“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
—Matthew 7:12 (NRSVUE)
Nearly every major world religion shares a teaching very much like what Christians call the Golden Rule…“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” It seems there is near-universal agreement that one of the primary keys to living on Planet Earth is to be kind and compassionate to our fellow citizens, whether human or non-human.
And yet much of our culture feels like it’s slipped into a kind of hyper-individualism that prioritizes the self as the highest value. Things like compassion and philanthropy only come about once our own perceived needs are fulfilled. The needs of others are always secondary to our own.
This week at New Wineskins we’ll wrap up our pre-lenten discussion on the Sermon on the Mount and mark the traditional observation of Transfiguration Sunday with a conversation about how prioritizing our neighbors might be the one thing powerful enough to change the world. Our discussion video this week comes from YouTube creators Reflections of Life and features people from around the world who have found happiness for themselves by placing others first.
Please join us this Sunday, March 2, in the New Wineskins Virtual Theology Pub powered by Zoom as we talk about how the simple act of kindness might just start the butterfly effect the world needs today.
6:00pm ET: Happy Half-Hour (informal meet & greet time)
6:30pm ET: Presentation & conversation begin
Check out this week’s discussion video
Click here to view this week’s discussion video on YouTube
Drawing from the inspiration of Fr. Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation, we’re starting 2025 with a dive into the Sermon on the Mount and its implications for today’s world. You may wish to subscribe to the CAC’s Daily Meditation email as a daily guide for our journey during this series.
Please help our coalfield neighbors
On February 15, 2025, destructive flooding struck many of the coalfield counties of West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and western Virginia. Cleanup and the road to recovery will be long. If you’d like to help financially, please give to any of the entities listed in the graphic above, or donate through West Virginia United Methodist Disaster Response at this link: https://wvumc.brtapp.com/page/donate/disaster-response-ministries (image courtesy From Below: Rising Together for Coalfield Justice)
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