“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!’
The beginning of Christmas season is
in full bloom. (It must be so…the stores
said are all decorated and prices are “amazingly-slashed”!)
This means Thanksgiving gatherings,
visits to relatives, shopping, decorations and eating (and eating, and eating
and…..well…you know).
In all the visiting, eating, shopping
and whatever else your hand finds to do….remember the most important items of
compassion and care for those who are struggling:
·
Nursing home – this is a great place to begin your
visiting. If you spend 20 minutes just
holding the hand of an Alzheimer’s sufferer, you will not take another day for
granted.
·
Prison – If you bring a few bags of personal
hygiene items (toothpaste, etc) to the prison and ask if anyone hasn’t had a
visitor in a long time, you will not take another moment of freedom for
granted.
·
Children’s hospital – just go sit in the lobby and watch
what goes on; then go to the chaplain’s office and ask what is needed. You’ll never again look at a healthy child
without thanking God for his grace.
·
God’s house – Christmas is about giving…but the
toys, perfume and assorted electronic gadgets are not the deal….It’s God’s gift
of Christ to the world we celebrate.
Start Today
Don’t let the gift get lost in the wrapping paper. Give yourself first to Christ, then to others and
then notice how different this year will be.
That’s His promise!
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