Ordinary Time 
Pause
Come before the throne of Jesus Christ, however you will:
lift up your heart or kneel at his feet,
raise your voice in song or let your tears fall,
proclaim his praise or ask for what you need.
You are loved and you are known. You are welcome here —
everywhere — Jesus reigns.
Listen
“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’”
Matthew 25:34-36
Think
In science class we learn to recognize the ways creatures are alike and different so we can put them in categories of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Scientists (and we!) can describe and divide all the creatures of the world based on observable characteristics.
If Jesus were actually talking about sheep and goats in Matthew 25, scientists (and we!) could easily distinguish them and help the king divide one herd from the other. The animals share a kingdom, phylum, class, order, and family, but sheep (genus Ovis) and goats (genus Capra) still differ in appearance, biology, and behavior.
But the king who divides “sheep” from “goats” is dividing people — even nations — based on characteristics that are not as easily observed as bone structure or the shape of a horn. The distinguishing factors are behaviors that result from the only characteristic that truly matters: the state of the heart.
Nikki Finkelstein-Blair
Question to Ponder:
What characteristics do we use to classify and separate people, communities, and nations? Where do you think these categories came from? How do they compare to the behaviors Jesus describes?
Pray
Help me, God, to look beyond obvious outward characteristics and to pay attention to people’s hearts.
Help me especially to bring my own heart more and more in line with yours so I can treat others with love in your name.
Amen.
Go
Now go to the places you would least expect; your king is already there.
Lift those who are low. Kneel with those who bow.
Join your voice, weep together, bring food to share.
Offer welcome, praise, and joy, however you will.
Everywhere, Jesus reigns!
