Good morning Jesus, touch my heart with your love this morning so I can touch the hearts of others with your love.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ʻCome, you who 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 invited me in, 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.ʼ Then the righteous will answer him, ʻLord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?ʼ And the king will answer them, ʻI tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.ʼ (Matthew 25:31-39)
Lent invites us together to find ways to serve and find ways to change the lives of homeless people in our community or the community you live in. It’s a time to draw attention to the needs of our neighbors on a local level. The poor and homeless had a special place in Jesus’ heart, and as followers of Jesus desiring to have a heart in us that imitates Jesus’, they need to have a special place in our hearts as well. There are many ways you can participate in this season of Lent.
Volunteer to serve at a local homeless shelter or a ministry that serves meals or in some other way helps out the homeless community that allows you to interact with. Or if you see a homeless person on the street, invite that person out for lunch or for dinner. If they do not want to go to a restaurant, offer to purchase you both a meal, then go back and sit, talk, and share a meal with them. I am sure you will learn more about Jesus from your time spent with them. Or invite them to go shopping with you and take them to a groceries store and buy them a few food items. Or invite them to a Walmart and buy them a couple clothing items.
The key thing is as Jesus speaks to us in his words in Matthew 25, spend personal time with that homeless man or woman. When Jesus says above ”When I was hungry you gave me something to eat” He did not mean you dropped off some canned goods to a food pantry or your church. He meant you invited Him to a meal with you and you fed Him. When Jesus says, “I was naked and you gave me clothing” He does not mean you dropped off clothes at a Good Will or thrift store, He meant you personally got me clothes. Read Jesus words above again: I was a stranger and you invited me in; I was in prison and you visited me…these are all personal, intimate moments with Jesus. So when Jesus says, ”As you did it for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me,” He means the “it” is the personal, intimate, encounters of love you entered into with the poor and the homeless. We cannot try to disconnect this meaning or rationalize we have done this when we drop off outdated cans of food to our churches food drive or clothes that no longer fit us to thrift stores. Such rationalization does not honor Jesus, and It does not honor our least of these brothers and sisters. Both Jesus and them deserve more. Such rationalization is what the “Goats” of the passage above do, not the “sheep.”
Such rationalization by people are at the basis of these words by Jesus. “Not everyone who says to me, ʻLord, Lord,ʼ will enter into the kingdom of heaven - only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, ʻLord, Lord, didnʼt we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?ʼ Then I will declare to them, ʻI never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21)
Giving food, clothing and money donations to organizations and ministries is absolutely a good thing! However, these donations should not help contribute to, or lead to your justifying that you obeyed Jesus’ words in both passages above and then isolating yourself from the least of these, isolating you from Jesus. The Kingdom of Heaven is a place of intimacy and love, entrance into it flows out of intimacy and love with Jesus. This is found and flows out of intimacy and love for our neighbors, the least of our brothers and sisters.
My Family, I pray on during Lent you will sit in the Holy Spirit’s leading and simply reflect on Jesus’ words, “just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.” In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
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