So we’ve seen in our discussion on the Common Good from last week that we are not looking to be “benevolent stoopers” who throw a bone to those we perceive as needy. And we’ve looked at who really are our brothers and sisters, and how our Father God would have us view them. Now, in this 3rd and final part of the series, let’s look at how the Gospel informs our response.
Hearers and Doers
So do we just hope and wish for a common good, or do we actually have to do good? Remember, Jesus said that we are to be both hearers and doers of the truth…and yet he offered no grand, sweeping social programs or schemes.
Jesus said it was a daily loving of our neighbors, a cup of cold water, a visit to a lonely prisoner that showed the kingdom was at hand and was changing the world. He personally demonstrated all of this by feeding and healing and being with people so that they would know what his Father was truly like; so they would desire a new life submitted to God and his hopes for them.
Handing out tracts, preaching at folks during the 4th of July parade through a bullhorn or conducting door-to-door surveys is not good news to most people.[clickToTweet tweet=”Will we give money to large social causes crafted by outsiders, or will we give our lives?” quote=”Will we give money to large social causes crafted by outsiders, or will we give our lives?”]
Jesus said that his proof of who he was and that the kingdom of God was at hand was evident by his works: the blind can see, the lame can walk, the dead have been raised to life! What he did not say was, “The lame have been given a pamphlet and prayed for and the clueless have been screamed at from a distance.” In each case Jesus’ good news was actually good news for the needy person, specifically, tangibly.
In order to live lives that are accomplishing a common good (or actually, God’s common best) we will need to spend time with people, getting to know their individual and community stories, their hopes and dreams, their nightmares and fears. We’ll need to live out the good news with flesh on; giving from our Father’s inexhaustible resources entrusted to us for his glory. We’ll need to ask people what they need and how we can help. You’ll be surprised what can happen when you do.
People get actual help, you get blessed, God gets seen for who he really is.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
So to go over a few examples—good and bad:
Stupid phrases on church signs (i.e. To avoid sinburn use Sonscreen!)
Not good!
Asking people what they actually need and how we can help.
Good.
Handouts of food, clothing or shelter without offering relationship.
Not so good.
Inviting those who are receiving the “good” to participate in our lives.
Very good.
Benevolent stooping where we provide occasional assistance from our excess.
No good.
Seeing all that we have been given in life as Kingdom resource.
Really good.
Back to the Garden…
Now let’s loop back and look at the questions I posed earlier regarding our work on the community garden.
Was it good for the neighbors?
Whenever people see something that is in disrepair and decay being restored to the purpose it was created for, they are witnessing a display of the type of work the gospel can do. But unfortunately we didn’t really invite many neighbors to participate in the work with us, so it probably appeared strange that more than one hundred white folks showed up in a mostly black part of town to work on an abandoned community garden.
After the work was finished the garden did look amazing, but within a couple months it had reverted back to a shambles. Almost no one in the neighborhood really wanted or used that garden in the first place, so they didn’t utilize the restored garden either. Soon the weeds regained authority and you could hardly tell we had been there.
I’m not sure that a restoration that doesn’t last is such good news.
Was it good for our church community?
In some ways it was. Working together, giving our time, gifts and resources with the hopes of blessing others is never a bad thing, but unfortunately it was not a very strategic or informed undertaking. Since we had not built a real relationship with those we sought to serve and provide for their common good, it was really more about what we wanted to accomplish and how “missional” we would look doing it. It was a pretty fun day overall, but it was disappointing watching the garden fall apart quickly afterwards. It made it harder to motivate our community to live out acts of service after this.
The church in America is at a crossroads once again when it comes to our “public face”. We have the chance to both do good (for everyone) in a way that offers God’s best, his plan for redemption, and is actually seen as good news.
As more and more Christians are engaging their faith in communities on mission, a great opportunity stands before us: will we build these communities–the churches of the next generation–primarily for the sake of “us” in ways that make us comfortable, or will we grasp true, biblical Christianity and give our lives and resources for the sake of others to God’s glory.
Will we give money but no time to large social causes crafted by outsiders, or will we give our lives, invested as insiders who make the kingdom real and good and visible today.
We get to choose. We really do.
What do you think? Is it time that we be doers of good that is actually good news to those who are receiving it? What has that looked like for you? I really would love to hear from you!
[Comments from my old website/blog were not carried over to this new one. Please leave your thoughts below.]
