Sermon for Year A Christ the King Sunday

When was that?

When was that?
When was what?
You know…

…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.'


When we lived in Memphis, Tennessee
my husband Tom was the General Manager of a country club.
The position paid exceedingly well
and had a certain amount of prestige
in the community.
But sometimes what seems like a nice, posh job—
can be a very dark night of the soul.

It is difficult to work somewhere
if your personal values are often in conflict
with the corporate values of your employer.

Racism, sexism, elitism…
these were at best the undertones,
at worst, blatant and obvious.

But far worse than any of those philosophical “isms”
were the ways
many club members treated the staff on a daily basis.

They were rude.
They spoke in sharp, sarcastic tones of voice.
They were demanding and ungrateful.

They had no use for the “least of these”--
and certainly could not imagine any of those people--
who served their food
or carried their golf clubs
or cleaned their toilets
or parked their cars--
they could not imagine any of those people
as members of their family.

But as is often the case
with the darkest and most difficult times in our lives,
there are also gifts to be received.

One of those gifts my husband received
was being invited to join a group of employees
who gathered each morning
(before they clocked in for their shift),
who stood in a circle, joined hands
and prayed.


They prayed for one another.
They prayed for their families.
They prayed for the members of that club--
they prayed for those very same members
who verbally abused them, who looked down upon them.
They prayed for any one who needed prayer.

That prayer circle always closed with the same exact words:
Help us to see the face of Jesus in every one we meet. Amen.

Help us to see the face of Jesus in every one we meet.
In EVERYONE we meet.

That is the theme of today’s gospel.

Jesus is saying—
I am there…
when we are pushing our grocery cart
down the aisles at Ingles,
and we remember, yes, of course I can
afford to buy a few extra cans
to put in the Manna Food Basket.
When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat.


Jesus is saying—
I am there…
when we are cold and walk over
and with a flick of the wrist turn up our thermostat,
and suddenly we remember those
who do not have the luxury
of a warm home
and we remember, yes,
I can buy
a pair of socks
or gloves or a scarf
to put in the Christmas box
for Church of the Advocate.
When I was naked you clothed me.

Jesus is saying—
I am there…
when we show up at church after a long day’s work
to assemble going home bags for the women at the correctional center in Swannanoa
or build a Habitat House
or fund scholarships for children
in faraway Durgapur
or pack medical supplies for a clinic
in Panama
or lovingly sew beautiful tiny dresses
for babies
that will not live a long and happy life.

Just as you did it to one of the least of these
You did it to me.

Jesus is telling us that nothing we do is separate from our life in Christ.

You know we are only a few days away from Thanksgiving
And being the age I am,
and having been a college student back in the 70’s--
I never come to a Thanksgiving
without remembering the song Alice’s Restaurant
by Arlo Guthrie.

No, I am not going to sing Alice’s Restaurant
(See, you already have something to be thankful for!)
but I am going to share some words
from another Arlo Guthrie song.

That song is DOORS TO HEAVEN
and the lyrics go like this:


…If all the doors were closed in heaven
They'd have to close the road to hell
We'd all be stuck here with each other
There would be nowhere else to dwell…

So I hope they close the doors to heaven
And all the angels up above
Come and build a home among us
Remind us what it is to love

If the pearly gates were closed this morning
Would there be angels here tonight
And would they live their lives among us
And share the darkness with their light


Jesus is asking us to be willing
to share the darkness with OUR light.
Because the truth of the matter is
we ARE all stuck here with each other.

The sheep and the goats. Right here together.
The members of the club and the staff of the club,
Those who pray and those who scoff at prayer.
Those who live in darkness
and those who have been blessed with light.
We are here together.

We are part of one family,
the family of God.

It is NOT our job to separate sheep from goats.
Our work
is to see the face of Jesus
in everyone we meet.
And that is hard and challenging work.

…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.'

You did it to me.