We continue our series on “the fruits of the spirit” by looking at “Goodness”.
Psalm 145:3-8:
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
A teenager sat in the cheap seats of a Broadway musical. He was only 15, had no money and had come all the way from Utah to New York, dreaming of becoming an actor. He watched the show and had the time of his life, despite sitting all the way at the back in the cheapest seats in the house.
After the show, a man came up and asked if he was from out of town. The teenager explained that he was. “Well,” said the man, “You looked like you were having more fun than the folks in the expensive seats” at which point he handed him $200 and said, “Go buy yourself a ticket to Sweeney Todd tomorrow. It’ll change your life.”
The boy had a photo taken with the man, but he disappeared before he could ask his name.
The following night, the young man had a ticket for the best seats in the house at Sweeney Todd on Broadway and was mesmerised by being so close to the show.
Fast-forward to 2022 and the boy is now a man starring in a Broadway show himself as well as a big-budget US TV show. Once a month, he takes his 4-year old son to their favourite diner, and they anonymously buy a stranger their meal, as an homage to the generosity shown to him in New York all those years ago.
Recently, he shared the old picture from the theatre in New York of the stranger who gave him $200 on social media app Instagram. Amazingly, one of his co-stars told him that the man in the picture was a friend of his. The two men spoke to one another for the first time in decades. The man who gave that young boy $200, Mark Howell, said that knowing how his act of kindness changed that young man’s life had been inspiring, overwhelming and made him cry with joy.
That story is a great illustration of the fruit of goodness. It started with the generosity of a stranger, which planted a seed of goodness in a young, aspiring actor. That seed blossomed into something that changed him, and he in turn bore fruit of his own, goodness that manifested itself in buying a stranger’s lunch every month. But not only that, he is also planting seeds in his young son, nurturing that goodness.
It shows how when properly and regularly looked after, the fruits of the spirit can have a long-lasting affect. The generosity of the stranger resulted in the fruit of goodness being planted, growing and then being passed on to other people.
I really liked that story, and I think it serves as a brilliant example of how the goodness of people can bring a tangible taste of God’s Kingdom here to earth. Of course we don’t need to spend $200 to demonstrate our goodness and even the smallest gesture can have a big impact that we may never know.
Amen
Let’s pray.
Lord,
The bible shows us your goodness.
Give us opportunities to nurture our goodness and to show it to other people.
Keep us pure of heart and help us maintain it.
May your goodness rub off on us in all aspects of our lives.
We ask this in your name,
Amen
Thank you for reading, have a blessed week.
Written by Mark, an elder at Christ Church URC and synod-accredited lay preacher.
