December 8, 2023
Listen:
Read Along:
Goodwill to All
by Chad Jones
All season I find it easier to spot the good around me. I feel myself quicker to a smile. More likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger just so I have the opportunity to wish them well. This is almost always met with the same eager spirit, and it is in those tiny moments I feel a comfort wash over me.
As I’ve gotten older, I understand better the heaviness that can be the world around us, and I realize now the source of that comfort is actually hope. We can do this. We can be kinder to one another. “Peace on Earth and goodwill to all” is a phrase I think about a lot this time of year.
Goodwill to all can feel hard, but a smile is an easy thing. Wishing someone well is an easy thing, and that kindness can inspire hope, and hope can inspire something bigger.
I’m lucky to be on staff at UUMC, because I get to see glimpses of this everyday. It’s not a seasonal thing either. It’s year round. Acts of kindness both big and small, week after week. That is my dream for our church community. That when things feel hard, we continue to show up. When sorrow creeps in, we continue to offer that goodwill to all, and then maybe, one day, maybe not too far from today, we’ll have a little peace on earth.
“Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors. ”
“There’s no room for hating in a heart full of kindness”
