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 he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:41-46
Think
The “sheep” served the king without even realizing it, and they were rewarded. Now the “goats” don’t understand why they are in trouble. They would have been happy to serve the king, but how could they? They never saw him anywhere!
Sometimes the things we do wrong are really the things we did not do. These “goats” did not do a lot. They didn’t give food or drink. They didn’t welcome. They didn’t give clothes or visit the hospital or the prison. And they definitely did not see their king hungry, thirsty, a stranger, poor, sick, or imprisoned. But the king was there, in all those “least of” places. The problem is not just that the “goats” didn’t notice him there — it’s that they didn’t even bother to look.
Perhaps they could not imagine that their king would ever be found in places that seem so far from the royal throne. Perhaps they simply don’t understand the kind of king they serve.
Nikki Finkelstein-Blair
Question to Ponder:
Where do we usually look for God and for Jesus? Are there places we assume we would never find God? Why?
Pray
God, sometimes I don’t know what to do.
Sometimes I do nothing because I don’t understand where you are at work.
Sometimes I don’t understand you at all.
Help me to know you better so I can follow and serve, wherever you are.
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!
