Matthew 25:35-40
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 brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’
Last Sunday I mentioned that we were fast approaching the end of this year’s lectionary cycle before we find ourselves in Advent and a whole new year and that this week we would most likely be closing out Matthew’s gospel for this year. That’s what we’re doing today.
Many of our best known gospel stories come from Matthew’s gospel. He is an excellent storyteller. However, the writer of Matthew is a major ‘grump’ – one who is always ready to tell us how the ones who don’t perform as he believes they should will suffer horrible things for their sins – and he seems at times to enjoy that part way too much.
Two of last week’s writings were heavy on the doom and gloom side and we talked about how easy it is to fall into that “we’re doomed” feeling since so much of the news and the stories we hear today are all about how awful everything is – ‘the world is filled with greedy, nasty people and there’s no hope anywhere in a world full of bombs and hatred’.
If you occasionally find yourself falling into that “we’re doomed” narrative, don’t think you’re alone. I, for one, spend a fair amount of time there too. Even though I truly do believe there are more good people than the hate-peddlers, it’s hard sometimes to remember it because the hate mongers make so much more noise, spreading their misery all around.
I love the way that our final reading from Matthew, as we close this cycle, is a positive story – we’ll come back to it in a couple of minutes. But first I’d like to read you a piece from a non-scriptural source – namely from historian/educator Howard Zinn:
I love this quote. With the two gloomy readings last week there was one more that was filled with love and affirmation as we were reminded that we are called “Children of God” because that’s who we are – God’s family. The challenge, therefore, is to act like a member of God's family and do whatever we can to give the fears attached to the doom and gloom readings less power, and to stay focused on the blessing inherent in being named God’s own children.
A good place to start lies in another quote from Matthew:
There is so much anger and hatred floating around our world that this seems especially apropos. It’s hard -- but who needs our prayers more than those who spread hate and selfishness everywhere and poison the world around them?
Who are those we struggle to pray for? We all have them. We’re not called to pray terrible punishments for them – instead we pray that whatever causes them to be so awful – whatever is sick or broken or damaged in them that leads them to lash out, might be healed and made whole.
Anyone can pray -- and we should -- but there are, as well, concrete ways to work to make this world better for all of us. Our opening scripture gave us a good list to start with: Feeding the hungry and easing their thirst, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the imprisoned. Even if we take those completely literally, that gives us so many, many ways we can reach out to help others who are our fellow children of God.
How many hungers do we experience in our world? We can hunger for food, of course, but also for safety, for information, dignity, for love, for a world in which our children can live full, secure lives. We can welcome strangers seeking safe places to live but also welcome new thoughts. We can support efforts to wipe out illness, change our prison systems from punishment to places of rehabilitation, slow down or end harm to our earth.
There are so many ways for us to live out our lives as children of God. And, as children of God, do we not share in God’s determination to care for others, by working to build the world here on this earth that is God’s vision for us all? Are we not responsible for doing our part?
And we can. We most certainly can. We’re told again and again that we can – so let’s believe it and step up and do it.
Many of our best known gospel stories come from Matthew’s gospel. He is an excellent storyteller. However, the writer of Matthew is a major ‘grump’ – one who is always ready to tell us how the ones who don’t perform as he believes they should will suffer horrible things for their sins – and he seems at times to enjoy that part way too much.
Two of last week’s writings were heavy on the doom and gloom side and we talked about how easy it is to fall into that “we’re doomed” feeling since so much of the news and the stories we hear today are all about how awful everything is – ‘the world is filled with greedy, nasty people and there’s no hope anywhere in a world full of bombs and hatred’.
If you occasionally find yourself falling into that “we’re doomed” narrative, don’t think you’re alone. I, for one, spend a fair amount of time there too. Even though I truly do believe there are more good people than the hate-peddlers, it’s hard sometimes to remember it because the hate mongers make so much more noise, spreading their misery all around.
I love the way that our final reading from Matthew, as we close this cycle, is a positive story – we’ll come back to it in a couple of minutes. But first I’d like to read you a piece from a non-scriptural source – namely from historian/educator Howard Zinn:
- “To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
- What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction
- And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
I love this quote. With the two gloomy readings last week there was one more that was filled with love and affirmation as we were reminded that we are called “Children of God” because that’s who we are – God’s family. The challenge, therefore, is to act like a member of God's family and do whatever we can to give the fears attached to the doom and gloom readings less power, and to stay focused on the blessing inherent in being named God’s own children.
A good place to start lies in another quote from Matthew:
- “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ “
There is so much anger and hatred floating around our world that this seems especially apropos. It’s hard -- but who needs our prayers more than those who spread hate and selfishness everywhere and poison the world around them?
Who are those we struggle to pray for? We all have them. We’re not called to pray terrible punishments for them – instead we pray that whatever causes them to be so awful – whatever is sick or broken or damaged in them that leads them to lash out, might be healed and made whole.
Anyone can pray -- and we should -- but there are, as well, concrete ways to work to make this world better for all of us. Our opening scripture gave us a good list to start with: Feeding the hungry and easing their thirst, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the imprisoned. Even if we take those completely literally, that gives us so many, many ways we can reach out to help others who are our fellow children of God.
How many hungers do we experience in our world? We can hunger for food, of course, but also for safety, for information, dignity, for love, for a world in which our children can live full, secure lives. We can welcome strangers seeking safe places to live but also welcome new thoughts. We can support efforts to wipe out illness, change our prison systems from punishment to places of rehabilitation, slow down or end harm to our earth.
There are so many ways for us to live out our lives as children of God. And, as children of God, do we not share in God’s determination to care for others, by working to build the world here on this earth that is God’s vision for us all? Are we not responsible for doing our part?
And we can. We most certainly can. We’re told again and again that we can – so let’s believe it and step up and do it.
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