Prepared Hearts for August 11th

Hello Friends,

Welcome back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of the Wacousta Community United Methodist Church. I’ve decided for our special “Worship in the Park” this Sunday (note: service begins at 10:00AM), that I would forgo the lectionary.  I’ll be preaching from Matthew. The text is below, followed by some starter thoughts.

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.’

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.”

STARTER THOUGHTS

This text is often entitled “The Last Judgment” and can be a hard one to read as we consider for ourselves, are we sheep or goats? This scripture requires us to consider how Jesus’ standard for judgment compares with our own standards for how we measure faithfulness. What is your first response to the text? Fear? Contemplation? Vindication?  

One of the difficulties the church faces in living out Christ’s call is that we often don’t draw in the “least of these” in God’s family. The poorest or most in need in our community don’t feel comfortable coming to worship on Sunday or can’t physically join in (i.e. the sick or imprisoned). At the same time, a lot of the church’s time and energy is spent on those persons already part of our community. While ongoing Christian education and supporting each other in discipleship is essential to a healthy and thriving community of faith, it doesn’t help us engage in ministries with the stranger or persons who are poor, sick, in great need, or imprisoned. How can we strike a balance so that the church can function both as a nurturing home for believers and as a launching pad for mission in the community?

Jesus gave examples of the “least of these.” They included those who lack clothing, shelter, food, water and those sick or imprisoned. Who are the “least of these” in our community and in our world today? Where do you see followers of Jesus being the hands of Christ to those in need? Where have we failed?

The practice of welcoming the stranger was normative and expected within the Jewish community in Jesus’ time. Things for us have changed, as we have the exact opposite social norm. Most of us are taught at an early age to avoid the stranger, a practice that we teach our kids for their own safety and security. While there are certainly times when we need to look out for our personal security, there remains a timidity and taboo around “the stranger” that can keep us from engaging others, even when the circumstances make it perfectly safe to do so (note: I say safe, not comfortable). How do we overcome this? How can we move beyond the “stranger, danger” mentality to offer hospitality to all we encounter, especially those who act or look “different?”

As Methodists, we seek to practice both “personal holiness” as well as “social holiness,” meaning that we believe in working toward both personal piety, as well as just and holy communities. When I hear the admonition to welcome the stranger, I think about our nation’s current immigration policies. The text also invites us to ask: How do we as a society best care for the sick? What obligation do we have to the imprisoned (especially in the United States, where we have the largest incarceration rates in the world)? What are some of the both personal and social actions this text is calling us to engage in?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections.

Feel free to email me directly or post a comment here. 

Peace,

Pastor Amee