Good morning church,
Our reading this week is Matthew 25:31-46. It is the closing scene in Jesus’ final discourse in the Gospel of Matthew, the Judgment Discourse. This passage is unique to Matthew. It is not a parable, but an “apocalyptic vision” like much of the Revelation to John. The message of this passage, is that when we respond to human need, or fail to do so, we are in fact responding to Christ, or failing to do so.
If someone were to ask me to “define God” in some way, I would say that “God is a God of Infinite Love, Healing Grace, and Radical Hospitality.” I know I repeat those words and phrases in a variety of ways so that folks can hear them coming, and may get tired of hearing them. I say them because doing so helps to keep me pointed in the right direction. If I remember correctly, that “bumper sticker statement” coalesced for me while discussing this passage in a lectionary group one day. It is easy to see the connection. This passage depicts actions for us that are filled with love, healing, and welcome.
Matthew’s gospel moves from this passage into the Passion Narrative. It is the last “teaching” Jesus offers to his followers.
As we approach our Thanksgiving Holiday, and move directly from there into the season of Advent where we prepare for the arrival of Jesus, how do we receive and respond to this last teaching offered to us by Jesus?
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Alan