February 8th 2013

Of sheep, goats...and social justice.

'For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' (Matthew 25:35, 36, 40 NLT)

In our passage today we are given a challenge, and we are given a picture of what to do, and also what not to do. The sheep are the people who do it the right way, and the goats, well, not so much. This idea of taking care of people, of pouring our lives into other people, is central to Jesus' ministry. This idea of community is woven throughout the new testament. The early church stood out so clearly to the world because of the kind of community that they created for themselves through taking care of the needy within their body. Here is an excerpt from the thoughts of the writer of Hebrews on the subject: 'Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.' (Hebrews 13:1-3 NLT) All throughout the book of Acts we see this as well. Life on life, people helping people. People selling properties to help the community. This idea of sharing in each other's struggles, as well as sharing in each other's victories, gives me goose-bumps. This would be very rewarding to see in our Church. I don't mean to say that our Church doesn't do those sorts of things, because we do see glimpses of this, but can you imagine what it would look like if we dove into this head first? What it would look like if we showed our love for one another so well that the world took notice?
This whole idea had a beginning. It did not just happen by accident. It began about 1990 years ago, with 1 Rabbi teaching a new yoke to his 12 students. It began with a towel around a waist, and a master kneeling down and washing the feet of his apprentice's feet in an upper room. It began by Jesus showing us how this kind of love works. And then this statement: "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:34, 35 NLT) It has to begin inside the Church first!

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