A Modern Day Reflection on the Sheep and the Goats:
Who and How Do We Serve?
Take a moment to look again at our bulletin cover with me. What do you see? I see a group of people from all walks of life and backgrounds. I see children skinny and unclothed, a crying baby, a gentleman partially laying on the floor and perhaps homeless. I see a person in a wheel chair and two elderly people with canes. I see some young men, a teenager with a skateboard. I see a woman wearing a scantily clad dress, and although I don’t know her background, at first glance I wonder if she might be a street worker or someone who has been exploited by human trafficking.
In reality, we don’t know the stories and backgrounds of any of these individuals. They are all strangers to us, people we might pass on the street or see in a “feed the children” ad from the other side of the world. Whoever these people are, though, I think they each have a need. Some are hungry or poor, the children need clothing and care, some of them might be lonely, longing for acceptance, kindness, or new opportunities.
And then, of course, we see the gentleman in the middle, praying to God to send him someone to love. His prayer is genuine and heartfelt, but he is oblivious to those around him. What does this image make you feel? If I am being honest with myself, this picture makes me feel uncomfortable. It reminds me how often I go through life unaware of those around me.
The artist of this cartoon, David Hayward, is a former pastor and artist. He also uses the name “Naked Pastor” because he feels called to sometimes lay bare some difficult truths about justice, such as this one. In some ways this image is hard to swallow. How often do we as Christians turn away from our neighbors while praying for meaning and a better world? How often may we be praying empty prayers, asking God to help these people, and yet unwilling to be sent ourselves?
It isn’t necessarily that we don’t care about others. In fact, I think we are all capable of great compassion and kindness when we see others hurting. We often want to help when we can. But how often do we actually take notice?
In college I majored in Psychology, and I was reminded this week of an experiment we studied in one of my classes. In 1973, two psychologists named Darley and Batson, conducted an experiment they aptly named the “Good Samaritan Experiment.” In this experiment the psychologists wanted to test whether or not seminary students would stop to help someone in need. These seminary students were sent to walk across campus in order to give a sermon on the Good Samaritan in another building, and along their route there was an injured man slumped on the sidewalk. The study found that many of the seminarians failed to notice the person on the sidewalk, and even if they did, many of them had been told that they were running late for their sermon and so decided to pass the injured man by. The experimenters even reported that a few of the seminary students stepped over the injured man as they hurried on their way.
Understandably, the results of this experiment were shocking. How ironic and heartbreaking is it that people who were preparing to give a sermon on helping often failed to offer help when it was needed? Later when asked why they hadn’t stopped, these students said they were in a rush, distracted, concerned for their own safety, or simply felt like someone else would be better equipped to help.
These aren’t unreasonable reasons, and I think many of us would say similar things in such a situation. The truth is is that many of us are busy. We have our own problems and responsibilities. Many of us have jobs, bills to pay, meetings or doctor appointments to get to, friends, children or grandchildren we want to be there for. As we rush from one place to another we may not always have the time to see those who are around us.
Or, like some of the students in the experiment said, we might decide that we can’t help. The situation of the person in front of us might make us feel uncomfortable, and perhaps we wrestle internally within ourselves about what to do. We often come up with reasons not to help, saying things such as, I don’t have the skills or the resources, I don’t know how to help, I’m too old, too weak, etc.. It isn’t that we are uncaring or apathetic, but we may have our reasons to walk away. And so, whatever our reason or reasons may be, we often walk by those who may be most in need.
And yet I wonder, when we do walk by, what message does the person in need receive? How might the injured man in the experiment have felt when time and time again people walked by, stepped over him, or avoided eye contact? I can hear them thinking, does my pain matter?
I was faced with such a dilemma this past week. I forgot my lunch at home last Friday, so as lunch time rolled around and my stomach began to grumble, I got in my car and went in search of some lunch. As I was driving I saw the Target sign in the distance and remembered I needed to buy a few ingredients for dinner too. So I parked my car, quickly went in to do my shopping, and decided to buy myself some Taco Bell on my way back to the church office.
