"The Least of These"

On the last day when we arrive at the judgement seat of God, and we stand before the king and  the angels open up the book of life and lay out the case for us—what will the criteria be for entry into the kingdom?

Will it matter how often we showed up at this place on Sunday morning for church?

Will it matter how often we got down on our knees in prayer?

Will it matter if we’ve read the bible from cover to cover?

Will it matter if we were naughty or nice?

What about our theological beliefs? Do they matter? Will it matter if we were Christian?   Will it matter whether we’ve confessed Jesus Christ as  our Lord and savior? 

Will it matter what sides we were on in the debates over things like homosexuality or abortion? 

What will the criteria be for entry? 

According to the passage from Matthew I just read that the criteria is based on one thing.  The criteria for whether we get into the  sheep  line or goat line line at the end of time is based on one thing—how we treated the least of these.   Those who are given entrance, are those  who fed the hungry,  who gave drink to the thirsty, who clothed the naked, who cared for the sick, and  who welcomed the stranger.   Nothing about what about what religion, nothing about church  attendance, nothing about our theological beliefs.  but all about how we responded to the least of these.

Of course, this passage in some way challenge the Protestant idea that we are saved not by works, but rather we are saved by grace.   

Now I am not yet ready to give up this Protestant idea that you can’t earn your way into heaven, but at the very least, though this passage, reminds us that in the economy of God our deeds,  our actions matter and are important—and part of our call as disciples is to treat the least of these as if they are Jesus Christ himself. 

Now when I started to work on the sermon and read the Matthew text, I had just received an email from Catherine Belden reporting on or annual pie gathering efforts for A Place to Turn. 

Her email reported that we gave away 128 pies, 18 bundles of fresh oranges, 59 roasting pans, $300 cash 32 families participating-and I as I reflected on that and I thought about this idea about caring for the least of these,  I thought we are in like Flynn. This community is such a bastion of care for the least of these—A The mitten tree, B-Safe, The Ride for Rodman, The Epiphany School, Haiti, Holy Ghosting for A Place to Turn and much much more.  It is who were are, it’s  in the water. We do an awful a lot for the least of these.

Something to be celebrated—the really good work that  congregation does.

But is this it? Can we check the box of caring for the least of these by donating a pie or two or three or six last week?    Can we check the box If I just take another name off the tree at school will I be able to check the box? 

I don’t know.

As I reflected on this passage—something prompted me to be begin to think about the least of these that I interact with on a regular basis —those who I walk by on the street, those in my own circles,—

Does  my care for the least of these extend to these places. 

What about the alcoholic uncle?  What about the hotel housekeeper who cleans my hotel room, who’s barely making ends meet at minimum wage?  Or the person we walk by every day on our way to the office? The kid at school who’s being bullied on the playground  The new family downstairs at coffee who standing alone.  The single mom with the unruly children at the PTO event—who seems just little bit out of place?  Who are the least of these in your life?  How are we called to relate to them?

It’s real easy for me to bake a pie for the nameless, faceless person but it’s much harder for those about those right in front of me?  Does this passage challenge us to do and be different?  Does this passage challenge us  to walk up to the single mom at the school event  and introduce ourselves?  Does this passage challenge us to leave a little bigger tip for that housekeeper who is just trying to make ends meet?  Does this passage challenge us to relate differently to that alcoholic uncle? Does this passage challenge us to get to know the name of the homeless person we walk by on the way to 

work?

Who are the least of these in our circles?  Who is Jesus calling us to see, that we don’t see, that sometimes we look right through as if they don’t exist,  as if they are invisible.

Who is Jesus calling us to see that we don’t want to see, that we would rather not see or interact with, that make us uncomfortable to see.

Sometimes our call is to no longer look right through folks as if they don’t exist. Sometimes our call is in someway to recognize the dignity of the people we walk by. 

Sometime our call starts with prayer-when we see—it begins by lifting that  person in  prayer and we ask God how are you calling me to respond? Maybe it begins with prayer for patience? Maybe it begins with a prayer for understanding?  Maybe it begins with prayer to see as God sees and to love and God loves?

So how will we be different today?  How will we see and respond to the least of these today? Where are we being challenged?

AMEN