An Uncommon Act of Kindness

A cup of water given to the thirsty; food offered to the hungry; clothes donated to the naked; a visit made to the sick, imprisoned or lonely. These are the uncommon acts of kindness that Jesus uses as His litmus test for genuine faith as found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25.

None of these acts are miraculous in nature and can be done by anyone, anywhere at any time. They are not limited to social or financial status, gender or ethnic background. Quite simply, the acts themselves are cloaked in love.

Such an uncommon act of kindness was performed Monday night at AT&T Park in San Francisco by Matt Kemp, the centerfield for the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kemp was informed during the game that a fan of his was in attendance. But this was not your typical Dodgers fan. It was a boy named Joshua Jones, who is battling cancer which has left him in a wheelchair and unable to speak.

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, when the game ended – Kemp had made the last out in a loss, the Dodgers' fourth in a row – he walked over to Joshua in the stands not knowing that he was being videotaped by a spectator ... “Kemp reaches out to shake the Joshua's hand, and instead he gets a baseball, which the boy had in his right hand. Seated below field level, the boy looks with wide eyes as Kemp signs the baseball. The boy beams silently. Kemp returns the ball and then, in a ballpark full only a few minutes before, as onlookers laugh and cheer, Kemp removes his cap and hands it to the boy. He pulls his jersey – No. 27 – over his head and hands that, too, over the rail. And he unties his cleats, pulls off the right and then the left, and gives them to the boy so that his lap is piled with most of Matt Kemp's uniform.”

“It's just something I felt probably would have cheered him up a little bit,” Kemp said. “Help him out a little bit. I just did it. Hopefully that made that kid's day.”

Often, I will hear people say where is God today? Where is our Emmanuel – God is with us?

God was there at AT&T Park after the game ended and the stands emptied. He was there – ministering through Matt Kemp to an ailing boy. And He seeks to minister through us too.

Many Christians feel they cannot be used by God because they are not rich, famous, smart, eloquent, or good-looking. But God tells us in I Corinthians 1:26-29, “that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

God is not looking for the wise and noble. He is looking for you and me.

Kemp saw a need that only he could meet and when no one was watching, with his team sitting in last place in the National League West division, he met that need. Joshua Jones may only live a little while longer but he will forever have Kemp’s kindness stamped on his heart. This IS the gospel. God’s hands outstretched on the cross begging us to come and receive His love and then bidding us to extend that love to others.

Often professional athletes are rightfully labeled as selfish and egotistical – not Matt Kemp. I do not know if he is a Christian but on Monday, May 6 at AT&T Park he passed Jesus’ litmus test for genuine faith.

Mother Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity, an organization that is now present in more than 133 countries helping to care for children, the sick and the elderly, described her work with the poor and impoverished this way, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

I think Matt Kemp’s uncommon act of kindness would have made her smile.

*************************************************************
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

Acts of Love Are Worth Much and Cost Little

Proverbs 25:11 tell us that “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” This is perhaps one of the most apt descriptions of how a word of encouragement is received by someone who is depressed, discouraged, or feeling a sense of hopelessness. And I think if we are all honest with ourselves, all of us have been there at one time or another and have appreciated a word of encouragement from a friend or family member.

Jesus told us in John 13:35 that we would know His disciples by their love one toward the other. This was the only mark Jesus ever gave for a person who claims to be a Christian or a “little Christ.” And I suppose if you think about it, no other mark is needed as our love for one another demonstrates the gospel to its fullest capacity.

Many of the churches today fail to bring light to their dark communities because visitors sense no love among the members. Perhaps Marion Jacobsen put her finger on this missing component best when she said:

“If any group of Christians who claims to believe and practice all God has said in His Book will face up to their personal responsibility within the family of Christ, and to the real needs of Christians around them, their church will impress its community with the shining goodness of God’s love – to them AND among them. Such a transformation probably would do more to attract others to Jesus Christ than any house-to-house canvas, evangelistic campaign, or new church facility. People are hungry for acceptance, love, and friends, and unless they find them in the church, they may not stay there long enough to become personally related to Jesus Christ.

