Matthew 25:31-40

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³ and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, ³⁵ 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, ³⁶ 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.’ ³⁷ 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? ³⁸ And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹ And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.

It would seem that after doing something repeatedly for close to twenty years there wouldn’t be any surprises left. Not so with our Saturday Soup Kitchen. Each time I volunteer, I feel God’s presence. God is present as the Confirmands plan the menu for a wonderful meal for our hungry neighbors. God is present as people in our church across the age spectrum work side by side to shop, cook, and serve. God is present in the faces of those whose bodies and souls are nourished at this weekly table. To experience God’s presence, I just have to show up.

Prayer

Thank you, God, for letting me experience the real presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus as I can do for the least of these (and Him) any Saturday I choose. Amen.