Community of Love

Matthew 25:37-39 – “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’”

What strikes me about this part of the parable is that the sheep, the righteous didn’t know about the criteria Jesus is setting out here. They were not merely following custom or laws. What they did, they did because of who they were. They saw need and they filled it as best they could. They were able to love their neighbors without having any other goal than helping another person. 

I think the fact that the righteous didn’t know is an important part of this parable. The Kin-dom Jesus is talking about is made of those who naturally help others with no thought of reward. Because God is love, God’s kin-dom must be a community of love. Those who orient their lives to serving themselves will not feel comfortable or welcome in this kin-dom where loving service to others is the basis of community. 

I’ll let you in on a secret; I’m not naturally that loving. I often think of the loving thing to do and don’t do it. Maybe some of you are thinking the same about yourselves. The good news for us is that we can become naturally loving. Who we are is not set in stone but is rather determined in part by what we do. Fake it ‘til you make it. For me, it has to be intentional; the opposite of natural. However, I have learned that what begins as intentional can become second nature over time. I have also learned that doing loving things for others disposes me toward loving them. Generally. And that can create a sort of heaven on earth.

Which leads me to thinking about the pandemic we are experiencing, and how hard it is to be in this situation. I see many people on twitter saying we’ll make it through. But that saying ignores the very real pain and anguish that the survivors will be left with. We will not all make it through. The anxiety, worry, boredom, sorrow, and pain that assault us daily affect our mental health. This is especially true for those whose loved ones are sick or have died. It may feel selfish to take care of our mental health during this time. It may feel selfish to have moments of joy or laughter. It may feel selfish to stay at home. However, they are important; these things keep us in touch with our humanity. 

I believe our best chance of coming out of this strong and healthy is to love ourselves and each other enough to laugh, to keep in touch, to take care of ourselves, to do what we can where we can, and, with God’s help, to create a little bit of heaven here on earth. 

Of course, while staying at home.

B