24th November 2023

Waiting for the King

‘Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?” ’
Matthew 25:37-39 (NIVUK)

How are we to wait for the return of King Jesus? Let me suggest that it’s not as this parody of Matthew 25 describes:

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club, and you discussed my hunger. Thank you.
I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar to pray for my release.
I was naked and, in your mind, you debated the morality of my appearance.
I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.
I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.
You seem so holy, so close to God.
But I’m still very hungry and lonely and cold. ¹

As we wait for the return of the King, our lives are to be so transformed by the gospel that we unconsciously serve Jesus by serving other people through our actions and not just words. I say ‘unconsciously’ because the righteous in Jesus’s parable seem unaware that in doing even the smallest things for others, they were doing them for Jesus. It’s not that they thought if I give an elderly person a food parcel, or a homeless person some clothes, or visit someone in prison, I am serving Jesus and earning my ticket to heaven. This parable is not saying, that being kind to other people is what qualifies us for the kingdom.

Salvation does not come by us serving other people but by Jesus serving us as he laid down his life on the cross. Just as Jesus came to serve and not be served (Mark 10:45), so his followers are to serve others. It’s not serving that makes us a ‘sheep’, but it is because we are a ‘sheep’ we serve. We don’t serve to earn ‘brownie points’ with Jesus, but because our lives have been so transformed by him, we are to think and act as he did towards the marginalised and vulnerable in society.

So, as we wait for the coming of the King let us share the love of Jesus by practically making a difference in the lives of others, so they are no longer hungry, lonely, and cold.

Prayer
Loving Father, help us to be sensitive to the needs of others and open to how we can actively serve them in practical ways. Renew our hearts to care for the poor, needy, and hurting people around us, and we pray that you will make us more and more like your Son, so that we live a life of grace and love. In Jesus’s name, we pray, Amen.

Study by Barry Robinson

¹ Anonymous From “1500 Inspirational Quotes and Illustrations” by M. Lunn as printed in “Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes” by Charles Swindoll.

About the writer:
Barry Robinson is a minister in Grace Communion International and Regional Pastor for Southern England, the Midlands, and Wales

Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA

Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm

Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church