location-329_519\"><\/a> more room in our hearts and in our lives? For the love that  <a name=\"location-335_189\"><\/a> changes everything? So how will we be different on Easter? And  <a name=\"location-341_939\"><\/a> what are our plans for the next 40 days? To prepare for that?  <a name=\"location-348_659\"><\/a> What is the spiritual work that we need to do? So that God can  <a name=\"location-353_549\"><\/a> do what God does? Our theme for Lent is every day, peacemakers.  <a name=\"location-364_379\"><\/a> Jesus said, Blessed are the peacemakers into a harsh world  <a name=\"location-372_089\"><\/a> ugly with violence and hate. Jesus sends us as peacemakers.  <a name=\"location-379_619\"><\/a> So during this season of Lent, we&#8217;re going to focus on what  <a name=\"location-383_939\"><\/a> does it mean to follow the peacemaking way of Jesus, the  <a name=\"location-389_219\"><\/a> conflict polarization, hate, that is saturating our world  <a name=\"location-395_669\"><\/a> right now is actually likely to escalate and get worse in this  <a name=\"location-400_379\"><\/a> election year. I&#8217;ve been saying these past few weeks that, that  <a name=\"location-405_539\"><\/a> our spiritual work for 2024 is to develop the capacity for a  <a name=\"location-412_469\"><\/a> spiritual response to life, grounding from grounded from a  <a name=\"location-417_719\"><\/a> deep place of peace, compassion, kindness, wisdom, so to respond  <a name=\"location-424_979\"><\/a> to life from our spiritual core, and not react to life from fear,  <a name=\"location-430_109\"><\/a> anger, judgment, anxiety. And this season of Lent is a time to  <a name=\"location-438_209\"><\/a> really focus on that spiritual work. You know, it&#8217;s a common  <a name=\"location-443_579\"><\/a> practice to, to give something up for Lent. A one year I gave  <a name=\"location-448_229\"><\/a> up chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol, the trifecta. I was, I  <a name=\"location-455_279\"><\/a> was actually tempted to give up swearing as well, but decided  <a name=\"location-457_769\"><\/a> that was actually more than I could handle. And I&#8217;m  <a name=\"location-460_949\"><\/a> embarrassed to admit the result of this exercise and self  <a name=\"location-463_919\"><\/a> discipline was that I found myself constantly thinking about  <a name=\"location-470_609\"><\/a> myself. I mean, how I was feeling how hard it was, how I  <a name=\"location-474_599\"><\/a> how I felt deprived. I mean, whenever anyone asked me, well,  <a name=\"location-477_929\"><\/a> what are you giving up for Lent I, I boasted like, I should  <a name=\"location-481_319\"><\/a> receive the gold star for letting discipline. I realized  <a name=\"location-486_059\"><\/a> that my Lenten practice, was stroking my ego. Rather than  <a name=\"location-492_599\"><\/a> surrendering my ego. I was so focused, leaving very little  <a name=\"location-499_229\"><\/a> room for God to to find some space. Now I lost five pounds,  <a name=\"location-504_119\"><\/a> but I I certainly wasn&#8217;t any closer to God. I didn&#8217;t  <a name=\"location-508_379\"><\/a> experience a spiritual renewal. I didn&#8217;t become a more loving  <a name=\"location-513_449\"><\/a> person. So rather than giving something up for Lent, what if  <a name=\"location-520_919\"><\/a> we took on something mean? What if we practiced becoming  <a name=\"location-527_429\"><\/a> everyday peacemakers? In this harsh world where there&#8217;s so  <a name=\"location-532_079\"><\/a> much hostility? What if we intentionally each day, clothed  <a name=\"location-540_269\"><\/a> ourselves with kindness? What if we actually took up kindness as  <a name=\"location-548_879\"><\/a> a spiritual practice for Lent? In others something of God. In  <a name=\"location-556_229\"><\/a> every act of kindness, every act of kindness brings that same  <a name=\"location-561_449\"><\/a> spirit that was in Jesus into the world. Did you see the  <a name=\"location-568_229\"><\/a> incredible Performance at the Grammy Awards of of Tracy  <a name=\"location-571_889\"><\/a> Chapman singing the song fast car that she first released in  <a name=\"location-575_099\"><\/a> 