I made it through the drive thru line, got my tacos and made my way toward the lot exit. It’s then that I saw her. A woman holding a sign that said “Single Mom, Two Kids, Need Help.” A three year old sat on a blanket at her feet and a baby slept in a stroller. Seeing them standing there made me uncomfortable, and to be completely honest I turned the other way and went out another exit so I wouldn’t have to make eye contact with this woman and her children.
As I drove back to the church I tried to make excuses. I didn’t have time to help because I had food that needed to be refrigerated. I had just spent more money than I probably should have at Target, and my gas tank was running on empty and I would need to buy some gas soon. And besides, for all I knew this might just be a scam. After all, she wouldn’t have been the first person to stand on the corner to scam good people into helping.
I tried to make excuses and reason it away but I was still troubled. I felt God nudging me. God can be very annoying that way sometimes. I just wanted to get back to the church office and write my sermon about helping people and now here was this woman holding a sign and God bugging me to do something about it. How ironic is it that I need to write a sermon about helping people and now God was asking me to take the risk and practice what I preach.
Then it came to my mind that the church office purchases gas and grocery gift cards just in case someone comes to the church asking for help—and you might be surprised by how many do come. But did I want to risk it? Did I dare risk using the church’s resources to help someone who might possibly be scamming me? God nudged me again. Wasn’t it worth the risk, God asked, to give a grocery gift card in hopes that it would feed this woman and her two kids? After all, Jesus took the risk on the cross to do good for me not knowing whether or not I would ever pay it forward.
Long story short, I used one of the church gift cards to help this family, and I shared the information for the NEAR FoodShelf with them too. She thanked me and said she appreciated the church’s kindness, and I went on my way. I still don’t know this woman’s situation or whether or not she really needed the help, but I believe it was worth the risk to love someone as God called us as Christians to do. It’s worth it to love a little recklessly sometimes.
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Now I do want to say that we are not called to save the world nor can we save every person we see who might need help. There are times that I as an individual might not be able to help. For example, I don’t roll down my window to help stranger if I am driving alone at night, or if I am in an area where I don’t feel safe. Our safety does indeed matter, and it is also true that we do not always have the resources that that person might need at that moment. There have been times where I wanted to help but didn’t have anything on me to give.
In other words, sometimes we are called to be on the front lines of helping, and sometimes we might be called in other ways. Faith Lilac Way partners with a lot of great organizations that are doing God’s work in our community. We work with the NEAR FoodShelf, EveryMeal, Cherish All Children and the ELCA Disaster Response just to name a few. These organizations are often better trained and better equipped to help on the front lines than I am as an individual, but I can still do my individual part.
I can help by making a monthly donation or volunteering, I can give someone in need the contact information to an organization, or maybe I can spread the word to my friends on social media so other people know about the great organizations that are providing resources and support. I can also do my part at the ballot box by voting for leaders who I believe are committed to doing this justice work. I can use my voice, write to my elected leaders or sign a petition to lobby for change. There are things we can do—and are called to do—to help. We all have gifts, talents and resources to share in ways both big and small—but—they will only be useful if we take time to notice the needs of others and decide to take the risk to help.
With God’s help, may we have the eyes to see and compassion to care. May our discomfort of the suffering neighbor convict us and spur us to action. In God’s name may we welcome the stranger, clothe the cold and nourish the hungry. May we give hope to the hopeless, companionship to the lonely, and justice to the oppressed. This is the work to which we as Christians are called. May we be open to the Holy Spirit and open to how God may use us in this work toward justice. It won’t always be easy to do what is right—sometimes it will force us to be uncomfortable or speak up against the status quo (Jesus had to rattle the status quo of his day too). The good news is that God is faithful and we do not do this work alone. There are plenty of people around us who need love and hope, and Christ leads the way into this work. And may we remember that when we do this work for the least of these, we also do it for Christ who first took the risk to love and reach out us. Thanks be to God for God’s justice. Amen.