‘Essential Service’

Daily Devotional December 15th

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” (Matthew 25:31-40)

There is a lot of noise these days about the Church being an essential service. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believe the Church is essential...when fulfilling its God-given purpose. But that’s the problem. There are too many individuals and congregations that have lost sight of the essential work we are called to do. When Jesus returns, what is the work that He commends? What ensures our place among the ‘sheep?’

“For I was hungry, and you fed me.
I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.
I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
I was naked, and you gave me clothing.
I was sick, and you cared for me.
I was in prison, and you visited me.”

We cannot earn a place into heaven through works; but our faith is incomplete if it is not tangibly lived out in service to our King, demonstrated through care of our fellow human beings. Could it be that the world does not view us as ‘essential’ because in our work to grow and connect those in the Church, we have neglected our other responsibility to those outside our four walls? I, for one, want to hear my Master’s commendation, “Well done my good and faithful servant!” But that requires that I reclaim the essentialness that God has endowed His Church with. Let’s not just demand that others recognize this status. Let’s prove it!
~ Pastor Jane