Proper 29A, Matthew 25:31-46
In the days
leading up to Thursday’s celebration of Thanksgiving, the phone at St. Mark’s
rang more frequently than is typical.
And, this increase in call volume could be attributed to one thing – a desire
to give thanks through action. Several
callers wondered if we would be serving a meal on Thanksgiving Day and, if so,
could they help. Others called to ask if
they could drop off a turkey or a ham for a family in need. Still others were hoping to connect with the
Hospitality Center so that they could lend a hand on Thursday or Friday.
Several years
ago, in a conversation with Sue Murphy, the Executive Director of Interfaith
Action of Evanston and the Director of the Hospitality Center, she said to me, “don’t
people realize that there are 52 weeks in the year? Don’t they know that we do need volunteers – but we need them
all year long, not just this week?” She
went on to tell me, in fact, that her Thanksgiving Day volunteers are lined up
as much as a year in advance and more often than not they are the “regulars” –
that is, they are the people who volunteer every Thursday and who understand that
the need on Thanksgiving Day is no different than the need on the Thursday
after President’s Day, Memorial Day or the 25th of July.
Jesus words in
this morning’s gospel reading are familiar to many: “Come, you that are blessed
by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you
gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you
visited me.”[1] They are familiar words and they are clear
words. When Jesus goes on to say that
anytime we have done any of these things for another person we have done them
for Jesus himself, the message is clear.
To be a follower of Jesus, to care for Jesus is to care for Jesus’ body and,
as we are now the Body of Christ, we are called then to care for one another –
friend and stranger alike.
But a piece
of the message that can be easy to miss is in the larger context which we’ve
been hearing for the past couple of Sundays.
This morning’s gospel passage is a part of Jesus’ response to a question
his disciples have asked: “Tell us, when
will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the
age?”[2]
Jesus responds with a number of signs that they should watch for; but, as
importantly, Jesus tells them, “Keep awake . . . for you do not known on what day
your Lord is coming.”[3] This admonition is followed by the story of
the ten bridesmaids which was the appointed reading two weeks ago. In that
story five of the bridesmaids were prepared with enough oil for their lamps as
they awaited the coming of the bridegroom.
But five are called foolish for they took no oil with them and when the
bridegroom came they were left outside the banquet.[4]
The story of
the bridesmaid is immediately followed by last Sunday’s story of the master who
gives property to his servants to care for – five talents, two talents, and one
talent – and upon his return finds that two have cared well for his property,
in fact, doubling its worth and that one has simply buried the gift in the
ground. That one who has done nothing with the talent given is cast out by the
master. None of the servants knew when
the master would return, but the “good and trustworthy” servants made the most
of that time, not waiting idly, but working hard to increase the value of the
master’s money.
Then, we have
today’s text. It begins with a sorting –
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so the Son of Man when he “comes
in his glory” will “separate people one from another.”[5] Those who have cared for others by feeding
the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the
naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned are called righteous
and will “inherit the kingdom prepared.
. . from the foundation of the world.”[6] But the point in all of this is that none of us know when Christ will come again and
so we must always be ready, we must always be doing these things. We are not
called upon to set apart a certain day – Thanksgiving – or a certain season –
Advent – in which to act out of our faith. No, we are called to do these things
every day. No more than we would
practice breathing only 1 day out of the year, neither should we practice our
faith only 1 day or 1 season of the year.
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| St. Mark's "Mitten Tree" |
And yet . .
. Might there be something to an
intentional practice during a certain time of the year? What if Advent – like Lent - were to become a
season of intentional preparation for the coming of Christ? And so we begin by bringing gifts for the
ReVive Christmas Basket Program or by bringing new socks and gloves and hats
and scarves and placing them on a tree in the parlor during the month of
December, and so we give a little extra money to St. Mark’s in December to
ensure that our ministries to the homeless and the hungry can continue, and so
we visit the sick or the homebound after Christmas with a poinsettia that has
adorned our worship space, and so we do.
Because we need to practice being ready.
But this year can we make a New Year’s Resolution together – after all, Advent
is the beginning of a new church year - this year can we resolve that these
December practices become year-round habits.
Because God knows that the poor, the hungry, the homebound, the lonely, the
imprisoned and the homeless are with us throughout the year. And God knows that just as we have done it to one of these
who are members of Christ’s family, so we have done it to Christ.
The disciples
asked Jesus then and we ask Jesus now, “Tell us, when will this be, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus said to
them – and to us – “about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. . . . Keep awake therefore, for you
do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”[7]
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