As we’ve drawn closer to Christmas this year, I’ve found myself thinking more and more about Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the sheep and the goats. I’ve been haunted by the words that Jesus says in verses 41-43, “Go away from me. You will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever that was prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me … (verse 45) I tell you the truth, anything you refused to do for even the least of my people here, you refused to do for me.” And then, perhaps more chilling, the words of Ezekiel 16:49-50a, which, talking about the people of Soddom and Gomorrah, say, “They were arrogant and spoiled; they had everything they needed and still refused to help the poor and needy. They thought they were better than everyone else …” The least of these … the needy … How many of us have put them on our Christmas lists this year? We know that we have to buy gifts for Great-Uncle Fred and cousin Suzy and relatives we don’t even like, but have we looked at our shopping lists to add the “least of these?” Are we shopping for the needs of the homeless, the poor, the hungry, those in prison? Are we working to ensure that their Christmas is a blessing? Are we shopping to glorify God with the gifts we buy? Are we offering our gold, myrrh and frankincense, so to speak, to the King of Kings on His birthday? Have we even considered what might be on the King of Kings’ Christmas list this year? (Because He tells us!) In Isaiah 58:6-8, He spells it all out! He tells us plainly, “I’ll tell you what I really means to worship the Lord. Remove the chains of prisoners who are chained unjustly. Free those who are abused! Share your food with everyone who is hungry; share your home with the poor and homeless. Give clothes to those in need; don’t turn away your relatives.”
And then, I’ve been thinking … what if that was our goal all year long? To minister to the “least of these” for the Kingdom of God? If we, as a church body, would choose to invest in a mission trip to our own communities? If we would choose to take care of God’s Christmas list and the gifts most dear to His heart – twelve months out of the year? What if, instead of planning a trip to Africa to do ministry this year (which is important – don’t get me wrong), we would choose to start where we are? Just think – if we and a group of our friends would fundraise and save our pennies to conduct a week long mission trip to our city in the late summer, early fall – how the Spirit of God could move here. Just think if we made a list of the “least of these” in our communities, and decided to reach out to them …
- We could make/buy blankets for the homeless in our city, taking them to shelters or to the streets, offering to pray for them, to give them Bibles if they want, to pick them up for Church on Sunday if they want to go – to be warm, to have coffee and donuts, or something.
- We could buy Bibles and Christian books (fiction and non-fiction) for the local jails, prisons, and juvenile detention facilities (most of them have library shelves for the offenders to read from, though many are stocked with horrendously used books we wouldn’t even want to read). It makes a huge difference to offenders to see new books, books that talk about Christ … books that offer them hope. I’ve seen it.
- We could buy things for the food pantry – instead of simply emptying our cupboards of expired foods we don’t want to eat – and put stickers on the bottom of each item saying that we have been praying for them, that God loves them and cares for them, and that we trust He will see them through this hard time in their lives.
- We could call the local domestic violence shelters and find out what they need most – and donate it! In addition, we could load them down with Christian children’s books and teddy bears for the kids, with Bibles for the women, nice clothes (as many of them may have left with nothing but the clothes on their back), and sweet notes to encourage them, to let them know how deeply God loves them, that they are not forgotten, and that it is not His plan for them to be abused (look back to the verses from Isaiah 58!).
- We could buy diapers for emergency pregnancy centers, teddy bears, and Bibles. Many young women who end up pregnant out of wedlock feel very judged by the church – imagine what it would mean to them to have someone love them like this, love them enough to offer to pick them up for church and sit with them, and take them to lunch afterwards, to drive them to appointments if it was possible, etc. What if we would become Jesus’ hands and feet to these women?
- And what about the prostitutes? If there’s ever been a “least of these” population – they are probably it. Imagine what it would mean to them, especially as the weather gets colder, for people to bring them something warm to drink on the streets – hot cocoa, cider, or even soup – winter coats, and an offer to take them to dinner? Imagine what it would mean to them for someone to see past their current occupation to the hurting soul within, to the needs beyond it …
- Besides even these activities, on a mission trip to our own city, we could release hundreds of gospel balloons (helium balloons with plastic baggies attached, baggies filled with Gospel tracts and Bible verses) – it’s only $20 to get a helium tank and 30 balloons at Wal-mart! We could scribble Bible verses on the sidewalks with sidewalk chalk. We could write verses on post-it notes and hit up public restrooms across the city – and pray that the Holy Spirit will do what He’s so good at, and bring these verses to the memory of all people who read them (John 14:26 says that’s what the Holy Spirit was sent to do) and that it would bear fruit as God promises it will in Isaiah 55:11. We could set up in the local parks with the intention of praying for anyone and everyone who needs it – like a lemonade stand, except the lemonade would be free and all prayer needs would be encouraged/welcomed.
Can you imagine how different our cities would look if we would commit to do this? If we would pool our resources as a body of believers and seek to love God by loving “the least of these?” If we would, in a spirit of love and not condemnation, seek out the hurting in our cities to meet their needs? If we would determinedly seek to worship God so practically – instead of living like the people of Sodom, so arrogant that we refuse to help the needy?
This is what I’ve been thinking about this Christmas … and now you are too … J Oops …
So I guess my questions to you are two-fold:
- Will you try it with me, this “mission trip to our cities” idea?
- And – what would you add to the list? What other creative ways could we be ministering to the people of our cities?
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