Matthew 25:37-40 (ESV)
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And
when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And
when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will
answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these
my brothers, you did it to me.’
Today I want to share a great little story about serving
God.
Ruth looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no
postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter one more time...
Dear Ruth,
I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon
and I'd like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always,
Jesus
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the
table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't
have anything to offer."
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen
cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll
have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner."
She reached for her purse and counted out its contents.
Seven dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts,
at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of french bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey,
and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with a grand total of twelve cents to last
her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt satisfied as she headed home, her
meager offerings tucked under her arm.
"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had
been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures
huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more
than rags.
"Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife
and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold
and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd
really appreciate it."
Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled
bad and, frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they
really wanted to. "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself.
All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest
for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."
"Yeah, well, OK lady, I understand. Thanks
anyway." The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and
headed back into the alley.
As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in
her heart. "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down
the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out
something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag.
"Thank you, lady. Thank you very much!"
"Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that
she was shivering.
"You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why
don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over
the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street .
. .without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you, lady!
Thank you very much!"
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door
and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to
offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she
noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That's odd. The mailman doesn't
usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and
opened it.
Dear Ruth,
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely
meal. And thank you too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always,
Jesus
The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth
no longer noticed.
What a great reminder to help those around us.
Dear Lord, help our eyes and ears be open to those around
us. Help us be willing to serve You through others. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.