Matthew 25 | At Water’s Edge

People Get Ready

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Betsy

The recent solar eclipse raised a lot of interest in the apocalypse. Some folks thought that it might usher in the Second Coming, as Scripture talks about the world going dark just before Christ returns. As you can see by the fact that we’re all still here, that didn’t happen. My running partner and I were speculating about what might happen if it had. We decided that being ushered into the heavenly realm would certainly mean that we would be eternally located in our happy place, which for us involved being the caretakers of all the dogs who have gone to heaven before us. The idea of running a Celestial Doggy Day care was very appealing to us. People could drop their dogs off with us on their way to their choir practice and harp lessons. Doesn’t that sound heavenly??

In the fourth chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Paul addresses the Second Coming head on:

¹³Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about people who have died so that you won’t mourn like others who don’t have any hope. ¹⁴Since we believe that Jesus died and rose, so we also believe that God will bring with him those who have died in Jesus. ¹⁵What we are saying is a message from the Lord: we who are alive and still around at the Lord’s coming definitely won’t go ahead of those who have died.

¹⁶This is because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with the signal of a shout by the head angel and a blast on God’s trumpet. First, those who are dead in Christ will rise.¹⁷Then, we who are living and still around will be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet with the Lord in the air. That way we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸So encourage each other with these words.

Paul paints images of signals, shouts, head angels making proclamations, and trumpet blasts, which raise goosebumps on our arms and causes feathered hope to rise in our hearts. Not to be confused with Scriptures on the “rapture,” this passage falls in line with our expectations from the book of Matthew which describes it this way:

“Then the sign of the Human One will appear in the sky. At that time all the tribes of the earth will be full of sadness, and they will see the Human One coming in the heavenly cloudswith power and great splendor. ³¹He will send his angels with the sound of a great trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four corners of the earth, from one end of the sky to the other” (Matthew 24:30-31).

Paul clarifies that the Lord will come down at the sound of the trumpet and those who are dead will rise, joining those who are still living. This last bit of encouragement about the Second Coming was precious to the church, and it is precious to us as well.

Christ’s triumphal return is reminiscent of the royal processionals of earth’s great kings. Even in our lifetime, we experienced the pageantry and pomp of King Charles III of Britain when he took the throne in 2023. You may remember the tens of thousands of people who lined the street to welcome their new king that day as he was driven by eight white horses in a centuries old Gold State Coach surrounded by over 4,000 members of the Royal Navy, Royal Army, Royal Marines, the Tri Service Guard of Honor, and the Royal British Legion. It was spectacular and as some would say, “fit for a king.” How will we welcome our King when his time comes to return? Will it be a big and noisy spectacle of crowds cheering and trumpets blasting, or will we groan in sorrow because we aren’t ready?

Paul envisions Jesus coming from heaven to earth on a kind of celestial highway that will lead him straight to the graveyards in order to resurrect the dead. This offers a word of hope that when we die in Jesus we will arise in Jesus and never be separated from him. Matthew 25 explains what will happen next:

Matthew 25:31-33 (Common English Bible)

Now when the Human Onecomes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. ³²All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left” (Matthew 25:31-33).

Understanding that the judging of the nations is coming should serve as a wake-up call to us today. Where will you stand at the end? If Jesus were to return tomorrow, would the church be ready? Are you living your life everyday with the expectation that Jesus’ return could happen at any moment?

People get ready! Jesus is comin’.

Celestial Highway by Michelle Robertson

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Betsy

How many of you remember Crystal Pepsi? Cheetos-flavored lip balm? Colgate Frozen Entrees? Heinz “Easy Squirt” purple ketchup? These are perfect examples of what happens when companies, institutions, and people forget to keep the main thing the main thing. Each one of us has a mission in life. The mission of Colgate is to make toothpaste. The mission of Cheetos is, well, to make Cheetos. The mission of Christ followers is to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked and visit the sick and the prisoners.

How are we doing with that?

Today’s devotional is an appropriate follow-up to the recent one on Revelation 7. Jesus explains a vision of heaven much like the Revelation of John of Patmos’ vision. We are focused again on the throne and the diversity of the nations gathered around the Son of Man, the Lamb. But this passage takes a more cautionary tone:

Matthew 25 (The Message)

^31-33“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

A sorting will happen and it is clear that at the end of days, you will want to be counted on the right side. See what it will take to enter the Kingdom of God:

^34-36“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

^37-40“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

What a beautiful reminder to us about the importance of being the “hands and feet” of Christ in this life. By serving his fragile children, we are serving the king. Can there be anything more important? Can any calling be greater?

^41-43“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

⁴⁴“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

Friends, we don’t want to be counted with the goats. This is a good time to do a reality check. Are you giving, serving, helping, and engaging with people who are overlooked or ignored? If not, you are not serving the King.

