Kind Deeds

James:2:417

4What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

“Deeds” is my word of the day – inspired by what I saw when I walked into church this morning.   Adorning each end of every pew in the church was a colorful blanket, made by members of the congregation for the homeless and hungry in Long Beach.  Over 200  (I think it may have been up to 300) scarves and mittens were in multitudes of bags around the chancel.  They were there to be blessed by the minister, before being handed out at our monthly dinner for the homeless at COA (Christian Outreach in Action.)

It started simply enough.  Last December the Church Bells Choir played at the church service that preceded the dinner.  As one of the members was leaving with her son, a homeless man came up to the boy, saying,” My hands are so cold.  Can I borrow your gloves for a minute?”

That sparked a plan!  The members of the Bells, soon joined by the Knitting Club, started making scarves and blankets to give out the following Christmas season.  Making mittens turned out to be too complicated, but a church member volunteer to buy as many pairs of mittens as there were scarves.

You might think we are a large church with many members.  Not so.  We’re actually a rather small church, but there’s a lot of love and caring there.         “Deeds” is more than a word – it’s action.  One of our favorite times of the year is Christmas, when we adopt a dozen or so “Christmas families”, suggested to us by social services, the school district, and the City Council.  Big charts with each family’s name and members are placed all across our community hall.  Index cards with each family’s Christmas wishes are placed in individual pockets.  Church members – and actually a number of the people from the community – select a card and buy and wrap their chosen present.  Big items like beds and microwaves are donated by members who can.  Christmas trees are provided by the church.  Then the Saturday before Christmas, members deliver the “Merry Christmas” to the family.

I picked up a greeting card last week that sums up everything I’ve said in just ten words:  ”A kind deed is a prayer with two hands attached.

Compassion

Luke 10:30-37 (RVS) 

[30] Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.[31] Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.[32] So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.[33] But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion,[34] and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.[35] And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’[36] Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”[37] He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The parable is familiar – The Good Samaritan – but what leaps out at me is the phrase. …when he saw him, he had compassion. Compassion:  oops, there’s a word that jolts me.  It’s easy for me to feel compassion for the poor, victimized folk of Darfur or for the homeless right here in Long Beach.  When I was still teaching I was very compassionate with my students – my job there was to help them and I devoted all my energies in trying to do so and felt rewarded by the very process.

 

I have trouble, though, integrating compassion into my personal everyday life.  The Oxford American Dictionary defines compassion as “a feeling of pity that makes one want to help or show mercy.”   Well, my actions are o.k. – I really do try to help – but my thoughts are a different matter.  Unfortunately, I’m inclined to think, “For heavens sakes, why didn’t she …” or “”I would never have put myself in that situation in the first place.”  For instance, I have a good friend of many years who has knee problems and has difficulty walking.  I feel badly for her but also a little irritated because when the problem first started the doctors told her swimming or bike riding would help, but she didn’t do either.  It’s fairly typical of her – she’ll turn to pills and psychics rather than do the uncomfortable physical things that might help.

 

But there I go – it’s none of my business why or why not she didn’t do those things.   The facts are:  her bad knees are impacting her life, and judgment should never enter into a situation that calls only for compassion.  What one should or shouldn’t have been done is completely beside the point.  What counts is what the person’s going through right now.

 

I pray over this a lot, and a light bulb suddenly lit up my mind.  Not only should I be compassionate to others, but I should also be compassionate to myself.  Yes, I make mistakes and don’t always react the way I would like to see myself react – but I’m trying to be better.  I care.   And if I start being compassionate to myself, I think it will be easier to be compassionate to others.

 

Good Deeds

Galatians:  7-10  (NIV)

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

You probably think I’ll pick the familiar “A man reaps what he sows” to talk about.  Most likely I will some day, as most of us have felt the undeniable truth of that in our own lives.  Today, however, a different phrase is lodged in my thoughts and clamors to be heard: “Let us not become weary in doing good.”

When I do something “good” I feel a warm glow in my heart.  I know that, even if no one recognizes it, I am doing God’s work.  After a while though, I become tired, and with fatigue comes discouragement.  I remind myself that if one is doing good in order to be noticed, it doesn’t count as good.  True good works come from the heart, and no reward should be expected.

 

I must admit, though, that I feel much less weary, when someone appreciates what I’ve done.  I cook and serve at my church’s dinner for the homeless each month.  This matters a lot to me, and I truly feel I get a lot more than I give.  When I get home I dash off an account of how the meal went adding humorous asides on what various people said and did.  I’ve been sending this e-mail to the church organizers of the meal for several years now.  Nobody comments, and I began to wonder if they even wanted to get these detailed accounts.  Last week I was so tired that I didn’t send the report till several days later, figuring that it really didn’t matter that much.  The next day I received an e-mail dealing with several homeless-dinner matters and concluding, “Thanks for all you do and these lovely newsletters.”  My weariness instantly evaporated.

 

Unfortunately, despite my best intentions, I don’t do a lot of good – not like some people do.  I think of the people who work daily with the homeless, the nurses who are always on call to minister to multitudinous needs, the social workers, the ministers, and so many more who devote their lives to helping others.  They receive little recognition for all they do and must, at times, “become weary in doing good.”  I pray for them and hope that they read Galatians 9: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Love Must Be Sincere

Romans 12:19-21

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

The phrase “Love must be sincere” – or as it’s phrased in some translations, “Let love be genuine – could have been written specifically for me. This is what I pray for every day – that I not just ¬show caring but feel it deep in my heart. This is hard for me to do, and I see my lack in everyday ways.

For example, if my love was really sincere and genuine, when I asked someone a question I would listen thoughtfully to the answer without thinking of what I was going to say next. I would encourage others to share their feelings and thoughts rather than bursting to get in with mine. I keep working on that lack of mine and am getting a little better, but I’m not yet where I would like to be.

Love that is genuine and sincere is not an academic love. It’s a reality that springs from the heart, not the mind. Sincere love put the needs of other to the forefront. I do not mean I should ignore my own needs but that I should recognize that similar needs exist in others and try to help them fulfill those needs. The glow I feel in my heart when I know I have truly reached out to another is more than worth a temporary inconvenience.

It’s interesting where the word “sincere” comes from. It comes from the Greek “sine sera” (I hope I spelled that right!), meaning “without wax”. When the potter took his pot out of the kiln and found cracks in the glaze, he would fill the cracks with wax and subsequently sell the pot. However, when the pot was set in a sunny window the wax melted and the cracks were revealed. Reputable potters started using the phrase ”sine sera” to assure their customers that their pots were the real thing.