Friday, May 30, 2014

Friday May 30, 2014    

[Roberta Elizabeth Tilton, A founder of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Canadian Church 1885/6]

Matthew 25: 31 - 40

Today's reading follows the familiar parable of the talents, in which a wealthy landowner entrusts varying amounts of money to his servants while he is away.  How they used (or didn’t use) it demonstrated faithfulness to the landowner.  Using the talents to make profit for the landowner was the expectation.

Immediately, this passage follows, clearly stating that when The Son of Man (Jesus) returns in glory (like the landowner who returned), he will sort out all the people of the world (all nations).  The image of sorting goats from sheep would have been a familiar one - look very similar, but quite different animals and flocks.

Jesus does not speak about beliefs, church/synagogue, mosque attendance, careful following of religious rules (such as dietary or purity laws), but rather looks at their daily life behaviour. He says they fed him, gave him a drink, clothed, housed or visited him, meeting his ordinary human need.  He says that these people are blessed by God for having cared for him (Jesus), God’s son.  It would seem that most if not all of this group are surprised, claiming that they had never met Jesus before, so wondering how he thinks they had cared for him.  Jesus’s answer has become familiar to us: “Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me.” [in another translation, “the least of these who are part of my family”, or “the least of these my brothers”]

As I go about my ordinary life here in Kitchener Waterloo, I feel that Jesus is calling me to look out for, not overlook, the other members of his family.  I remember God’s asking Cain about Abel, and Cain asking “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Jesus says here that the answer is Yes.  The parable of the Good Samaritan seems to make the same point - God’s command to love my neighbour includes anyone in need, no conditions. It also reminds me of part of our Baptismal covenant: to seek and serve Christ in everyone.

The fact that God, Jesus, the Scripture, seem to make this point over and over, in many ways and contexts suggests to me that this is important!!  I need to pay attention. In my daily life I may have many opportunities.  Will I take the time to see and to respond?

One thing that helps me remember and encourages me to keep trying is a fridge magnet I look at daily.  “Be Kind: No Exceptions.”  

Blessings

Ann Kelland