1988 with country star Luke combs. It was so uplifting, so  <a name=\"location-582_629\"><\/a> inspiring, so incredible to people, to people who couldn&#8217;t  <a name=\"location-587_009\"><\/a> be any more different. <\/p>\n<p> <a name=\"location-589_23\"><\/a> Tracy Chapman, a queer, older, black woman, Luke combs, a  <a name=\"location-594_87\"><\/a> straight young white male country singer. And there they  <a name=\"location-599_58\"><\/a> were are united in song united in spirit. As I was watching  <a name=\"location-605_82\"><\/a> this performance, there were tears in my eyes. Here was a  <a name=\"location-611_43\"><\/a> black woman and a white man singing together, about people  <a name=\"location-617_61\"><\/a> down on their luck dreaming a better lives dreaming of a  <a name=\"location-620_16\"><\/a> better world singing about a fast car fast enough so they can  <a name=\"location-623_49\"><\/a> fly away. Just for a moment in that song and these two artists  <a name=\"location-629_25\"><\/a> singing together, and the obvious respect, you could see  <a name=\"location-635_34\"><\/a> it in their eyes that they extended to each other. Just for  <a name=\"location-638_94\"><\/a> a moment. The politics the hate the divisions faded away. And we  <a name=\"location-647_55\"><\/a> got a glimpse of the more beautiful world that our hearts  <a name=\"location-651_93\"><\/a> know as possible. There are two forces at work in the world. The  <a name=\"location-659_31\"><\/a> forces of integration joining us together and the forces of  <a name=\"location-666_78\"><\/a> disintegration pulling us apart. That moment of Tracy Chapman and  <a name=\"location-673_56\"><\/a> Luke combs singing together was such a beautiful example of the  <a name=\"location-678_75\"><\/a> forces of integration. I mean, music uniting two disparate  <a name=\"location-684_3\"><\/a> people, bringing them together and inspiring all of us. That a  <a name=\"location-693_15\"><\/a> different way a different world is possible. We need more of  <a name=\"location-700_98\"><\/a> those moments. There are definitely forces of  <a name=\"location-704_79\"><\/a> disintegration at work in the world, you know, grabbing us by  <a name=\"location-708_12\"><\/a> the lapels demanding our attention. We need to turn our  <a name=\"location-713_73\"><\/a> attention we need to turn our hearts to the forces of  <a name=\"location-718_77\"><\/a> integration. kindness. Kindness as a daily spiritual practice,  <a name=\"location-729_51\"><\/a> is a force of integration. In a world trying to pull us apart a  <a name=\"location-735_66\"><\/a> genre Dell said when the world goes mad, be wildly kind to  <a name=\"location-740_64\"><\/a> everyone. Everyone. Someone shared with me recently that she  <a name=\"location-746_52\"><\/a> was as she was driving to work, she was following a car that had  <a name=\"location-750_18\"><\/a> a sign in the back window that said, learning to drive a stick  <a name=\"location-754_77\"><\/a> shift. Sorry for any delay. My friend said knowing this  <a name=\"location-760_23\"><\/a> information, she actually then became very patient, be patient  <a name=\"location-765_57\"><\/a> with their slow shifting and their their stops and starts.  <a name=\"location-769_53\"><\/a> And she said they&#8217;re actually doing pretty well for just  <a name=\"location-771_81\"><\/a> learning. But then she asked herself a tough question. Would  <a name=\"location-777_99\"><\/a> I have been just as patient in kind if the sign hadn&#8217;t been  <a name=\"location-783_57\"><\/a> there in the back window of the car? And she said I can almost  <a name=\"location-787_98\"><\/a> definitely say no, no, I probably wouldn&#8217;t have been very  <a name=\"location-791_82\"><\/a> patient or kind. We really don&#8217;t know what people are going  <a name=\"location-797_67\"><\/a> through in life. And everyone and I mean, everyone is going  <a name=\"location-802_5\"><\/a> through something. We don&#8217;t wear signs that illustrate our  <a name=\"location-806_43\"><\/a> personal struggles. You know, you don&#8217;t see signs taped to  <a name=\"location-808_95\"><\/a> people&#8217;s shirts that