On many occasions Jesus made it clear that all human beings are called to share in his kingdom, but that few choose to do so. In today's reading Jesus tells us that those who choose to share in his kingdom are unexpected, just as those who choose not to share in the kingdom are unexpected. In our worship let us explore the ways in which people opt into or opt out of God's kingdom.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I fail to notice those who are in need.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes I prefer not to notice those who are in need.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes I'm under the illusion that attending church is sufficient, so I needn't bother about those in need.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. [32] All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, [33] and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. [34] Then 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; [35] 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, [36] 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.' [37] Then 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? [38] And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? [39] And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' [40] And 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.' [41] Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; [42] for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' [44] Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' [45] Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Story:
Jesus said that there will be surprises in the kingdom of heaven. Those who act from compassion deep within them will find themselves living and loving with God, while those who only go through the motions, won't. But sometimes we think we're acting from deep inner convictions when in fact we're acting from prejudice.
In this story, Angela, Jack and Raymond unknowingly all act from prejudice. Only Susie acts from deep inner conviction.
The New Boy
Angela, Jack, Raymond and Susie all went to the same school. It was a big school with lots of children, so neither Angela, Jack, Raymond nor Susie knew everybody.
When a new boy joined their class, Angela, Jack, Raymond and Susie were all interested. With everybody else they crowded round the new boy at playtime.
"What's your name?" asked Angela.
"Where do you live?" asked Jack.
"Do you like football?" asked Raymond.
"I'm Susie, welcome to our school," said Susie.
The new boy took a deep breath and rattled off his answers all in one go. "I'm Melvyn and I live on the Travellers' Site and I hate football and hello Susie."
With that, Angela, Jack and Raymond all drifted away. Angela had already lost interest in the boy. Jack knew his parents would never let him play with anyone who came from the Travellers' Site, because he had heard his parents talking in shocked tones about the site and saying how it ought to be closed and the travellers moved on to some other part of the country. Raymond had no time for anyone who didn't like football.
But Susie stayed and chatted to Melvyn.
A few days later when someone's dinner money went missing from their pocket in the cloakroom, Angela, Jack and Raymond all blamed Melvyn.
"Nobody else would take it. He's new, it must be him," said Angela.
"He's a gypsy! Everyone knows all gypsies are thieves," said Jack, who had heard his parents talking.
"We were all at football practice. He was the only one left," said Raymond.
"Of course it wasn't Melvyn! How can you say such things? He's my friend," cried Susie.
The money was found later that day. It had slipped through a hole in the pocket and inched its way into the lining of the coat.
When the classroom was left in such a mess that the teacher scolded all the children and made them stay in at playtime to tidy it, Angela, Jack and Raymond all blamed Melvyn.
"He's got holes in his socks and he smells," said Angela untruthfully, for Melvyn never smelt.
"He's a gypsy! Everyone knows all gypsies are filthy," said Jack, who had heard his parents talking.
"He can't kick a football straight, let alone straighten the classroom," said Raymond.
"Oh come on! We all left the room in a mess. It wasn't just Melvyn," cried Susie.
On Sunday, Angela, Jack and Raymond all went to church. Susie and her friend Melvyn went together to play in the park. They had a great time.
On Monday, Angela said, "I went to church yesterday. The vicar said I'm growing up to be a good little Christian."
Jack said, "I went to church yesterday and my parents are so pleased with me that they gave me five pounds to spend. They said I'm growing up to be just like them."
Raymond said, "I went to church yesterday instead of playing football. My football coach said he admired my selfless decision and I'm growing up to be a person of strength and stamina."
Susie and Melvyn didn't say anything. They were too happy in their new found friendship with each other. They didn't know it, but they were growing up to be like Jesus.
Activity:
You need:
Sheets of paper or card
Pens
Scissors
Glue
Felt-tips, paints or crayons
Some templates of sheep and
templates of goats (these can be the same, or very similar)
Small cards,
each one bearing a one word characteristic, such as greed, love, envy, spite,
kindness etc (These will be glued onto the sheep or goats, so need to be quite
small.)
A large sheet of paper or card
Part of the point about the story of the sheep and the goats is that sheep and goats in Israel can hardly be distinguished from each other, they look almost identical. Therefore we must beware of labelling anyone as a sheep or a goat. But we could label certain characteristics as "sheep-like" or "goat-like".
Let the children draw round the templates, then cut out the shapes to make sheep and goats of their own. Ask somebody to draw a large picture of Jesus, colour it and cut it out. Glue the picture of Jesus onto the middle of the large sheet of paper or card.
Spread out the small cards and invite the children to glue them onto their sheep and goats. Don't worry at this stage whether the words are attached to a sheep or a goat. When all the words have been used and all the sheep and goats have a word, get the children to divide them into "good" (desirable) characteristics and "bad" (undesirable) characteristics.
Then glue the sheep onto Jesus' right hand side and the goats onto his left hand side. Display the finished picture for all to see and get the children to explain it to the church.
Intercession:
Loving God, forgive our unsuspected prejudices and help us to be truly open to all people. As a church, may we look for the God within each human being and remember that when we reject others, we are rejecting you.
Loving God, our world is full of deep-seated divisions and hatreds. May we start small, by asking you to uncover and heal the divisions within our own community, so that real peace might then flow to areas all around us and thence to the world.
Loving God, when we're comfortable with our biases and afraid of those who are outside our experience, give us the courage to explore different life-styles. May we look with compassion on all in need and see them with the eyes of Christ.
Loving God, we ask you to pour your healing power into those who are sick. May they know that they are loved by you and that you will never let them go. We pray especially for ..
Blessing:
May you seek out those who are lost,
Judging no-one but offering
Christ's compassion to all.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
