Living in the Spirit
November 25, 2017
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” –Matthew 25:31-40
One would think upon reading Matthew 25:31-46 that followers of Christ would place the actions listed as top priority. The list is straightforward and does not require any of us to shape a belief in them to do them. Even if we felt the need to judge those we serve to determine who is worthy and who is not, we surely could find enough who meet our criteria to keep us busy for the rest of our lives. Of course, the scripture does not provide for such judgmental exceptions. A lot of us who claim to model our lives after Christ, center our faith in what we believe not how we love and serve others. Why do we suppose that is?
Believing is a passive activity. Now I must tell you I enjoy a good theological discussion as much as anyone and I think it is good for us to challenge our assumptions. Jesus did parry words with religious leaders caught in establishing their self-righteousness and condemning what they perceived as his straying from the fold. Such activities were not his priority nor did he set them as ours.
Until we can love the least of these, we will never understand God’s unconditional love. God loves all the folks we consider unworthy, and he still loves us too.
Prayer: Lord, order our lives to address your priorities. Enable us to love as you love. Amen.