This week’s Core Values:
Love God – Love Others
Serving People Is Serving God
Read Matthew 25:37-40
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Today we are staying in the same passage from yesterday, but reading it with a different focus. Notice that Jesus gives four examples of acts of service towards others that define the Kingdom of God – two of them involve providing for core, essential human needs of food and water, and two of them involve hospitality. Most often when we talk about service or think about “Service Projects,” we think about manual labor and financial support for core needs, like filling food pantries or cooking meals. These are important acts of service, but it is important to also note the second category – hospitality.
If we are being honest, hospitality is much more demanding of us than providing food and water. It demands our full attention, our emotional engagement, and, in general, considerably more time, but it is equally important and occasionally even more needed than the physical resources we can provide. As we continue thinking about service, let’s take some time to consider how we might integrate hospitality into what it means to be a servant.
Prayer: Lord, give me your eyes to see the needs of those around me, not just the physical needs, but the emotional, relational, and spiritual needs as well. Help me to take time to be with those in need, and have compassion for those who are different from me.
