After Thanksgiving, the volunteers for the Salvation Army begin their annual trek to the fronts of grocery and department stores. They stand for hours on end in the rain, snow, wind and ice, ringing their bells and gathering money for the less fortunate souls of our society.
Most people simply walk on by; ignoring the sound of the bell. Some shoppers avoid making eye contact with the volunteer, or rush past the doorway with heaping carts in an attempt to project how busy they are. I've been guilty of these same things in the past. However, tonight as my wife and I walked past one of the famous red buckets, we pulled out our last $0.31 of cold hard cash from the car's ashtray. The thought behind this token gift was that although it was practically a monetary insult, it was all of the cash we had on hand until payday. Even if it only bought someone a hot beverage, it was well worth it.
In the book of Matthew, a parable of Sheep and Goats was illustrated in chapter 25. The people whom had loving hearts toward their fellow man and reached out to help were classified as "Sheep". Those who were too involved in their own selfish desires and didn't show compassion toward others were called "Goats". Let's see what the Lord has to say about these two types of people:
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.”
Don't be a Goat.
This Christmas season, please consider giving to the Salvation Army, or a local mission, community toy/food drive, adopted church family, struggling friend or relative. No matter how "tight" our budgets are this year, there are those within our community who aren't making ends meet. Even if you cannot give currency, consider volunteering your time or providing a hot meal. Even the smallest of gifts can make a big difference, and sometimes just letting people know you care is more than enough.
Good Night
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