The Least of These
Posted by
Andrew Groves
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Posted in
Thoughts
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Posted on
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." -Matthew 25:40
This past weekend a few buddies and I went into downtown Lexington on the spur of the moment. Originally intent on having some private praise and worship, we ended up buying some food and giving it to some homeless people in Phoenix Park. Doesn't sound like much, does it? I mean, what difference can a sandwich, some bananas, and an Ale-8 make? More than I could have known...
Enter Scott, a middle-aged man down on his luck and heading to jail in the next week. A few of us sat down with him and struck up a conversation about anything and everything. Honestly, I have to admit that I was very uncomfortable for the first few minutes. Will he really be willing to talk with us, and what should I say? I've never conversed with a homeless man before. What's going to happen here?
Well, it turned out that Scott was the most talkative of us all. He kept reminding us what great guys we were to take time out of our day to come give him some food. "Lots of other kids your age are out here (indicating some local bars) partying it up." And he gave us invaluable insight into the dangers of addiction. But that's not all we gained. No, there was more.
The only phrase that pops into my head is, "The taste of God was good." I walked away from that park feeling refreshed, renewed, and regenerated. Something inside me clicked. Who are "the least of these"? The hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned, the lonely, the downtrodden. By serving Scott, we served Christ, and got a tiny glimpse of what genuine, selfless service to an Almighty God looks like. And if we can somehow grasp that concept, we will hear the voice of our Lord speaking softly, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." By serving God in this place, a far country, we are made certain of the inheritance of our eternal home.
That is awesome that you did that. I love hanging out with homeless men and women and I find that they have some of the best insight about God, the Bible, and life itself. Most of those living on the streets aren't really looking for food; they are looking for someone to notice them and someone who is willing to be their friend. The streets that are so filthy and messy are swarming with life. As our good friend Rich Mullins likes to say, "Where there is mess there is life."
If you need a good book to read try "under the overpass" it has some amazing insight on the life of homeless men and women.
I have enjoyed reading your blogs, keep writing them.
Forgiven Much,
Carmen