Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. – Matthew 6:1-3
The work of the Kingdom of God requires humility. We are instructed by Jesus to generously give in a way that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is up to. When we engage in the work that Jesus calls us to, we are to do so without shining a spotlight on our own good deeds.
During this past Advent season, I was able to witness the people of Crossroads engage in several covert operations of generosity as a way to relieve suffering and bring joy into the world. There were times that people showed up to help with physical needs and times that people donated money to families that needed support. These acts of generosity did not happen through the church giving plate, rather people were quietly collecting funds, delivering cards, and dropping off gifts. The right hand was giving and serving, the left hand – aware. These acts were done to bless others, not to gain praise. When we give, we trust that in the fullness of time, these acts of compassion and generosity will glow with the glory of the Lord.
As we engage in the spiritual practices of lent: prayer, fasting, living generously, and giving thanks, the point is not to shine a light on “how good we are” or how faithful we are living. According to Jesus, if you shine a light on your own good works, you will receive the lesser reward of human recognition and praise. There will be a time when the beauty of our collective Christ-enabled righteousness will shine like the morning sun, but now is not the time for us to shine the light on our own faithfulness or good deeds. Now is the time to work, as a community, to bring the goodness of God’s Kingdom to our communities with grace and humility.
Rev. Kyle Burrows serves as the pastor of Crossroads UMC in Fayetteville, NC
Our theme for this year’s Lenten reflections is Graceful Hospitality. 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the Ten Dollar Club, now known as the New Room Society. We give thanks for our Conference’s ongoing commitment to co-creating new places for new people to gather in communion with Jesus Christ and extending graceful hospitality to all of God’s children.