{"id":424,"date":"2019-10-28T10:32:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T10:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/?p=424"},"modified":"2023-11-16T19:29:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T19:29:13","slug":"giving-in-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/index.php\/2019\/10\/28\/giving-in-secret\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving in Secret"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Rev. Stefan Francke, SWPO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homily\nICMA World Conference Kaohsiung 2019 \u2013 Tuesday October 22<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew 6.1-4 \u201cBe careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be\nseen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.\n\u201cSo when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the\nhypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.\nTruly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to\nthe needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so\nthat your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in\nsecret, will reward you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would have been a lot easier if we had Matthew\n5:15-16 as the text for today. In this passage, Jesus tells us not to hide\nunder a basket the good we do. “Let\nyour light so shine before men, that they may see your good works<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such a text would have been a great\nencouragement for our conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For it would be\na nice image: the work that we do in ports and on vessels, the light we try to\nspread – isn’t one of the aims of this conference to put all of this work on a\ncandle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does not our\nwork deserve more attention than it often gets? We all know the expression\n“sea blindness” – many people have no clue about the importance of\nseafarers and neither do they have any clue on the welfare work which supports\nthe seafarers during their hard work under difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aren’t\nconferences about maritime ministry meant to put our light on a candlestick?\nIsn’t that the reason that some welfare organizations have award events – as a\nreward for the great work that is done by the maritime missions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting our\nlight on a candlestick – we need to promote our work, right? We need to shine, for that will attract\npeople to support us. And we cannot do without support. Let your light so shine\nbefore men, that they may see your good works. Let them see our good works via\nour newsletters, Facebook pages, annual reports and conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, Matthew 5:1-16 is not today’s reading.\nWe hear different words from Jesus: “Be\ncareful not to practice your rightenousness in front of others to be seen by\nthem. …<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not let your left hand know what\nyour right hand is doing.<\/em>” Quite a different language\nand a different image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do these words of Jesus mean that we shall\nnot celebrate this week?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do these words\nof Jesus mean that we should try to be as invisible as possible – put our\nmissions out of sight as much as possible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do these words\nof Jesus mean that we should refrain from asking attention for the welfare work\nto seafarers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a saying: what happens on the ship, stays on the ship<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means: about\ncertain things you remain quiet when you are on shore – for they will not\nunderstand anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, a bit of that\nis part of our work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are here\nwith many chaplains, the ones who actually do the ship visiting, the ones who\nactually run the seamen’s clubs – they know what I am talking about. What\nhappens on the ship, stays on the ship.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n