God is love - a Lenten series 31 Love is worship
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| The judgment of the sheep and the goats |
Definition of worship from Merrian Webster
worshipped also worshiped; worshipping also worshiping
When one worships, one regards another being with respect, honor and devotion. Now consider this parable of Jesus.
: to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power
2: to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
- a celebrity worshippedby her fans
Matthew 25:31-33 “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.
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.’
This is what one love Christianity looks like. Love of neighbor is the love of God. God is worshiped when the outcast are served. Personal charity is personal worship. St. James says "he'll demonstrate his faith by his good works." Belief and charity are inseparable.
One interesting side note, is the nations are judged according to the introduction. I believe in personal as well as corporate responsibility. Hence, I will give from my own resources as well as advocate for the allocation of my taxes to these efforts of charity. I can't personally pay for the full time care of one person in need of cancer care, nor can my church, but we the people, as a government, can. I can't solve the needs of the 60+ homeless people I help every week, but the small organization I work with, run solely on donations can, and can do even more if the government gave us tax dollars.
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