Have you ever wondered how many kind acts are done without anyone knowing? On any given Sunday at St. Luke’s, we hear so many stories of folks in our family of faith who do random acts of kindness and care for others without receiving any credit. That, of course, is the model Jesus calls us to in Matthew 6 in this very loose translation. 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.
That is also the model practiced by those who took the body of Jesus and buried Him in the tomb. The Gospels portray Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus as “secret” disciples of Jesus who go to Pilate with little fanfare and ask for the body. They were members of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the ruling body that had already condemned Jesus. But in the Gospel of John, the two men seem not to care who finds out about this final act of kindness they perform for Jesus.
I came across a story recently that also reminded me of the good people do that may go unrecognized for years. It is the story of Sir Nicholas Winton, of German-Jewish heritage. It was shortly before WWII broke out in Europe that Winton helped to rescue refugee children, mostly Jewish, whose families had fled persecution in Nazi Germany. Known as the “British Schindler,” Nicholas Winton was able to help move 669 children from Czechoslovakia before it fell into Nazi hands. He worked diligently to find new homes for these children in Britain. In September of 1939, the Nazi’s invaded Poland and the war officially began and all borders were closed. Winton expressed his utter and complete frustration that 250 children set to leave on another train were turned back. Only two of those children survived the concentration camps.
For 50 years, Winton’s virtuous deeds largely went unnoticed. In February of 1988, Winton was invited to be an audience member of a BBC television program called “That’s Life.” During the show, Sir Winton’s story was revealed, and the host asked whether there were any of the children in the audience whom Sir Winton had saved. They were asked to stand, and unbeknownst to Winton, about two dozen had been sitting all around him. They stood and applauded his long-forgotten acts of bravery and mercy.
This Lenten season is a reminder that because we have been extended God’s grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we too are called to extend kindness to others even if no one other than God knows.
Rev. David Poteet, Pastor of Congregational Care
