The Sheep and the Goats

Scripture:

Matthew 25:31-46

Quick Summary:

Jesus separates people into two groups like a farmer separates sheep and goats. He welcomes into heaven those who: fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, invited in strangers, clothed the needy, visited the sick and imprisoned.

The Point:

Jesus says when we help others, it is as if we were helping Jesus himself.

Questions for Family Time:

1.Tell me the story you heard today.

        a. (see above)

2.  Who does Jesus call sheep?

        a. the people who help others.  

3.How did you help others like Jesus said to?

        a. We fed the hungry, (and visited) the elderly    

4. How does our church do these things?

a. Feed the hungry and  give drink to the thirsty - help at the food pantry, Feed my Sheep

       c. invite the stranger- welcome people into our church; Heart House shelters the homeless, YES home provides housing for teens

       d. clothe the needy- help at the food pantry, make blankets for babies

       e. visit the sick and imprisoned- visit those in the hospital; Bible Study at the jail

4. How can you help others?

     a. Come up with some creative ways you can do each one of these: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, invite in strangers, clothe the needy, visit the sick and imprisoned.

Deeper:

          This is one of those stories Jesus tells that is pretty foundational for how we understand who we are and what our responsibilities are as followers of Jesus. This passage says that if we are to call ourselves Christians, our lives are to be filled with acts of compassion. Jesus’ disciples are to treat every person they meet as if that person was Jesus himself.  We are to help those in need, whatever that need is.

  

I think Jesus was intentional to make a list of needs that we can easily look past. It is easy to avoid people struggling with these needs. It is easy to say that it is someone else’s responsibility. But Jesus says his followers go out seeking these people, stuck in their home because of their health, or even tucked away in jail out of the view of the community. He tells us to find ignored people, people struggling with the daily necessities of life, and to help them. He tells us that we are to be proactive with our compassion.

          Jesus is such a strange king because rather than bowing at his feet, or demanding our praise, he instead says he is The Poor. The God of the Universe says he is the person who can’t afford their next meal. He is the child who walks miles each morning to find clean drinking water. He is the kid who grows too fast for his parents’ income to manage. He is the refugee running for their lives with only what they can carry. He is the sick patient. He is the inmate. How we treat the poor is how we treat Jesus. If we choose to demonize them and blame them for their struggles, we do it to Jesus. If we choose to come alongside them, empower them and treat them as wholly human, we do it to Jesus. When we love them like neighbors, we love Jesus.

          It’s easy to lose sight of these people in our busy lives, to say we have too much on our plate already. I get it. But, it’s important for us to teach our children compassion now. It’s important for us to notice Jesus in our midst, dressed in rags instead of robes. So I want to encourage you to start seeing the invisible people in the world. Let us teach our children that we have a responsibility not just to help those closest to us, but to all humankind.

Personal Reflection:

Answer #4 for yourself and your family. When have you specifically done each one? How can you show compassion in a new way in the next month?

Good News is Proclaimed to the Poor

Scripture:

Luke 6:17-23

Quick Summary:

Jesus blesses the people who thought they were cursed.

The Point:

No matter what is going wrong in your life, God still love you and is with you!

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why did people think they were cursed by God?

a.      Bad stuff was happening to them.

2.     Like what bad stuff?

a.      They were poor and hungry. People they loved kept dying.

3.      What was the good news Jesus proclaimed?

a.        When we go through hard stuff, it’s not because we are cursed by God.

Deeper:

In the Old Testament, when the Hebrews came into the Promised Land, they were told to stop in a valley. On one side was Mount Gerizim, on the other side Mount Ebal. There in the valley, the whole Law was read to them. Every rule, every commandment was said in front of all the people. Then half of the Hebrews went and stood on one mountain the other half on the other mountain. The ones on Mount Gerizim shouted out what would happen if they followed God’s Law. They shouted The Blessings. Then, those on Mount Ebal shouted out what would happen if the law was disobeyed…the curses.

Right at the birth of the nation, the people learn that if they do right by God, they will be blessed. If they do wrong by God, they will be cursed. For thousands of years later, they held this belief that if your life appears to be cursed, like you live in poverty, or are disabled, or keep losing people you love, you must have broken God’s law to receive such a curse.

This is the world that Jesus comes into. In this world, to these people who seem to be cursed by God, Jesus comes down the mountains to the people. He proclaims good news by blessing the cursed people:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

²² Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

Jesus takes the cursed and rejected and he tells them that God has not cursed them.  Instead God has blessed them. God has given his kingdom to the poor. He will feed the hungry. He will bring joy to those with sorrow. He will bless the lonely and rejected. God has an eternal home for these people.

Jesus lifts the curse that these people were carrying. When everyone around them are accusing them of sin, and telling them they must have deserved their misfortune, Jesus shows up.  Is there really any news that could have been better for them?

This is the good news He proclaims for us: No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, God loves you. Our blessings are not how well it rains, or how well the stock market does. Our blessings are not even if we are popular and well liked. Our blessings are this:

Ours is the kingdom of God!

