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Rahab - Joshua 2:12  "Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign.” 

Moving can be hugely stressful and when we recently moved, I’d forgotten how exhausting it could be. But someone offered to provide us with a meal for the first night in our new home. My first reaction was to say no, but then I realized that I needed to humble myself and accept the act of kindness being shown to us as a family. After a hectic day of moving I was so happy that I’d accepted the help. This meal, an act of kindness, turned out to be a blessing.   

Rahab was a prostitute living in a city where she enjoyed the protection of the king. She had heard stories of the God of the Israelites and how he opened the Red Sea to save his people from the Egyptians. So, when she comes across two spies who are being hunted down by the king, she hides them in the roof of her house, knowing that their God is mightier than the king. When the king enquires if she has seen them, she denies having seen them and sends the king’s men on a wild goose chase! By doing this she showed kindness and protected the two spies. If she had been caught, her life would not have been spared. Little did Rahab know that this one act of kindness not only saved her and her family’s lives, but she also became part of the family tree of Jesus Christ the Savior of the world we celebrate at Christmas!  

What will it take for you to show kindness to someone?

 

*stay tuned for tomorrow’s advent reflection* 

(advent reflections have been prepared by a variety of writers from Peace Church)