Matthew 7.12 – The Golden Rule. Jesus teaching the crowds of followers: “In everything do to others as you would have them to do you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” I really love how Eugene Peterson in The Message paraphrases this oft-quoted verse: “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.” A simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior. Simple to say, much harder to practice. For the month of October, we have planned a worship series titled, “Do Unto Others” that is based on Matthew 7.12. You may have seen other United Methodist churches promoting the same series. It was developed by the Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist church in our denomination. “Do Unto Others” is a “grassroots movement to encourage people to be intentional about treating one another with kindness, even with those we disagree. A vote for kindness is a step toward overcoming the polarization of our country through civility and respect” (campaignforkindness.org). Each week we will dive into another passage of Scripture, explore its meaning at the time the words were spoken, and suggest how they may be relevant to us, followers of Jesus, today.