Friday, January 1, 2021
Care for the least of these
An excerpt from Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)
’Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 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.’
Reflection from Sharon Gramer:
How appropriate during the Christmas season of giving!We provide so much to our close friends and family, but we need to remember to reach out to all. It wasn’t long ago that Deacon Max reflected on neighborly love. During that time, a neighbor had a garage fire early in the morning and all the fire trucks woke us all. I thought a neighbor collection would be a good idea, and I canvassed most of the neighbors and provided a sum of cash to this family to help with their re-building. I was stunned, when a week later, we received a beautiful note of gratitude with a bouquet of flowers.We all now know their names and were able to help in some way.
For further study and prayer, the readings assigned for today are:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13; Psalm 8; Revelation 21:1-6a; Matthew 25:31-46
Music
“I Bind My Heart”
Traditional Mennonite hymn, arr. Brooks Gingerich
“I bind my soul this day to the neighbor far away
And the stranger near at hand,
In this town and in this land.”
Tags: Epiphany
