Daily Devotion – November 20, 2020 – The Rev. Jill Bergman
Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)
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. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then 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; 35for 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, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then 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? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And 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.’ 41Then 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; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I 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.’ 44Then 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?’ 45Then 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.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Devotion
In today’s reading we hear a story of a king who truly identifies with his subjects. After coming through a long season of electing our leaders in the U.S., we can see that our elected leaders are increasingly pushed away from the rhythm of most of our daily lives. Once elected president, an insulating bubble of protection grows around that person. It is likely that they will not have to think with the same level of immediacy about living in a violent neighborhood, going hungry, losing a job, or even getting lost. How can they possibly know the truth of their electorate’s first-hand experience? Our God, far from becoming insulated by power, chose not only to stay connected with each person but also to experience life on earth, personally. Jesus experienced the worst of evil in order to come in contact with us humans. Our hurts and our struggles affect Jesus. Likewise, our love and joy affect Jesus, too. What have we given to Jesus today?
Prayer
Jesus, sometimes we forget how near you are to us. Hold us close and help us to ease the hurt caused to you and your beloved people. Amen.
