Being a Matthew 25 Church in 2023
Part 3
In Part 1 of this series, we wrote what it meant for us to be a Matthew 25 Church. In Part 2 of this series was a summary of what the Task Force has done since it started in 2020. For this Part 3, let us begin with Christ’s words for us.
Matthew 25: 31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in the heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, you are blessed by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
“Then the righteous will answer him,’ Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
“They will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me you are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe, I was sick and imprisoning did not look after me.’
“They will also answer, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘ I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment but the righteous to eternal life.”
This is the last one of our series as it is now 2023. It is time to start our work as a Matthew 25 church. This year will be a transition year in so many respects for JKPC as we start the year without a full-time pastor; thankfully, Pastor Randy taught us what Christ wants us to do and how much He loves each one of us, regardless of our shortcomings.
Our Session Matthew 25 Task Force will continue our monthly newsletter articles as a means for all of us to learn more about the tragic impact of racism on our brothers and sisters of color and the importance of being aware of our biased thoughts and actions.
Three new actions for this year are the following:
- Have a tab on our JKPC website devoted to how our Matthew 25 Task Force, Session, and congregation have worked toward dismantling structural racism so those viewing it can follow our journey of education and awareness.
- Meet with members from congregations who are predominantly people of color to understand their specific challenges in our community.
- Discuss with the leaders of other Presbyterian churches on their journeys to embrace Matthew 25. Our Task Force began in 2020, as study groups sponsored by the San Francisco Presbytery. We will plan meetings with church leaders to talk about their challenges, and hope to glean some new ideas and discuss where we might be able to improve and work more effectively.
May God bless JKPC and give us the awareness to see what He wants us to see, and act where He wants us to act.
