Friday August 14, 2020

Matthew 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

It seems like we are surrounded by people in pain or crisis, people who are angry, hurting, or sad. Perhaps this describes you right now. I understand. This is a weird and difficult time. I have gone through a range of emotions over the past 6 months, and I have seen a lot of people endure some pretty tough circumstances. Pandemics make life complicated and messy.

At the same time, I know many of you want to help. You want to be a beacon of light, love and hope in this messy world. Sometimes, that is how we pull ourselves out of the pit, by thinking about others. If you are striving to serve, to reach out to another, to help a friend, or perhaps encourage yourself, the church is here to help. We may not be meeting in person, but we are still the church! We are still serving and caring for our neighbors.

We area actively serving with mission and care resources every day. We have a team of Pastors and 65 trained Care Chaplains who will listen, visit, encourage and assist anyone in need. Celebrate Recovery continues to meet online each week, with a worship service and break-out groups for anyone dealing with addictions, deep hurts, hang-ups and destructive habits. We are reaching out to our health care professionals and educators actively, committed to supporting them as they navigate this time. We are still serving people in need of food and other everyday resources. Our Meals on Wheels teams are still making their routes every day. We have an amazing prayer team, and we can help connect you a plethora of resources.

So the next time you have a friend who is in crisis or in pain, or you go through a rough time yourself, please know that we are here for you. Your church family loves you and we care. If you are not local to Mansfield (many of our readers live across the US), then my guess is your local church has similar resources and options. And if you are here in our area, put this info in your phone and keep it handy for the next time you need prayer or care.

care@fmcm.org – for non-emergency care

Pastoral Emergency Phone – 817-739-6755

God, In this messy world around us, there is pain and suffering. We thank you that you are with us, even when we hurt. Help us become a beacon of light and love to those around us. Teach us how to share your love when people need it the most. Make us instruments of your peace and grace. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.