– Scripture:
Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.“When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
Matthew 8:1-4 MSG
– Reflection:
The World Is Not A Stage
When does helping hurt? When is our love experienced as “unloving?” I have wondered about these questions and how they play a role in our lives. Our message for today, at least parts of it, are well known among us, people, Christians, or any other religious group or worldly group. In my experience, I think we would much rather give anonymously than have a room named after us in a renovated building somewhere we would more quickly downplay our contributions rather than have an article written about us. We would quietly serve weekly for decades rather than be front and center in an Outreach photo shoot for Instagram. We do not like to be flashy when it comes to giving or serving…” do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing….”
Where do we go from here?
What I think is often missed in this passage is not the “showiness” of the giving but how giving can be used for our own benefit. Do you catch that difference? What appears as showiness might just be sharing about the goodness of what God is doing in the world. And what might appear as humility is perhaps a quiet way of using the plight of others to feel better about ourselves. Love can be messy. beware of loving for all the wrong reasons for recognition, for selfish gain, or for making ourselves “feel good” – in doing so, we can end up hurting others. Sometimes living out this love faithfully seems foolish to us, being quiet when we feel like we should be recognized and making a show of things that we might not want others to see. Love can be messy – but this love is good.
Our Prayer for Today
Father God, guide us on this journey as we give to others less fortunate or serve in the church. Allow us to honor you without our intentions being misunderstood. It is great to do something for someone else, but don’t do it for an audience. Do it because you truly love that person(s) and want to see them in a better place. Father, because of you, we are here doing your work and loving others. You are in all that we do. Amen.