November 25, 2023 - Last Sunday after Pentecost (Reign of Christ)
While the story I am going to relate may not be 100% true, parts of it are based on facts and events that did happen. This version is from the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in San Diego.
Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning.
He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service, only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him.
He asked people for change to buy food – no one in the church gave him change.
He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit in the back.
He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.
As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such.
When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation.
“We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek.” The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation.
The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle. The clapping stopped with all eyes on him.
He walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment then he recited,
“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
“for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
“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?’
“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”
After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame.
The reminder today is straightforward, it seems to me. We will encounter Jesus in the “least of these” — the hungry and the thirsty. The stranger and the naked and the sick and those in prison. You see, our faith is not just of the mind and of the heart, but also for the hands and the feet. We live our faith in what we do. We live it in what we do in places that aren’t always pretty.
Perhaps most of the time we can ignore this fact. Truthfully, I don’t have the courage or the heart or the will to step towards it. And I suspect that you are the same. Too much of the time, we do just enough and then extricate ourselves as quickly and as politely possible. Or maybe we disengage entirely, not unlike the story I offered. Indeed, I offer that story as a reminder that we don’t know when such opportunities will present themselves. I offer it now as a way to begin to wonder what it means to see the face of Christ and respond.
This Thanksgiving week has been one of those weeks when, as I look back, I expect I have seen the face of Jesus again and again. And again. I am not entirely certain that I recognized him in the moment, though, and I am quite certain I have not yet had the time or space or wisdom to discern the meaning of those encounters. And yet, whatever else may be so, it still helps me to hear Jesus’ words today as encouragement to see him in unexpected places. I only pray that I am beginning to respond as though this were so. Because it is so.
Pastor Steepek finished that day by saying, “Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will YOU decide to become disciples?” He then dismissed service until next week.
This is not your invitation to leave, but to begin. We live our faith in what we do. Where have you seen the face of Jesus this week? Where might you see him today? Where will you look for him tomorrow? What difference would it make if we saw the face of Christ in all who need? For us as individuals? As families? As congregations? As communities? As a nation? And what will we do when we finally see Jesus’ face in everyone whom we meet?