We will be satisfied.

We will experience joy again.

God does not reject or desert us!

We have an eternity with him waiting for us.

This is the Good News! Even when the world tells us we are cursed, We know that God is for us!

Personal Reflection:

               When have you been surprisingly blessed in moments of hardship? What hardships are you facing right now? How do you see God blessing you in the midst of them?

David and Abigail

Scripture:

1 Samuel 25:1-44

Quick Summary:

David is still on the run from King Saul. He asks for some food from a farm owner named Nabal after protecting his shepherds and flock. Nabal refuses and David decides its time to pillage Nabal’s home. On the way, Abigail, Nabal’s wife runs out to meet David with food for his band of soldiers. By her generosity, she saved everyone in her household including the farmhands. When Nabal dies naturally 2 weeks later, David takes Abigail as his wife. 

The Point:

Rebel against what is wrong.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why was David mad at Nabal?

a.      Nabal refused to share food

2.     What was David going to do because he was mad?

a.      He was going to kill everyone at Nabal’s house, even the shepherds.

3.     What happened?

a.      Abigail stopped David by apologizing and bringing him food. She was a hero.

Deeper:

One of the most famous psychology studies after the Holocaust studied our willingness to follow orders we know are wrong. It was performed after hearing numerous workers of concetration camps claim they “were just doing their job.” This studied demonstrated that when we are told to do something, good people often obey, regardless of how bad it is. It is easier for us to follow the authority than to do what is right.

      While all of us want to raise obedient children, I think it is important for us to teach them there are times when we should be disobedient. There are times when a friend tells our kid to pick on another kid. There are times when an older teenager tells our kid to have a drink when they shouldn’t. There are times when adults may tell kids to do things that are not safe or kind. We want our kids to be ready. We want them to know that blind obedience is not the way of God.

Abigail risked her life by going behind her husband’s back. She risked being beaten by him. She risked being thrown out. She risked having to live the rest of her life under his scorn. She took the risk of disobedience because she knew the risk of obedience was worse. She knew that by doing nothing she and everyone she loved would die. She knew innocent lives were at stake. Abigail decided those lives meant more than her comfort. By doing so, she saved lives.

I hope I am like Abigail. I hope that when those moments come when what I am told to do is not right, I will choose to disobey. I hope that I will choose to risk my own comfort that others may live. I hope that for my children. I hope it for all who claim to believe in God and follow Jesus.

Personal Reflection:

               When have you had to choose between being obedient and doing what is right?  

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

John 6:1-27

Quick Summary

             With a measly 5 loaves and 2 fish, Jesus feeds 5,000 men plus women and children. He then leaves overnight, and the crowds who were fed go searching for him. Jesus calls them out…he says they are only looking for him for another free meal, and not for what he really has to offer. He can bring their life contentment that no meal will ever touch, because he is the bread of life.

The Point 

Jesus fills our hungry souls, not just our hungry stomachs.

Questions for Family Time

1.     What miracle happened in the story today?

a.      Jesus fed over 5,000 people with one packed lunch!

2.     Why did the people follow Jesus?

a.      For Free Food

3.     What did Jesus give them instead?

a.      Food for their soul, not just their body. He helped them to be happy in a way that money can’t buy.

4.     How has Jesus fed your soul?

a.      He loves me and cares for me. He helps me when I am sad or scared.

Deeper

            The Feeding of the 5,000 is one of those stories told in multiple gospels. This is one of my favorite versions…partly because in this version, a little boy shares his lunch. That’s right. A little boy brings up his sad little sack lunch and Jesus feeds over 5,000 people and has 12 baskets leftover. That’s what Jesus can do when we give him what we have to solve a problem.
           
 There is another part I love. In this version, Jesus ends up with a bunch of hungry followers, who just follow Jesus for their next meal. My husband and I have experienced this every once in a while. You know, when you help someone out, and pretty soon they are using you. Jesus calls the users out. He says, “I know what you are up to…I know you are here so I can just keep feeding you…but I am offering you more than that. I can feed your souls…forever.”

How often I have been one of those followers. God has provided in the midst of my physical need. He provided for Nick and I when we were unemployed, our credit cards were maxed, and all our food was gone. He provided clothes and diapers for Lydia in the midst of the economic crash of 2008. Sometimes, to this day, I find myself praying for my needs and wants to magically be met. Yet in the midst of those prayers,

Jesus calls me out and reminds me that one more shopping trip, one more dinner out, one more…will not satisfy the discontentment in my life. He wants to give me more than just stuff. He wants to give me peace and joy beyond what I can have from this world. Sometimes he doesn’t give me what I ask for, but he always gives me what I need. A new friendship. Compassion for those less fortunate than myself. Confidence that I am loved by God.

As long as we are alive, we will need another meal, another glass of water. But Jesus can fill those needs…those hungers…that reach deeper than a meal. Jesus promises to satisfy the longings of our souls.  

Personal Reflection

1.     What are the deepest desires of your heart that create discontentment? How are you trying to fill them? How would life be different if you asked Jesus to fill them?