The Least of These

 

Matthew 25:31-46

        Our faith journey is filled with epiphanies. Just when we think this faith stuff is figured out, we will read a book, or encounter a new idea, or have a life crisis which pushes us to another level of this Godly road we travel.

        One of my earliest epiphanies came 50 years ago. I had just finished my sophomore year in college. Many of us know what a dangerous time this can be. As a freshman I majored in ping pong, spending much more time in the Student Center than the library. In my sophomore year, a fear of the draft convinced me to take the academic side of college a little more seriously. By the end of that year I had become a literate snob, believing no question was beyond my understanding.  It was also the year that I discovered a disconnect between the traditional values of the church I loved and a counterculture I was beginning to embrace.

        My father, with whom I engaged in many political arguments, never discouraged my exploration of the road less taken. Even as I wandered down what I am sure he suspected was a rabbit hole, he always supported my right to be wrong. I give him credit for introducing me to an alarming poem by Bob Rowland called Listen Christian.

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger --- Thank You.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release. –Thank You.

I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance. ---- Thank You.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.  Thank You.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.  Thank You.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so holy; so close to God. But I am still very hungry, and lonely, and cold.

                Thank You.

That sort of “in-your-face” rhetoric perfectly fits the bill of wanting to save the world before suppertime. The poem has those wonderful components that tweaks folk in all the wrong places. Inspired, I took my stand against the powers that be and shamelessly asked how a church could preach the words of Jesus and ignore the face of poverty. My rants were targeted at the beloved congregation which raised me. Their patience was a reflection of both their wisdom and hope that one day I might strive to better understand the complexities of social justice.  After some years of wandering through the wilderness, I took their challenge to work within the system rather than simply be amused by tossing inflammatory barbs whenever the spirit might move me. In other words, I went back to school.

Part of the educational ritual at a good Presbyterian institution is to inundate the learner with the writings of Augustine, Barth, and Calvin, or in other words, the ABC’s of a Reform Theological Education. I was offered a solid understanding of the doctrines of Atonement, Creation, Sin, Incarnation, Resurrection, Justification, Sanctification, and all the other “tions”.  I learned some fancy words like Exegesis, Eschatology, Ecclesiastical, and a lot of other theological terms that don’t start with the letter “e”.  I did not learn was how to Eliminate poverty.

Outside of Theology 101, 201, and 301, I encountered folks like Harvey Cox, James Cone, Will Campbell, Dorothy Day, Gustavo Gutierrez, and a host of others. The one thing these folks had in common was their insistence that an answer to poverty was probably not going to come from those who had never experienced poverty. While that eliminates a lot of folks whose hearts are in the right place, I came to understand the wisdom of their words.

What is most important to us? I am guessing the big three are Family, Health, and Investments. We have worked hard to get where we are and we are most concerned about catastrophes that might cripple those plans.

What are our basic theological concerns? According to recent article in Christianity Today, the big questions dominating conversation about God centers on defining sin and salvation. In other words, who is in and who is out?

I go to Presbytery meetings and discussions break out defining what is a sin and what is not. Issues concerning poverty, racism, immigration, and prison reform, are considered by many to be political not theological conversations.  How can that be? The answer is painfully obvious. Most folks who go to presbytery meetings are not poor, discriminated against, an immigrant, or in prison.

Venturing into this type of conversation is both uncomfortable and divisive. Folks cry out, “Tell me about heaven not hell on earth.  Preach from the Bible, not from some left wing Latino espousing Liberation Theology.” And therein lies the real problem. A few Biblical passages talk about heaven but not that many. We like to hear them often because they offer the assurance life after death is going to be OK. But a lot of folks are living check to check; a lot of folks have lost jobs; a lot of folks have experienced discrimination; a lot of folks have a family member in prison. Their number one priority is finding winter coats for all their children. This may surprise you but the majority of the Bible was written with these folks in mind.

 Before heading to Jerusalem to suffer persecution and death the last words Jesus spoke were these. “When I was hungry, you gave me food. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me. When I was naked, you gave me clothing. When I was in prison, you visited me. When you did it unto the least of these, you did it unto me.”  This was not an afterthought. It was a summation of his ministry here on earth.

Fifty years after being inspired by a sarcastic paraphrase of Matthew 25, it seems like I am right back where I started. The poverty, the hunger, the sickness in this world is still overwhelming. All the education and theological education I received has changed my view point very little. But I am not discouraged.

 I see you delivering wood instead of forming a discussion group. I see you volunteering for the Rescue Squad instead of thanking God for your health. I see you filling baskets of food instead of preaching about waiting for manna from heaven. I see you visiting the sick rather than just praying for them. In you I see the face of Jesus. In you, I see words transformed into deeds. Your commitment to value the life of every human is the centerpiece of our ministry here. I cannot say Thank You enough.

What is salvation? It is touching another heart with love. It is caring about another human being, even when they can barely care for themselves. Salvation is when we stop from obsessing about ourselves and begin to worry and respond to the needs of others. 

Yes, poverty is systemic. Yes, many stories don’t have happy endings. But if we get discouraged, if we lose our way, if we fail to see Jesus in every person we meet, sin will win, and no one here wants that to happen.

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, care for the sick, embrace the stranger, and go to nursing homes and say, “Hello”. This is the word of the Lord.  Amen.