People are not persuaded, they are attracted. We must be able to communicate far more by what we are than by what we say.”

Mother Teresa offered a similar perspective on what ails the Western world:

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”

John C. Maxwell once said, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” The gospel message we proclaim is so much more than just quoting John 3:16 to someone. It is showing them the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus Christ. For you see, we are His representatives here and remain an example to a lost world that He truly did resurrect more than 2,000 years ago. The founding pastor of my church used to often say that you may be the only Bible anyone ever reads. I realize that it is a daunting statement but its burden in no way invalidates its reality.

Small acts done with great love are the core ingredients of the gospel. These acts provide a platform for sharing the gospel as the act itself IS the gospel in action. If you find yourself asking God to provide opportunities for you to share the gospel, start by meeting the needs of others and the door will swing wide open.
********************************************************
"Biblical love is not emotions or feelings, but attitudes and actions that seek the best interests of the other person."

- Jeff Bridges in The Practice of Godliness

A Living Epistle

This past week I was listening to a preacher speak about the love of God and he began detailing the life of Mother Teresa, who was an Albanian Catholic nun and founder of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. She ministered for more than 45 years to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries. At the time of her death in 1997, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity had more than 4,000 sisters, and an associated brotherhood of 300 members, operating 610 missions in 123 countries. These included hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counseling programs, personal helpers, orphanages, and schools.

The preacher went on to share a quote of hers that has remained lodged in my head all week because of its incredible poignancy and truth. An interviewer years ago had asked Mother Teresa how she was able to accomplish such great works in her life given her humble beginnings as an Albanian nun. She responded that she had not accomplished great works, but had rather performed simple acts toward others in need with great love.

As I pondered this statement, I thought to myself that she perfectly summed up the crux of the gospel and the Christian faith. It is not the acts themselves but acts performed in the love of Christ that minister to the body and soul.

Mother Teresa said many times throughout her life that being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. She acutely understood and lived the message of Christ as he told His followers to love their neighbor as themselves. In fact, all of Christ’s miracles were not performed simply to wow people but to showcase His love. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, visited the lonely, and raised the dead because of His great love. He told us in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that love is the greatest virtue of all because it encapsulates all of the others.

So, it is no wonder that in Matthew chapter 25, as Jesus speaks about the judgment of God when the believers will be separated from the unbelievers, He tells us that the litmus test of our faith in Him would be practically demonstrated in our lives as we minister to the needs of others. He never mentions what a devout Christian we were in terms of how often we attended church, Bible studies, or revival meetings, but instead focuses on how we loved and met the needs of others, in particular other believers, as he says to those on His right, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”

Did you notice that the acts that are commended are not earth shattering in nature, are they? Christ speaks of giving water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked, shelter to a stranger, and visiting the sick, lonely, or imprisoned. These are acts we all can do regularly in the normal course of life no matter our status, education, or geographical location. Christ did not say, “When you founded a church, surrendered to the missionary field, or built a school, you did these things to me.” He said a cup of water given to someone in need was given to Him.

What an amazing thought - a cup of water, some food, a bag of clothes, shelter for a stranger, time spent with the sick or lonely. These are the demonstrable acts of a life that is completely lost in Christ and these were the very acts that Mother Teresa performed over and over again for 45 years. This is why she said that she performed small acts with great love because she understood the Person she was truly ministering to – Jesus Christ. What a wonderful thought to allow to captivate our life and shape our walk.

So, this brings us to the most important question. What are we doing to minister to others? What am I doing? I recently listened to a sermon where the preacher said that your neighbor is anyone that has a need that you can meet. How many people around you and me have needs that we can meet? Let’s dedicate ourselves this Christmas season and throughout 2011 to becoming living epistles to others.

"Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus." - Mother Teresa