Tag Archives: Stranger

Sins of Omission

Sins of OmissionLiving in the Spirit
November 23, 2014

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46

Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ — Matthew 25:41-46

Following parables about the Kingdom of God, Jesus closes out what is now designated as Matthew 25 with a discourse on sins of omission. Our society, particularly the church, tends to emphasize sins that we commit. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not think Jesus wants us to intentionally do things that separate us from God. What Jesus might be saying here is that the things that separate us most from God are the things that separate us most from each other. If we choose to target our lives at doing what we consider to be right by our own definitions without regard to others in the hopes of winning a place of honor in God’s Kingdom, we may be missing the mark.

I am writing this while printing gift cards for the people at my church to purchase to give as Christmas presents to those people who would be most honored by receiving such a card that says a contribution has been given in their honor to a mission project thousands of miles away.  The program Caminante, in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic is designed to help street children learn and grow into self-sustaining, whole adults. It is a wonderful program, locally operated and lovingly supported by the people who see the good that it does.

This is just one tiny way of acknowledging the vast diversity of people we are called to love who are citizens in the Kingdom of God. I am sure there are more ways than any of us could even imagine to give clean water to the thirsty, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the sick, provide restorative help for those in prison, and yes, welcome the stranger for they are strangers no more in the Kingdom of God, but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, make us cognizant of our sins of omission and open channels of service to us that will help us turn them into commissions of service. Amen.

The quote in the picture above is by 18th century Irish political philosopher Edmond Burke.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

Just as We Are

Bread of lifeLiving in the Spirit
November 22, 2014

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46

“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 25:34b-40

After working for 35 years in the public welfare sector and being accosted by Christians about the “fact” that those who are needy brought it on themselves and should just get a job, I find it fascinating that Jesus in our scripture today ties no strings to the acts we are called to do and for which we will be judged. There is no requirements to look for a job, no need to present a detailed accounting of all assets, no demand for reparations for crimes committed, no admonitions regarding reaping what those needing health care sowed. Mother Teresa is one of the few people that come to mind who might have even come close to being able to meet the no strings attached requirements. And what about tough love? Aren’t we into tough love now?

This scripture is not so much about the “thems” of the world as it is about us. In all honesty we have probably all experienced some level or some type of hunger or thirst, been a stranger out of place, been exposed in some way or another, been physically or mentally sick, and imprisoned by our own sins, if not by the laws of the land. There seems to be something in human nature that demands our creating a hierarchy of worth among the children that God created and it is important that we are at least above someone on that list. Not so, Jesus says. There is no hierarchy of worth. Every hair on every head and the heads with no hair are valuable in the eyes of God.

We cannot be of any help to anyone we have to place below us in order to maintain our own self-esteem. We have no real self-esteem, if we must rely on the misfortunes of others to be comfortable with our own worth. The day we accept that God loves us for who we are is the day we can love others for who they are and then, and only then, can we fulfill Jesus’ call to help others in whatever way they need that we meet along the way.

Prayer: Heal my soul, O Lord, so that I may be a full partner with you in the work of your Kingdom. Give me eyes to see the needs of others, the heart to care, and the resources to help. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

Loving the Stranger

Border CrosserLiving in the Spirit
August 17, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28

Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly. —Matthew 15:22-28 

Ever wonder at what point in his life Jesus really knew who he was? We have the story of his first visit to the temple at the age of 12 when he said he needed to be about his Father’s work but there is little else to define his awareness of who and what he was  and what his calling was. The story in our scripture today suggests that it was later in his ministry that he realized his calling involved more than the Jewish community with which he was so very familiar. He could not turn away someone, a woman even, in great need even though she was one of the unclean. My hunch is that he had always known who he was and what his calling was but that the reality of what it meant unfolded as he grew in wisdom and in strength.

I have a friend who is a very talented natural, although now well-trained, musician who comes from a family where no one else is a musician. He knew he wanted to be a musician from his preschool years even though he probably didn’t really know what a musician was at the time. He just loved music.

Jesus just loved God. Loved God so much that he could not turn his back on any of God’s children even an unacceptable, woman from a different culture than his own or her precious child.

When the question arises, “What are we going to do with all these children flooding our southern border?” Remember this story. If we love God we will also love them and through the complications of violence and culture and distance and language barriers, we will do what it takes to let them know we love them and that we have their best interest at heart.

but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’–Matthew 19:14

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.