I continued to read my distant relative’s memoirs of the war – and came to the part about the helpers – and wow – isn’t that the untold stories – the many many helpers along the way of our lives and everyones…

I was also watching a TV show – about art that was hidden and rescued – and about the people who were the helpers – in WW2 – which some called “the Righteous” – well, wow…  Wow for the people’s efforts and wow for the good things done by God by His people…

Righteousness that is real and right – is the Righteousness of God which is not our own Righteousness, even though in the piece the person said that even the rescuer people who helped others (in WW2) did it from greed, making money from smuggling people, they at least got those people out and into freedom…

Righteousness from the Lord, however, is pure – it is meaningful in His desire to pull us into safety – to forgive us in grace and mercy so that we appear in the clear – when in forever we are going to live with God, the one who Rights us when we are wrong – and stands us up when we fall – we are OF HIS Righteousness.

And for my distant relative’s plight escaping after the bombings in Dresden from the forced labor work – this is the section of the memoir where strangers helped – they did simple things that did not cost them that dearly – except to be the helper if discovered – but they risked it:  “Somewhere on the way, two drivers loaded us with a truck, brought us to the protectorate border. We crossed the soggy fields to the first village. In the first cottage we were given food, we washed ourselves – especially our shoes, they gave us clean socks and in the evening, in the dark, we set off for the railway.”

So the strangers gave rides, showed the way, and gave new socks and food, and allowed my relative and his co-travellers to wash themselves. Seemed they were doing right in what they did – seemed normal to help there – seemed they did at least the minimum and really the minimum was probably all that was needed. And the Lord did the rest…

We also can be right in what we do for others – for strangers – and Right in what we can do is our devotion to the One who tells us what is right – and He will do the rest…

Jesus tells those who help to take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Jesus is the King who is also the Righteousness in us – and He does this to help His people through us: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Thank You Lord for Your Righteousness! Thank you to our helpers!

Amen

—-

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

---

---

Here is the TV program, a Sunday CBS Morning discussion of artist Marc Chagall, rescued from the Nazis https://youtu.be/CRurh3BD5_w?si=hU-zV30rBmwDZ1Is