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Difficult to Fathom

Vol. 21 No. 02 | January 14, 2019

I’ve read The Sheep and the Goats from Matthew 25:31-46 more times than I can count. I’ve studied it during retreats and devotionals, taught it in classes, and written about it in articles.

I admit, I’ve used it to scare people, manipulate them, and make them feel guilty. And I know it has been used to do the same to me. I’ve also been in conversations where we joked about who we thought were the sheep and who we thought were the goats.  

The story of The Sheep and the Goats was spoken to the religious people of Jesus’ day as a warning to those who claimed to be righteous, yet failed to put their words into action.

I believe its application is more relevant and important now than it ever has been. And I feel powerless to do anything that will make a difference.

I watch the news coverage of children being separated from their parents on our southern border, hours from where I live, and I am stunned. I listen to the justifications and promises and threats. I watch the talk shows, disgusted by the political pundits who continue to interrupt, dismiss, and disrespect the opposing side to make their point.   

I watch, I listen, and my heart breaks.

But then I am reminded of these words: 

With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:6-8 NIV)

These words remind me that I do my best to act justly, love mercifully, and walk humbly with my God. And I do what I can to help those in need, regardless of who they are, where they are from, or what their skin color is.

You Seem So Holy

I was hungry, and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger.

I was imprisoned, and you crept off to your chapel and prayed for my released.

I was naked, and in your mind you debate the morality of my appearance.

I was sick, and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless, and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely, and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so holy, so close to God

But I am still very hungry — and lonely — and cold.

[Anonymous]

And so I pray.

Lord have mercy on me. Help me do more than just think, listen to and speak words of hope or despair. Instead, from this day forward, give me the courage to take action and live as you would live- with courage, compassion, and above all, with love.

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