During the Covid 19 Pandemic with church attendance restricted Bobbi and I have become regular listeners to the nine o’clock services at the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City.
Recently the sermons have concentrated on the Book of Romans and the teachings of the Apostle Paul.
This past Sunday I was struck by a short, but a highly instructive sentence in Romans 12:21. While I had never heard this scripture before it could have a tremendous impact in our world today with all the evil, thoughtless and ugly rhetoric and dishonesty present in our society.
Romans 12:21 says “Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.”
How could instructions for living a truly Christian life be more concise and simple? “Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.”
What if we all tried to react to negative words or rude behavior with an act of kindness versus seeking some kind of revenge?
In Romans 12:19 it says “Don’t try to get revenge for yourselves, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath.”
Would you disagree with me that in our upside-down world today revenge is too often the goal? This seems especially true in the world of politics.
The Church of the Resurrection’s plan to use good to defeat evil is very simple. They have an ongoing campaign to feed the hungry in the Kansas City area, so they are encouraging their parishioners to step up their participation in the battle against hunger with new acts of goodness when they face evil in their lives. The concept is so simple it will work.
If you’d like an act of kindness to use when you are faced with evil why not start filling a sack or box for our KVOE “Pack the Pantry” set for October 14. That’s when we collect food from all over Emporia to fill the shelves at the local Salvation Army.
To have your donation picked up just call 342-1400 and give us your address then put your bag or box on the curb on the morning of the 14th and we’ll do the rest.
My suggestion is you start a box now and every time you face evil you add something to it.
Romans 12:21 says “Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.” That’s what the “good book” says and helping feed the hungry would seem like a solid act of goodness.
We will see you on the 14th!
I’m Steve Sauder
