Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

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 sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

‘They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

‘He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Let us pray,

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all of our hearts, be pleasing and acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer…

Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is the last Sunday in the church calendar. Next week, we start a new church year with the first Sunday in Advent.

We wrap up Ordinary Time with Christ the King Sunday because in ordinary time we learned about who Jesus is, and how we can follow him in our everyday lives. On Christ the King Sunday we celebrate that Jesus is king over our world and over our lives. It is a fitting way to end the year!

In our Scripture reading for this morning, we have a parable that teaches us how we are to celebrate Christ our King. It is called the parable of the sheep and the goats. In it, Jesus (the Son of Man) returns in glory and he separates the people into two categories: sheep and goats.

Sheep are they who demonstrate their faithfulness to Christ the King by performing acts of loving kindness. They feed the hungry. Welcome the stranger. Clothe the naked. And visit the sick and the imprisoned. Goats are they who only perform acts of loving kindness when it benefits them. When they do pay attention to the needs of the vulnerable in their community they only do it when the whole community is watching.

Throughout this season of Ordinary Time, we’ve learned that discipleship is more about the small, daily acts of loving kindness, then the big, lifechanging moments of experiencing the presence of God in our midst. We’ve also learned that disciples are they who have been through the great tribulation. Who have suffered as Jesus did for the sake of the world he loves so much. We’ve learned that the path Jesus treads is one that leads to the cross. And that we follow the same path in our daily lives.

In Christ’s kingdom, the blesses are those who suffer but do not retaliate with violence. Who bear witness to a new reality by serving others.

This week I’ve been reflecting on what it means to serve others in the middle of a global pandemic. Many of our usual avenues for service- food distributions and community Thanksgiving meals- these large group gatherings are simply not possible right now. But we do have three clear things we can do. These three things will give our kiddos the best possible shot at in-person instruction. These three things will help ensure our hospitals don’t become overwhelmed. These three things will help small businesses stay in business.

We can:

o Avoid large group gatherings.
o Wear our masks.
o Stay home if we’re sick.

Guys I know we’re all tired of this pandemic. I know that we were all looking forward to spending time with our friends and families over the Thanksgiving holiday. But this pandemic isn’t over yet. I am very encouraged by the news of two very promising vaccines that will hopefully get FDA approval soon. Until then, the best way we can serve others in the middle of a global pandemic is to wear our masks, stay home if we’re sick, and avoid large group gatherings.

On the days when following the guidelines to slow the spread of covid weigh heaviest on me, I have to remind myself that I can do these things because I have experienced God’s kingdom breaking into our bleak reality. Once you’ve experienced the life-changing reality of Christ the King it is simply not possible to go back to life as it once was.

We have seen a king who is not like the kings of this world. We know a king who brings real peace. Who sees the needy. Who hears the cries of the oppressed. In God’s kingdom, no one is hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or alone. I have to trust that God is with us when I’m seeing people in my community who are hungry, sick and alone. I have to trust that if it’s not safe for me to help them then God will raise up people who can.

I know this isn’t my typical Christ the King/Sunday before Thanksgiving sermon. But even in these atypical times, Christ is still King. This pandemic will eventually end. Let us prepare to go from this place serving others and professing the invasion of God’s glorious kingdom.

Thanks be to God.

 In Jesus’ name.

Amen.