I love this passage. It is depicted on our Chapel window as a reminder that, in our encounters with people in need, we meet .

Matthew 25 31-46

31When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the 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."

Today is the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the Christian Year. It celebrates that Jesus is Lord and the lesson makes clear what the Lord expects of us. This is the last story in Jesus' teachings in Matthew. Right after this story he says, “I am headed to the cross." But in this story, he reminds his disciples and you and me, "I'll be back. And there will be an accounting."

This feels like the type of passage for our time. We are divided up, sheep and goats, good and bad. Liberal and conservative, red or blue, main line or non-denominational, are just a few of the ways we divide. We can also divide up in many other ways, city or suburb, race, religion, region, immigration status, sexual identity, young, old, techie, or Luddite. There are so many ways to divide up, and we keep coming up with more. Which are you, saved or unsaved, dunked or sprinkled?

The Christian Church has done an excellent job of setting an example for the world on how to divide up over disagreement. And with each division, we are dismissed by the world as more and more irrelevant. All the time, we fiddle as Rome burns as we decide who are sheep and who are goats, rather than to see Jesus in the face of the other.

In , there is a song "Learn Your Lessons Well" and these words come from it: I can see a swath of sinners sittin' yonder And they're actin' like a pack of fools Gazin' into space they let their minds wander 'Stead of studyin' the good Lord's rules You better pay attention Build your comprehension There's gonna be a quiz at your ascension Not to mention any threat of hell But if you're smart you'll learn your lessons well!

And there is an important lesson to learn.

Fred Craddock talks about this passage in terms of a final exam. We are going to be tested. But it should be an easy exam. There is just one question so we can study up and get it right. And we are told the question in advance. How did you treat me when you met me in the person in need? And we are given the correct answer as well: just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.

No problemo, we know the answer so we can easily pass. No problemo, we know the answer, and we have already failed. We have all taken time out of our busy schedules to help. And we have all been too stressed and busy and passed on by.

According to Jesus, the only division that matters is, did you help or not? And our answer results in eternal life or eternal punishment. This story ought to get our attention. If you want Kingdom life, stop and help.

In Luke, we get the story differently. Jesus is asked about what is necessary to obtain eternal life, and he replies: A man went down from to Jericho and fell among thieves who beat him, robbed him, and left him for dead. Along came a priest and a Levite, and they pass by-these are goats. I bet if they knew that for all eternity, they would be known as the two who passed by, they would have stopped.

A hated Samaritan comes upon the man. He renders first aid gets him to urgent care, and then the Hilton and says, “Here's my American Express Card. We can settle up when I get back in a few days. Until then, give him get what he needs and put it on my bill One of the sheep, and he didn't even know it.

And this focus on what we do is what I expect from Jesus, especially in Matthew. He is what I call the hardcore gospel. He has a deep focus on our behavior. For Matthew, beliefs are important, but more important than what we profess is what we do. We can say Lord, Lord, all day, () 21 “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. .” If we don't help the one in need, it is all for nothing. And we know this. We all believe we are supposed to help, and that is attested to by the guilt we feel when we fail to help. Often we come up with reasons why it was okay not to help.

This story, told by Jesus reminds us what we do matters eternally. And that is as it should be. It matters when people can see us, and it matters when nobody is looking. Although with the plethora of cell phones around, it feels like we are always being filmed. Not being seen is not as easy as it used to be. I am reminded of two classic stories about this passage. The first I know as "Martin the Cobbler," but it is also "Where Love Is, God Is" by Tolstoy. I found this excellent rendition by First Parish Church on the Internet. http://www.firstparish.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SERMON.SEP15.pdf There was a shoemaker named Martin. He was a fine cobbler as he did his work well and never promised to do something that he could not do. He stayed busy with his work in his basement that had only one window. Through this window, he could see only the feet of people. He recognized most people by their shoes as he had made and/or repaired most of their shoes at least once. He had a wife, but she died, and all their children had died as well. In grief, he denied God, wondering how God could allow such a thing to happen to him. One day a missionary visited Martin, and Martin told him of his hardships. This missionary told Martin that he should live his life for God and not deny God. The missionary's words sank deep into Martin. After this encounter, Martin went out and bought a large print . He began to read the Bible, at first only on holidays, but as he read more and more, it became daily. His life became full of peace and joy. After his day of work, he would sit down with a lamp and read. One night, Martin read a passage about a Pharisee who had invited Jesus into his house, and in the house, a woman anointed and washed Jesus' feet with her tears. Martin thought of himself as the Pharisee in that story as he was only living for himself. As Martin slept, he thought he heard a voice telling him that God would visit Martin the next day. The next morning Martin skeptically watched out his window for God. While he was searching for God, he saw a man shoveling away snow. Martin invited him in for a warm drink, and they talked for a while. Martin told him about Jesus and the Pharisee, and the man was moved to tears. When he left, the man thanked Martin for the food, both for the soul and body. Martin later saw a young woman outside with a baby, not properly dressed for the cold. He invited her in for some food and gave her warmer clothes and money. Martin also told her about Jesus, and she thanked him and left. Then he saw a young boy stealing from an older lady. He went outside and settled their argument as he extended love and compassion towards both of them. That night while Martin wondered why God had not visited him, he saw the three people he'd shown hospitality to when they appeared in his home. They said that when he helped them, he was helping God. Martin then realized that God had indeed visited him The second is a beautiful Christmas Story that catches the spirit of this passage. "It's a Wonderful Life.' Many of us watch it at least once each Christmas season. Clarence, an seeking his wings, helps George Baily. George hits bottom, ready to give up on life, he contemplates suicide. He feels he has failed and that his life has made no difference. And people would be better off if he had never been born. Clarence helps him see just how vital the many deeds of kindness he performed were to so many people and how terrible things would have been without him. Then we see him rejoicing at home as so many are present to thank him. This renews his spirits, and in this rejoicing, he has done one more good deed. He has helped Clarence get his wings. I think this catches the spirit of surprise that is evident in Jesus's story. Lord, when did we see you in need? George is shocked that his life made such a difference. And dear friends, ours have and continue to make a difference too. We just need to remember that even though we think of Jesus as the Son of God in heaven sitting on a throne of glory, he says to think some more. “You meet me each day in the face of the one in need.” And when we see the person in need, we are not to judge, “is he worthy?” Jesus did not appoint us as judge over these people's hearts. Jesus is the judge, not you and me. As I like to say, and you have heard it before from me, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide folks into two groups and those who don't. And another surprise might well be dividing folks into worthy and unworthy is not our job. Our job is to help. But what about….fill in the blank of a trait or behavior we don't like. What about them, surely you don't mean them. That is precisely the one, that is Jesus. Don't judge, don't divide, help. So as I said, none of us answered the one question right all the time. But like the last two weeks, this story is to make a point. The point is, how you treat others is how you treat Jesus. And once we know, there is no excuse for not doing so. But sometimes we fail, even when we know better. Like the last two-week's messages, there is a real-life way to understand this story. Romans 3:23-24 says since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So the only way we are going to make it is by throwing ourselves on the mercy of the shepherd. And I trust when we do, we will discover we are blessed and welcomed home by the Good Shepherd. I trust Jesus will step to us in mercy. This is not an excuse for moral laxity but a reminder that a misstep is not the end of the story. For another surprise awaits us; there is another chance closer than we might think. Probably we know of one now. So let our first step be toward helping the one in need, the one who is Jesus.