Saturday, March 20, 2010

Just Pizza

“Sorry, it’s just pizza tonight,” I apologized to a guest at the Cold Weather Shelter a few days ago.

“No. It’s not just pizza,” he replied.

He and his family had spent the previous night with us (including two trips to the ER because their youngest toddler had a high fever) and had just joined us for dinner. He told me they almost didn’t come to the shelter because of very bad experiences with other shelters in the past. He shared how the shelter Culpeper runs actually treated them like people instead of inmates.

Funny how a small act of kindness may seem insignificant to us, but may be a tremendous blessing to someone else.

An acquaintance of mine told me this week that he’d love to go and help people, but he had no resources.

“What are you talking about?” I replied. “You can walk. You can talk. You’ve got a heart. Just ask God to show you what to do and then go do it.”

There are plenty of people who don’t have all his resources, and still God uses them in amazing ways. For example, Joni Eareckson Tada is a paraplegic who hosts a radio show. She also paints and has written over 35 books about Christianity and disabilities. THIRTY-FIVE books! She continues to be a light in darkness for those who lack the mobility that so many of us take for granted.

The Cold Weather Shelter in Culpeper was born out of a plea from a local pastor who stunned a monthly gathering of Evangelical pastors by sharing Jesus’ narrative of the Final Judgment where souls will be divided like a shepherd separates sheep and goats.

Matthew 25:31-46
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
____________________________

The pastor then looked around the room and simply stated. “We’re going to start a homeless shelter for the winter, if you’re not a part of it YOU’RE SINNING.”

He then sat down.

Since then, all sorts of people have been blessed through this shared ministry. People have had dignity restored to them. Friendships have begun. People have gotten the help they needed to get off the streets and into their own housing. Those that were hungry have been fed. The naked have been clothed. And yet, I believe it is the churches who have gotten the better end of the deal. We not only have gotten to serve “the least of these” in our community, we have gotten to know the people we often just drive by.

Ask God what He wants you to do and He will answer. It may not be immediate (for those of us who constantly check our email, it might be frustrating to wait on His timing) but you will receive an answer.

As you wait, keep your eyes open for opportunities to love others.

Matthew 5:43-48
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

God's children sooner or later come to the realization that it’s not “just pizza.”

Joe

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