Ecclesiastes 3.1-13
1] For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2] a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3] a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4] a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5] a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6] a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; 7] a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8] a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. 9] What gain have the workers from their toil? 10] I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with.
11] He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12] I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; 13] moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.
Matt 25:31-46
31] “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.”
Spoken words for “Just As We Care”
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O God, our strength and our redeemer. How sad that Jesus had to tell his audience, and us, that we will be given eternal punishment if we do not feed, clothe and care for others. Why does it take such a strong image, such a frightening image of fire, to get us to care for others? Maybe a softer image might work. There is a softer image in this Gospel passage from Matthew. Jesus said here that just as we care for anyone who needs care, we are really caring for Jesus. If we did not provide that care, it is as if Jesus himself was the one who asked, and we refused to care for him. The softer image is the face of Jesus asking for help. Imagine his face, however you see it, as the face asking for help. Imagine his face needing the help if he was too shy, too proud, too embarrassed to ask for it, even though is it clear that help is needed. Maybe the image of Jesus asking for help will work to get us to give the help. Maybe it will. Maybe it already has.
I think that Jesus was trying to tell us that everyone is worthy of care. He did use the word “least” to describe those who needed help. No one wants to think of themselves as a “least”. Jesus said that if we care for a “least” we are caring for him. I think that brings everyone up to the level of Jesus. I do not think it means anyone other than Jesus is a “least”. Jesus spent many words telling us that he was from God, yet not as elevated as God is. Jesus is saying that just as we would care for him, if we recognized him, so we should care for any others who need care. He is saying that those who appear to us as least, are as elevated as Jesus is, and are as elevated as we are.
I think that is why Jesus, the son of God, came into the world the same way all of us did. Our Gospels tell us that Jesus came to us as a human baby. A baby that looked like we did at birth. And we have built a whole season and culture around worshiping that baby Jesus. What if all babies were honored the same way we honor Jesus? Maybe not with the gifts of a king, that wise men brought, but with the care Jesus asks us for in this Gospel passage. We are told to give food and drink. We are told to welcome and clothe. We are told to care for the sick and visit the prisoners. By doing these things, we are honoring the people we care for. Honoring them as much as we honor the baby Jesus at this time of year.
How different would our world be if all people had those things? People who are cared for and treated well might be more likely to treat others that way. Certainly we know that some wars and conflicts of all kinds stem from the lack of food, water or other resources. Could providing those things, and other things like empowerment and self-esteem, help to lessen the wars and conflicts? Maybe.
Maybe there does not have to be a time for war, a time to kill and a time to hate. In our first reading from Ecclesiastes, it sounds to me as if the writer was saying that these things will always come back. He is being a realist. I think he has no hope. He admits to a belief in God, and to not knowing what God will do “in the end”. He does not know how his story ends; he does not know how the stories of the future will end. He does say that “all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil”. I think this means he has some wish to see all people cared for.
Yet in our time, but maybe not in his, there are signs of hope. The one I point to now is the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec 27, just a few days ago. 75 years ago the Japanese attacked US troops based there. That action led the US into World War II. Such a visit between former enemies would not have been expected, even a few years ago. In May, President Barak Obama visited Hiroshima in Japan. That city was bombed by the US, 71 years ago, using an atomic bomb. That bombing led to the surrender of Japan and helped to end World War II. Both leaders honored the dead of those sites of war. And some survivors where present for these visits, too. Today is not a time of war between the US and Japan. Maybe the cycle of war and peace between these two countries will stay in a time for peace, and never cycle back to war.
If we care for each other as if each one of us was Jesus, as if each one of us was a child of God, the way Jesus was the child of God, how much good might come of that? So much good that no one will be hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or in prison. So much good that there will not be a time for killing, hate and war. We read that these things will be gone when Jesus comes in his glory. Why wait for Jesus to do all that work, by himself? May we help others where ever we can, and may we in turn be helped when we need help.
© 2017 Reverend Kelly Ann Donahue. All rights reserved.