Jesus brought a faith that could heal our broken world
Daily Scripture
Matthew 25:31-40, Ephesians 2:11-22
Matthew 25
31 “Now when the Human One [or Son of Man] comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left.
34 “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. 35 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. 36 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.’
37 “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’
Ephesians 2
11 So remember that once you were Gentiles by physical descent, who were called “uncircumcised” by Jews who are physically circumcised. 12 At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God. 13 But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. 15 He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. 16 He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God.
17 When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. 18 We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. 19 So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. 20 As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. 22 Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
People without enough to eat or wear, who lack good (or any) health care, who are in prison, who have special needs, any outcasts or outsiders—most of us are willing to do a little something to help “them.” In Matthew 25, Jesus called them “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine.” Jesus wants us to love his brothers and sisters, not as “them” but as “us,” one human family, caring and sharing as he did. Ephesians said God’s plan for this big mission is to draw all who love him into God’s “household,” working together.
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In Jesus’ story, those he said had helped him were surprised: “When did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink?” They saw a need to meet, not a chance to earn a reward. What can help you learn to see the face of Jesus in the faces of the people you meet, especially those who are outcast or hurting? When have you found the freedom and joy that comes from blessing others because you know God cares about them?
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God has a big mission for the church to join in carrying out, so Resurrection has big, challenging goals about ways we aim to change the world by 2030. In what specific ways can you personally join in Jesus’ purpose (at Resurrection or elsewhere) to change the world for the better? In prayer, invite Jesus to ignite your imagination and give you big dreams. Write or print those God-given dreams and put them where you will see them often.
Prayer
O God, keep my eyes and my heart open to see your face in the faces of hurting people around me who need your touch through me. Amen.
GPS Insights
Emily Stirewalt
Emily Stirewalt serves as Resurrection's Silverlink Pastor specializing in pastoral care of elderly adults. She is an ordained Elder in the Missouri Annual Conference and has served since 2007. She is married to Randall, a special education teacher. They have two daughters, Elliott and Marlowe. When Emily is not in a care home sharing communion or with her family on another Kansas City adventure, you can find her curled up on the couch at home binge watching "Friends" or "Golden Girls."
(Our apologies for the incorrect link to Vision 2030 in today’s GPS e-mail. We can’t fix the e-mail you’ve already received, but we have corrected it in this post on the church website. And if you don’t want to go back up and look for it, here it is: https://resurrection.church/vision2030/)
Silver Link is a ministry here at Resurrection that connects to the frail and elderly, specifically those that cannot get to a physical location for worship. One of the main ways we connect with this population is through our worship services in care homes throughout the metro area. Every month, I and Madison Brown our Coordination Director are present in two to three of the twenty worship services that our faithful and talented volunteers lead each month.
This past week we were together at a service, and it was an incredible testament to the ministry that I am blessed to lead. This particular service is in a memory care area. I am not sure what this particular’s woman story is, but I do know that our leadership team there shifted their focus for her about six months ago and it has made all the difference! Patricia (not her real name) was known as being a bit of a distraction during the worship service by the team and care home staff, as well as the other residents. After some conversation as a team and with the Activities Director, they pivoted, and one loving volunteer has now become Patricia’s 1-1 person during the service.
The difference was powerful to witness! Patricia sang every word of every song with us, prayed The Lord’s Prayer, and even cracked some well-timed jokes during our times of reflection that had everyone laughing with her. I tell our Silver Link leaders that they are going into some of the darkest and loneliest places in the world when they do these worship services and offer caring conversations in visits. And I mean it! Stories like Patricia’s are what Jesus was talking about when he told us to pay attention to the least, the last and the lost. I am a proud and grateful Pastor when I think about our ministry of presence in Silver Link. It truly does change lives!
