These serving folks received no reward. They gained no applause or even acknowledgment of their loving actions. They simply ministered to the needs of those around them who could offer nothing in return. They did it quietly and simply and without fanfare. They did not attempt to be superstars. No, indeed. They merely performed small, ordinary acts of kindness right where they were, with no one watching or handing out gold stars.
I became so struck with these kindnesses and immediately thought about Jesus saying, "and if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
I was overpowered by the idea that we have, I believe, gotten very much off-base in the American church today. We talk a lot about being "missional." We talk a lot about reaching a city or a region. We talk a lot about evangelism and reaching the world.
I think that something very important has been lost merely because of the culture that we live in. A culture that is unique to the pageant of history. Think about it. We now have television, internet, around-the-globe flights in a day, faxes, telephones, and vast amounts of accumulated wealth and resources with which to solve problems like hunger, disease, and water shortages. Indeed, the world has gotten much smaller to us. And much more manageable. And much more "conquerable."
The promise of fame and fortune, wealth and power, honor and privilege, and large numbers of people in attendance is bigger now than ever before. It is so simple to slip into a mindset of greatness. Hasn't God called us to be great? Hasn't He called us to go and preach the gospel and to make disciples of all nations? Doesn't He want us to reach as many people as we possibly can? Aren't we His hands and feet? If we have the means to accomplish great things, oughtn't we??
Well, maybe. But I would propose this. All of this great focus on reaching "our world" for Christ has detracted from something very important and has essentially nullified it in many regards. Jesus wants us to be persistently kind and loving to those in our sphere of influence. It's reiterated in some many ways in the gospel and in the epistles. From foot washing to "living quiet lives in godliness and holiness," the scriptures are whispering something to us.
What good is it if we speak with the tongues of men and angels, proclaiming the gospel to the entire Earth, if we don't have enough love to simply be patient with our children or hold the hand of a hurting friend or make a call to say, "I'm sorry?" Haven't we really missed something here?
We live in a day where preachers stand in the pulpit and proclaim that we are, together, going to build something awesome for Jesus. We are going to win people for Him. And they are equally clear that they are not to be expected to say, "Hello" to everyone in the hallway because you just can't expect someone who is so important and busy to be concerned about these little kindnesses.
We live in a day where ministers talk about changing the world but overlook fundamental, "square one" rules of Christian living like being humble and apologetic and comforting those who mourn.
This attitude (which I have lived beneath and in and seen in motion in a local church) produces so many sad circumstances. It creates such a sense of intensity and excitement and even frenzy to "reach people" or "do good" that when people are hurt or wounded or need some specific, long-term ministry (like a catatonic mental patient), they are simply left to themselves. (After all, who really has time to sit and read a book to an unresponsive friend when there are lives to win for Christ?)
Is this not the story of the good Samaritan? The one who was "on fire for God" didn't have time to stop and quietly and dutifully minister to the needs of a man who might never live to appreciate it. He was busy on GOD's errand. He didn't have time to fool with such a minor little task.
This attitude of greatness and largesse also produces a good deal of judgment. If we are going somewhere in a focused manner and we encounter someone who isn't as concerned with getting there as we are, we feel no obligation to stop and listen or try to understand. People who do not "get it" are simply summarily dismissed in favor of people who do. There is not a value placed on slowing down, taking time to listen and comprehend. We can just haughtily look down our spiritual noses at those who don't feel compelled to be missional and hugely evangelistic and deem them "uncommitted to the cause."
I cannot tell you the examples that I can sit and think of that exemplify the manner in which we have strained out a gnat and swallowed a camel. I sat with a gentleman recently who obviously loves Jesus but his comment to my husband and I was, "How are you? And if the answer is anything other than 'fine,' I don't want to know." He said it with a smile but he was dead serious. Not surprisingly, this is one of our friends who is very missionally minded and very focused on "getting somewhere" as the body of Christ.
I can no longer justify this. I can no longer justify trying to reach out to a lost and dying world while ignoring the simple commandments that my Lord has given me to love those around me. And to love them well. Not with some small modicum of affection or some minor amount of patience. I am to love persistently, patiently, quietly. I do not show love to those around me to impress others or for fanfare or to brag about how many attendees I have at my Sunday services. In fact, if my focus is right, all of those things will fall into the shadows as I set my eyes upon ministering God's love to those in my little corner of the world.
And God assures us that all of the little things that we do in private, in secret, will be seen by Him and rewarded. All of the patience and love and sympathy and care that we show for one another is seen by One who justly rewards. Those who scurry about and give obediently of their time and energy to a larger cause, dedicating it all to a "bigger picture," while neglecting to care for those who desperately need care have already received their reward.
I do not believe that we may ever move onto Square Two until we have learned the lessons of Square One. And, sadly, it takes a lifetime for most of us to even learn what Square One is or what it requires. Until we have learned, as a church, to quietly and patiently minister to those around us who are unloveable, broken, intolerable, sick, injured, whining, dysfunctional, crying, angry, irritating, or otherwise unattractive, we have no right to go about professing to want to change the world. Indeed, how can we?
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