⁴⁵“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

⁴⁶“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”

Jesus is clear about his expectations. When people, community groups, and churches devote a lot of time in food pantries, homeless shelters, disaster recovery, and clothes closets, they are pleasing to God. I am blessed to serve a church like that, and we are surrounded by churches and organizations who are actively involved in local ministries. How about your church? How about you? Volunteering and offering financial support to the things that Jesus cares about will usher you right into the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

Let us keep the main thing the main thing.

Nope. (Photo from https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/16-humiliating-and-hilarious-food-and-drink-product-fails-slideshow/)

I Just Wanna Be a Sheep

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Betsy

Matthew 24 and 25 are filled with apocalyptic images and language. Jesus describes what will happen in the end times and it isn’t pretty. Earthquakes, wars, great suffering, famines … it is the stuff of nightmares. False Christs will rise up and many will fall away from their love for the Lord. The sun, moon, and stars will cease to shine, and a great darkness will come over the earth. It will be horrible.

As he is teaching the people how to prepare for this, he tells them how the sheep and goats will be separated:

Matthew 25 (Common English Bible)

³¹“Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. ³²All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left.

If you grew up thinking sheep were dumb and mild, you may not have considered that being a sheep would be a good thing. But there is one thing sheep do well: they follow the voice of the shepherd. They stay together in a flock and do the will of their master. They are obedient.

³⁴“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. ³⁵I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’

The Good Shepherd is pretty straight forward about how to land on the right side of the separation at the end of days: we are called take care of people who can’t take care of themselves. The poor, the marginalized, the prisoners, those fleeing from disasters, the displaced, the homeless … the care of these strangers is the criteria by which we will be judged. Are you caring for the strangers?

³⁷“Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? ³⁸When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰“Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’

This is why we should support missions, contribute to food pantries, do hospital and jail visitations, solve the border crisis, and work in homeless ministries. We will be judged by our caring for Jesus’ fragile children. What are you doing to help others? Go, and do it in the name of the Good Shepherd so that you may be counted among the sheep at the end of days.

The Sun Will Cease to Shine by Michelle Robertson

Sheepishly Resolved

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Betsy

New Year’s Eve is my least favorite celebration. Too often in my younger years it meant staying out too late in high heels that were killing me and wearing a silly hat. The parties were always too noisy and too crowded. I really didn’t mind the hat, but the shoes … ugh! My husband and I adopted the tradition of his parents after awhile. We stay up as late as we can and go out on the front porch in our pajamas at “midnight” (which might be 10:15) and pop an air-filled brown paper lunch bag. Boom! Welcome New Year.

New Year’s resolutions aren’t my favorite thing either. Researchers tell us that within six weeks, most of our resolve fizzles out, and we are back to our old habits. Why bother?

I am much more in favor of making life changes based on the Scriptures that speak to us. In that vain, look at today’s lectionary passage. This calls us to change our lifestyle immediately in response to the Gospel … and become sheep.

Now for those of you who follow a certain political rhetoric that implies that sheep are mindless, subpar creatures who blindly follow what their leader tells them, you are right. And I, for one, just want to be a sheep. A Gospel sheep.

Matthew 25 (The Message)

The Sheep and the Goats

And BAM … there it is. There is the only New Year’s resolution you need. There is the Master’s instruction for self-improvement for 2022. Visit the prisoners. Drop in on the sick. (wear a mask!) Clothe the cold people. Volunteer and support your community homeless shelter. Feed the hungry through your community food bank. Be the change.

^41-43“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

⁴⁴“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

Just as following the voice of the Master brings blessings into your life, refusing to do as he bids will result in consequences you don’t want to face. In the end, we will all be held accountable to the Gospel demands.

⁴⁶“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”

Let us covenant to do better in 2022 in all of these sheepish things. May we give of ourselves in ways we never have before, and may others be blessed by our efforts.

Happy New Year from At Water’s Edge!

Imprisonment

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Betsy

Let me tell you about my friend Lisa. Lisa is the co-author of a book on grief that we wrote together several years ago. (Mourning Break) She is actively engaged in prison ministry. Her dedication to the women in the Georgia state prison system is incredibly admirable. She visits them, writes emails to them, prays with them, prays FOR them, and has helped one write a book on devotionals from prison. With all the ways that she is a true Barnabas who supports and encourages others, she is first and foremost obedient to what Christ has called ALL of us to do.

In this passage in Matthew, Jesus explains how we all will be evaluated at the end of our days. The king in the story has separated the people into two groups: those who are righteous, who are positioned on the right, and those who ignored his call, whom he placed on his left.

Matthew 25 (Common English Bible)

This clearly is the standard by which the world will be judged. Those who fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, and gave the cool cup of water to the thirsty will inherit the kingdom. Taking care of the sick and visiting people in prison also enable believers to receive all the good things the father has to bestow upon his people.