say, going through a divorce or lost a  <a name=\"location-813_36\"><\/a> child or struggling with depression or are diagnosed with  <a name=\"location-818_1\"><\/a> cancer. If we could read visually, what those around us  <a name=\"location-824_58\"><\/a> are going through the burdens, they&#8217;re carrying the grief,  <a name=\"location-826_95\"><\/a> they&#8217;re holding the wounds that aren&#8217;t healed. If we could read  <a name=\"location-831_99\"><\/a> that visually, I&#8217;m sure we would definitely be more patient in  <a name=\"location-838_29\"><\/a> kind. But we shouldn&#8217;t have to see signs. We shouldn&#8217;t have to  <a name=\"location-844_32\"><\/a> have a reason to treat strangers or or even friends and family  <a name=\"location-849_06\"><\/a> members with an extra dose of kindness. We should be kind  <a name=\"location-855_09\"><\/a> whether we know what&#8217;s going on or not whether they deserve it  <a name=\"location-857_73\"><\/a> or not. Kindness you know kindness that the word it seems  <a name=\"location-865_5\"><\/a> like a soft word a word maybe reserved for Hallmark cards or  <a name=\"location-870_42\"><\/a> Disney movies. Certainly not a word that belongs in the harsh  <a name=\"location-874_77\"><\/a> realities of this world. But in a world that lives like a  <a name=\"location-880_8\"><\/a> clenched fist kindness is the courage to walk in this world.  <a name=\"location-892_11\"><\/a> With a tender heart and an open hand. There is something of God  <a name=\"location-901_5\"><\/a> In every act of kindness, every act of kindness brings that same  <a name=\"location-908_07\"><\/a> spirit that was in Jesus into the world. To follow the  <a name=\"location-914_73\"><\/a> peacemaking way of Jesus is to practice kindness. I want to  <a name=\"location-920_37\"><\/a> finish with one more. John ngModel. Paul. Whenever I feel  <a name=\"location-926_46\"><\/a> helpless in this overwhelming world, I become a helper. On the  <a name=\"location-932_52\"><\/a> days when it feels like I have no power. I serve others with  <a name=\"location-938_25\"><\/a> kindness. You see, whenever I wash the world&#8217;s feet, my hands,  <a name=\"location-947_22\"><\/a> stop shaking. Friends, Blessed are the peacemakers. And blessed  <a name=\"location-954_36\"><\/a> are those who join the forces of integration in the world.  <a name=\"location-959_64\"><\/a> Blessed are those who clothed themselves with kindness. May it  <a name=\"location-967_89\"><\/a> be so <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kindness as a Spiritual Practice with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski.  Series: Everyday Peacemakers  A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon.  Scripture: Romans 12.21;Galatians 5.22;Colossians 3.12;Matthew 5.9. <\/p>\n<p>This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Steven Koski invites us to practice kindness as a spiritual discipline during Lent by clothing ourselves with compassion for others in a divided world. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"xn-wppe-expiration":[],"xn-wppe-expiration-action":[],"xn-wppe-expiration-prefix":[]},"categories":[187,16,425],"tags":[1258,1562,1519,1142,1560,1559,1141,1556,1078,1147,1253,1143,1557,1162,1362,1561,1245,1465,1558,1151],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v16.3 (Yoast SEO v20.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Feb 18th: Kindness as a Spiritual Practice, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. - First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bendfp.org\/2024\/02\/feb-18th-kindness-as-a-spiritual-practice-with-rev-dr-steven-koski\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Feb 18th: Kindness as a Spiritual Practice, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. - First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Kindness as a Spiritual Practice with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. Series: Everyday Peacemakers A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon. Scripture: Romans 12.21;Galatians 5.22;Colossians 3.12;Matthew 5.9.  This Sunday, Rev. 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