Sunday Gospel for Thought
This past Sunday, November 20, was Christ The King Sunday and Pastor (And Miami-Dade County Bread Leadership Team Member) David Imhoff gave a 'bare-bones, fundamentals of Jesus' teachings sermon' about the importance of helping those who are hungry, poor, imprisoned, and in need. I was very moved by it, and although adhering to the concepts discussed could be described as the cornerstone of the Christian faith, and also of the way I try to live my life, it was for some reason, very powerful to hear the concept of family membership and allegiance as the only requirement for receiving help in a time of need. It got me to thinking, well, who are we to say who ISN'T a member of Jesus' family, immediate or otherwise? The obvious answer, Christians are members of Jesus' family. FALSE...well, actually, TRUE, but they are not the only ones. We are ALL members of God's family. Each and every single one of us. Pretty cool huh? Even if you already knew that, it's still pretty Fantastic!
I felt compelled to share this accepted though, largely unvisited [by me and my fellow Christians], passage which reiterates the divine purpose behind organizations such as Bread for the World. It served as a tremendous piece of Validation and Confirmation of the value of working with Bread as a volunteer member and advocate. I would hope that it serves the same purpose for anyone who might read this passage below.
It also has served as a true call to further our efforts with grassroots advocacy. Was Jesus not one of the original Grassroots activists that we are aware of?
What is our reward? -Georgie, age 7, children's time participant, Grace Lutheran
I believe the icing on this massively large cake, is that there is tremendous reward that comes with doing as Jesus did. Imagine, having God say he's proud of you, or getting a giant cosmically large pat on the back when you get to heaven? I'm just giddy with excitement thinking about it! no but really! It's simple really, if lending a hand gets you eternal life, and there are so many little things you can do to help others around you, WHAT ARE WE ALL WAITING FOR?!?!? it makes perfect sense to me.
I'd like to close by saying that these are just my thoughts and the way I see things. I don't have a theology degree or a magic food making machine. I do have a heart, a bit of spare time, and 2 eyes with which to see those who are hungry and poor around me. I'd bet if you look hard enough, you'll find that you have these things too. Imagine being able to end hunger in our world in this lifetime? You'd be surprised what YOU can do just with what you have.
in this passage, Jesus compares himself to a king who moves among his subjects to see how he is treated; what is done for the least of those who belong to his family is truly done for him.
Jesus says to the disciples: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angles 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 a his right hand ahd the goats at the left. Then the kind 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.' The they will also 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 the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, the the righteous into eternal life."
I'd like to repeat: '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.'
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