Sheep or Goats?

 THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL: MATTHEW 25: 31-46 (MESSAGE)

When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

   I was hungry and you fed me,

   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,

   I was homeless and you gave me a room,

   I was shivering and you gave me clothes,

   I was sick and you stopped to visit,

   I was in prison and you came to me.'

Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

 Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

   I was hungry and you gave me no meal,

   I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

   I was homeless and you gave me no bed,

   I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,

   Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?' He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.' Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

Some days, I feel more like a goat than a sheep.  Ever feel that way too? You know, I’m just too busy to stop and share a meal with someone in need or too tired to make one more phone call to that person I know is lonely.  Other days, I’m too consumed with my own needs to make a stop and listen or to share my coat with someone whose only shelter is the awning over the downtown hardware store.

But there are other days when I forget myself.  There are days when I am aware of the needs of others more than the demands of my own life.   One such day, while I was picking up a tree for the Hanging of the Greens service for the large inner-city church I was serving, I totally and completely forgot myself.  With the tree tied to the top of the vehicle I had borrowed, I pulled into a very busy intersection attempting to merge six lanes into one onto Storrow Drive and there she was right outside my window.  It was starting to snow and she had a lightweight jacket, no gloves or mittens and a sign asking for help.  Without a thought, I pulled off my mittens, handed them to her and gave her the warm muffin I had purchased along with the tree.   Then light signaled my turn to go and I never saw her again.

I didn’t think about it, I just saw her need, understood my abundance and shared what I had.  And I still pray for her even as I pray for all those who have no mittens, for those who are hungry and thirsty, without shelter or clothes, who struggle with illness and loneliness, who are imprisoned by fear or by actions.  I pray that my days will be about forgetting myself more than being consumed by my needs, my to-do’s, my life.  May I be able to say with the sheep and the goats, “When did I see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did I ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?'  May I be able to let go of self and serve others because they are in need and because I can.

Join us this Sunday, November 20 at 10:00a.m. in Christ Church when we will explore this famous social gospel text and give thanks to God for all the ways we can serve and honor God in our lives by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and those in prison and caring for all who are in need. We hope you will make time to join us and celebrate the joy of this day and this season with familiar hymns, energizing anthems and heartwarming prayers. Whether you are a sheep or a goat, we are looking forward to seeing you in Church on Sunday!