“Are Children the Least of These?”
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ April 3, 2011
With Celebration of our Lord’s Supper by Intinction
Matthew 25:33-40
Jesus has been teaching his disciple with stories bout the return of a master to discover his stewards have wasted what they were put in charge of and then he tells of the final judgment as a parable of a shepherd separating sheep from goats. But here it is not just the unrighteous that are surprised by the judgment but also the righteous.
33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for 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, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
SERMON
It is spring break this week, so some of our children are traveling. May they all have travel mercies and come home with great stories to share. That gives us a chance to consider that children are often seen as the “least of these” in our plans, investments or public policy.
A child going to bed hungry and no hope of food for the next day is unconscionable. As long as children are hungry and undernourished the righteous must continue to work diligently to find them food. A child whose only source of water is running sewers and animal water holes is an unacceptable evil. We constantly are searching ways to give them clean water. A child who is alone, with no caring adult is a cry the righteous have been given ears to hear. We respond in a variety of ways that open our homes and hearts and churches to the lost children of the world. The child who is dressed in summer clothing on a winter day causes the righteous to give the shirt of their backs, and even more to start a clothing drive for local schools. The child who is sick causes the righteous come to them with prayer and anointing oils, they bring food, games and toys to pass the time and offer of rides to the doctor. The child who is in prison causes the righteous not only to visit but to provide good legal assistance, and help keep the child’s family connected.
God’s children are hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, ill and even incarcerated. They each represent the Christ Child. Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” In this final parable about Judgment, we rediscover the theme that has been running throughout Matthew's Gospel−the theme of discipleship. A disciple of Jesus is part of his family, his brother and sisters and they seek out the lost as he does. This is a call to an obedience that is not prescription or law or sacrifice but joyful living in mercy without calculation. Dick Lange writes:
"This joyful living takes believers to an unexpected place. It takes them to the cross; it takes them to the cross in human lives, to the cross in the life of family, community, society, nation, and world. It takes them to the place of God's suffering in the world."
When the children of God enter the long awaited Kingdom, they enter singing and dancing and the great feast awaits them. Jesus put a meal for all of God’s children in the middle of worship. This sacred meal recalls what Jesus was willing to do because his brothers and sisters were suffering in a broken world, where death and sin seemed to have all the power. His sacrifice can seem such a waste from the perspective of fear and limited possibilities. But death could not contain the Author of Life. Jesus rose from death and the power of evil was vanquished. Every Sunday is a little Easter celebration of his resurrection and every time we celebrate this sacred meal we remember how much he loved us and loves us still and all children are invited to the great feast that awaits our union in the Kingdom of the Lord. Every one of us has been made worthy because of His love. As you take him into you this day, let the Spirit of God empower you to be the righteous of God, who hear and see the needs of every child and act as God has called you to act for the very least among them is precious to God. Amen.
RESOURCE
Dirk G. Lange, Associate Professor of Worship at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. See: WorkingPreacher.org for Nov.23,’ 08.
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