Sometime in my 20s I was travelling to Chicago with my family on an early morning train. When we arrived at the station we stopped at McDonalds to grab breakfast. When we went in, there was a disheveled man sitting outside the store. It was likely the first time I encountered a "beggar" and I didn't know what to do. Maybe he was hungry or addicted. But I'll never know. I didn't even know his name. My instinct at the time was to steer clear of him because he seemed somehow dangerous or, I'm embarrassed to admit, unworthy.
The encounter sticks with me to this day. I'm sure I was thinking about Matthew 25. I didn't realize it immediately, but certainly here, I was seeing Jesus. Whenever I revisit that memory, and I have guiltily revisited it many times, I've thought well, what should I or could I have done?
Since then I've encountered "street people" many times. Often with the same fear of them. But recently I've been moving past that fear. Sometimes I've given them the snack I often carry in my purse. Sometimes I'm even brave enough to say, "Tell me your name." (As a generally shy person, that is a huge feat!)
Yesterday in church, our Sabbatical minister, Rev. Dr. Tim Perkins (or as he prefers, Tim) preached on this passage. He invited each of us to take a small, beautifully fashioned wooden cross. I purposely chose one showing many of the dark brown rings that tell the story of the life and struggles of the tree. He suggested to us that we look for the hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, and imprisioned.
Perhaps this blog will enlighten my journey through Matthew 25.
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