The primary objective of the sermon is to announce the good news of Jesus Christ. So, the preacher’s primary job, then, is to study a given scripture, seek some words of good news, and proclaim that particular good news so that the word of Jesus Christ can give life to the hearer.
Sometimes we find that good news easily. Take the parable of the lost coin, where the woman searches and searches until she finds the coin. The good news is that God is like that; searching and finding us. That good news is easy to find.
Sometimes, the good news is hard to find, especially if it is a scripture that is full of judgment with almost no glimmer of light.
And, sometimes, there is good news to be found, but it is overshadowed with threats of judgment and punishment. For me, the scripture for today is like that. There is good news to be heard, but it is overshadowed by threats that cause us to fear.
In it we hear of Jesus at the end of the age, separating us into sheep and goats. The sheep will be blessed and will inherit God’s kingdom. The goats will suffer an eternal punishment. And, as if this threat of potential punishment were not fear inducing enough, those who are separated into the categories of sheep and goats have no idea which one they may be!
When Jesus commends the righteous sheep for helping him when he was a stranger, the righteous answer in return, “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?” (Matthew 27:37-39).
In a similar way the goats, which did not help Jesus when he was a stranger, had no idea that they had not helped. “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?” (Matthew 25:44).
And, though I do find joy in the fact that those righteous sheep were led by Jesus into living lives that made the kingdom of heaven a reality right here, right now, by feeding, giving drinks, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned, that hope in the kingdom is somehow diminished in my mind by the thought that they had no idea they were living the ideals of the kingdom. Jesus has to point it out to 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” (Matthew 25:40).
And, maybe that is the way it is. Maybe, the spreading of Jesus’ kingdom of love for the downtrodden and stranger is something that is best maintained by pointing it out; by naming it when we see it. Maybe, the kingdom of heaven is something that is best spread when we do it together, and are able to point out to one another when we do or do not see it.
I can tell you right away about the time that my family desperately needed food, and it showed up right at our doorstep. My father had just gone back to college, and our family of five was trying to survive on the income that my mom could pull in by working a minimum wage job. Mind you, two of us were very ravenous teenage boys. We were making it by OK. There were a lot of meals that included sandwiches, which did the trick, but when Thanksgiving rolled around, the expense of a turkey meal was well beyond what we would be able to swing. My dad had grabbed a turkey loaf out of the freezer section, because who does not like a good turkey loaf? It you have ever had the pleasure of having a turkey loaf, you know that it is almost like food, and that it kind of tastes like turkey.
I once said that to someone, and they responded, “Hey, I love that stuff!” They also ate Spam straight out of the can…so.
But, the day before Thanksgiving there was a knock at the door. We opened the door to two men from our church, holding a huge, fresh turkey. How did they know? We had not told anyone about our situation. But, there they were bringing a turkey to our stomachs and tears to my mother’s eyes. Whether they realized it or not, they had brought the kingdom of heaven to our small apartment that day and Jesus was there. “For I was hungry and you gave me food” (Matthew 25:35).
Then there was the time that I was at a concert with thousands of people, and everyone was jumping around to the beat of the music in the sweltering heat. Someone in our group became severely dehydrated and needed water immediately, so we started waving our hands, jumping up and down, trying to get someone’s attention because dragging him to a water source was no easy feat when there are thousands of people through which to wade. Just then, Taylor Swift stopped the show, directed her staff to provide us some water, and did not continue the show until some water was provided.
OK, so that might not have really happened to me. I know it is hard to believe that I am not a swiftie. But, it really did happen to someone. Just a few days ago, someone’s dire thirst was quenched because a superstar put the needs of one above everyone else. Whether she realized it or not, she had brought the kingdom of heaven to that crowd of thousands and Jesus was there. “For I was…thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Matthew 25:35).
Jesus says that he is there whenever we welcome the stranger, and this story is my story. Having a dad as a helping hand of hog farms allows you the unique opportunity of joining new schools often. The hardest part of joining a new school is always the lunch table. Where do you sit? Who will want to talk with you? How do you figure out if the kids are nice? So, it is like the heavens are opening up and a ray of light is shining down in the middle of the lunchroom when someone sees you standing there with your tray and says, “You are sitting right here!” She became one of my best friends in High School and on that anxious first day at a new school the kingdom of heaven which welcomes the stranger became real and Jesus was there. “For is was…a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).
There was also the time that my choir director handed me a shirt for a music festival, which puzzled me because neither I nor my family had the kind of money needed that would have allowed me to attend.
“Someone from the church wanted you to go, so you are going,” my choir director said simply. My teenage brain could not comprehend what was happening. I had wanted to go, but had resigned myself, as I had many other times, to the reality that it just was not something ever in the cards for me. But, I was going because someone thought I was worth sending. No one ever came forward to tell me who they were. I could not send a “thank you” card. To this day, I do not think that they ever realized just how much Jesus’ kingdom became real to me as I put on that shirt and left for that trip. In that moment, Jesus was there. “For I was naked and you gave me clothing” (Matthew 25:36).
Jesus talks about being visited himself whenever we visit the sick and the imprisoned, and though I have never been imprisoned…I don’t care what you have heard…I have been sick more than a few times. I think especially about the time I had my appendix taken out in an emergency surgery. Right away that morning as I recovered, I was either visited or called by nearly every pastor in town. It was nice to see the faces of those who cared and to hear their concerned words. The kingdom of heaven broke into that small hospital room, and Jesus was there. “I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:36).
Part of the Thanksgiving tradition is taking some time to give thanks for all of the gifts that have been given. That is a great tradition, and it seems to me that the sort of reflection and recognition that happens as we reflect on all for which we are thankful actually is the sort of thing that would allow us to see Jesus actively at work in us and in our world.
I ask you, when has Jesus’ kingdom come down and broken open around you? When was it that you were hungry and the kingdom of heaven became real because you were given food? When was it that you were thirsty and the kingdom of heaven became real because you were given something to drink? When was it that you were a stranger and you were welcomed, or naked and someone gave you clothing, and when were you sick or in prison and you were cared for and visited? Rejoice and be glad in each of these instances because each and every time Jesus was there, bringing the kingdom to you.
Jesus has made you a part of the kingdom of heaven. Your life has been blessed with the good things of Jesus Christ.
Being a citizen of that kingdom, you are also one of those who offers food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, welcome to the stranger, clothing to the naked, and a holy and healing presence to the sick and imprisoned.
I pray that the Lord, our king, point out to you all of the times that you have walked in the ways of the kingdom. May you hear the words spoken by Jesus to trustworthy servants: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).
But, if you have somehow failed to be a blessing, I also pray that the time of correction from the Lord be fruitful and a little less than eternal. After-all, the word “punishment” can also be translated “correction.” That is a more hopeful translation to those of us who hopelessly fall short of the mark. Hopefully, those words of correction come from the mouth of someone who is kind and who loves you very much; like when my best friend kindly pointed out one day that I was kind of being an insensitive jerk. May Jesus allow our times of fiery, refining correction transform us into his kingdom people.
Blessed are you who come to realize that Jesus has made you citizens in the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you who are citizens in the kingdom of love.
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