Today’s Readings: Psalm 75; 1 Chronicles 16:8-18; Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 3:7-13; Psalm 77
I had a very tight family growing up that spent as much time together as possible. Each of us led busy lives that took us in dozens of different directions, however, so we didn’t get to spend as much time together as we would have liked. My dad Bob worked 6 days a week at the post office and volunteered his time to serve on the local school board. My mom Freda was a homemaker who volunteered tons of hours in our church’s women’s groups; she also volunteered to serve on our city’s planning commission. My oldest brother Gene worked for the Air National Guard and volunteered on the local Search and Rescue chapter. My second brother Keith worked in a warehouse and served as a union shop steward. My sister Karen worked in the volunteer services division of a local hospital and volunteered in the Christian Education and music departments of her church. Because of our hectic schedules, we had to make the most of each opportunity we could find to hang out – and holidays were the only time we could count on to get every one together. As a result, they took on added importance. My mom had a habit of doing something that greatly annoyed one of my siblings. Whenever she would find someone who was going to be alone for the holidays, she would invite them over to enjoy the holiday with us. This drove one of my brothers insane. He felt like our family was losing what little time we had together since we would include “strangers”. One of my most memorable Christmases was the time we included Beth (a blind woman who had just moved into our community) and her five year old son in our holiday celebration. As I thought about my mom’s holiday practice this holiday season, I realized it was her own way of living into Jesus’ words from today’s passage from Matthew: “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink…” (Matthew 25:35 from The Message). We often think of the acts that Jesus spoke of that were indicators of a rich spiritual life – the things we do for “the least of these” – as being part of on organized, missional effort (i.e. let’s go down with the church group and serve lunch at the soup kitchen, let’s be a part of the church’s service at the prison, etc). While those collective expressions of one’s faith are important contributions, my mom taught me that most often the opportunities we have to do for the least of these happen spontaneously within the context of our individual lives. Today, I would encourage you to be more aware of these opportunities as they spring up around you and make the most of them. Til next time…
I had a very tight family growing up that spent as much time together as possible. Each of us led busy lives that took us in dozens of different directions, however, so we didn’t get to spend as much time together as we would have liked. My dad Bob worked 6 days a week at the post office and volunteered his time to serve on the local school board. My mom Freda was a homemaker who volunteered tons of hours in our church’s women’s groups; she also volunteered to serve on our city’s planning commission. My oldest brother Gene worked for the Air National Guard and volunteered on the local Search and Rescue chapter. My second brother Keith worked in a warehouse and served as a union shop steward. My sister Karen worked in the volunteer services division of a local hospital and volunteered in the Christian Education and music departments of her church. Because of our hectic schedules, we had to make the most of each opportunity we could find to hang out – and holidays were the only time we could count on to get every one together. As a result, they took on added importance. My mom had a habit of doing something that greatly annoyed one of my siblings. Whenever she would find someone who was going to be alone for the holidays, she would invite them over to enjoy the holiday with us. This drove one of my brothers insane. He felt like our family was losing what little time we had together since we would include “strangers”. One of my most memorable Christmases was the time we included Beth (a blind woman who had just moved into our community) and her five year old son in our holiday celebration. As I thought about my mom’s holiday practice this holiday season, I realized it was her own way of living into Jesus’ words from today’s passage from Matthew: “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink…” (Matthew 25:35 from The Message). We often think of the acts that Jesus spoke of that were indicators of a rich spiritual life – the things we do for “the least of these” – as being part of on organized, missional effort (i.e. let’s go down with the church group and serve lunch at the soup kitchen, let’s be a part of the church’s service at the prison, etc). While those collective expressions of one’s faith are important contributions, my mom taught me that most often the opportunities we have to do for the least of these happen spontaneously within the context of our individual lives. Today, I would encourage you to be more aware of these opportunities as they spring up around you and make the most of them. Til next time…
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