⁴⁰“Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’

I think about my friend and her prison ministry when I read this passage. Jesus explains that when we do loving and caring things for others, we are doing them for Christ himself. Can there be a higher goal in life than to do acts of beauty and kindness for Jesus?

You may not have a way to visit someone in prison like Lisa does, but you probably know someone who is imprisoned by their situation, their defeat, their hopelessness, their poverty, or their choices. Can you make a difference? Can you reach out in non-judgmental love and offer a plate of love, a cup of justice, a coat of warm acceptance, or a handshake of welcome? (OK, maybe a wave from six feet away…)

Take this scripture to heart. In a world that is imprisoned in despair, be a Lisa. And when you do, you’ll be serving Christ himself.

Invest Yourself

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Betsy

There is a lady at my church who is exceptionally good at anything having to do with hospitality. She can organize a kitchen full of cooks, is able to serve food while hot, has the ability to decorate the entire place like an events coordinator, and she can always make herself available to do whatever we need. She is a BLESSING.

What are you good at doing? Can you teach? Sing? Do finances? Talk with teenagers? In church language we call these talents “spiritual gifts.” We understand that everyone is good at something. God is the one who gives you the ability, and he calls you to use it for the good of the kingdom. We encourage people to discover their gifts and to serve in places that match their special abilities. We also encourage people not to volunteer in an area that they are not gifted to do! Trust me, nobody wants me on the Finance Committee. My eyes glaze over if you show me anything with numbers.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells a lengthy parable about a master who entrusted three servants with different financial gifts. He left them on their own to decide how to invest what they had been given. It went well for two of them….

Matthew 25 (The Message)

^19-21“After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

^22-23“The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

But woe to the last servant, who was given the smallest amount. He chose a very strange place for his investment…

^24-25“The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

This man squandered his gift.

Are you squandering yours?

^26-27“The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

^28-30“‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’

Jesus is not playing here. When you receive a gift or talent, God wants you to use it for his glory. To bury what you are good at doing is a terrible waste. The play-it-safe life is not acceptable.

Maybe you’ve been told you don’t have a spiritual gift that’s worth anything. You’ve been told wrong. Everybody is somebody in the Body!

Whatever you’re good at, do it. Do it joyfully. Do it gracefully. Do it obediently. When you invest your talents in the service of the Lord, it comes back to you with eternal rewards.

A Glimpse of the Kingdom of God by Wende Pritchard

Never Put Off ‘Til Tomorrow

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Betsy

Here is a macabre question for you today. If you were to die in the next hour, what business would you leave undone? What words would you wish you had said? What regrets would you have as you draw that last breath? What is left to finish in the next sixty minutes?

The human spirit is a powerful thing. I have watched dying people hang on for days and weeks in order to finish something. I’ll never forget sitting at a bedside with a church member for weeks as she waited for her estranged daughter to come. Every day she asked for her, and every day the daughter didn’t show up. Finally the other daughter drove to another state to get her sister, and when she walked in, she and her mother finally reconciled. They held each other and cried, forgave all past grievances, and expressed their love. The mother died peacefully in minutes.

Sorry for the “Debby Downer” tone of this devotional! But the question is legit. What unfinished business is lying around in your soul?

Today’s passage is a reminder that we never know the day or the hour of our last breath. We never know the moment when this world and all of its horror will suddenly be replaced by the Kingdom of God. (Come, Lord Jesus, COME!) The point is to be ready.

Matthew 25 (Common English Bible)

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten young bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ²Now five of them were wise, and the other five were foolish. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t bring oil for them. ⁴But the wise ones took their lamps and also brought containers of oil.

⁵“When the groom was late in coming, they all became drowsy and went to sleep. ⁶But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Look, the groom! Come out to meet him.’

⁷“Then all those bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. ⁸But the foolish bridesmaids said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps have gone out.’

Jesus is not being coy in this parable. He is clearly delineating the wise people from the foolish ones. The foolish people think they have time to make amends, pursue righteousness, reconcile bitter divisions, and walk in obedience. They are wrong.

The wise ones live each day as if it were the last one on earth. They are ready to meet their maker.

⁹“But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘No, because if we share with you, there won’t be enough for our lamps and yours. We have a better idea. You go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰But while they were gone to buy oil, the groom came. Those who were ready went with him into the wedding. Then the door was shut.

¹¹“Later the other bridesmaids came and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us.’

¹²“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

It was too late for the foolish bridesmaids, but it’s not too late for you. Today is a good day to reflect on your readiness. Do you need to repent? Should you ask God for forgiveness? Have you hurt someone and need to apologize? Are there unreconciled relationships that require your attention?

Don’t wait. Tomorrow may be too late.

¹³“Therefore, keep alert, because you don’t know the day or the hour.